Bringing the Metaverse to Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter provides a case study on the use of a virtual world as the predominant mechanism for interacting with university students. In the Autumn Semester 2020, 49 engineering students partook in weekly seminars with teachers and each other on a fantastical virtual teaching island, known as Nottopia. The majority of students accessed the virtual world on desktop computers, although four routinely used their own VR headsets. Survey data indicated that the student experience was extremely positive and motivation to learn was very high. Interviews, together with video observations, established that five themes dictated the positive outcome, namely the design of the space, the nature of the integral content, the prevailing group dynamics, the role of avatars, and the magical interactions possible. These themes are realised in an initial design framework.