Teaching & Learning in Virtual Reality: Metaverse Classroom Exploration
Emily Hedrick, Michael J. Harper, Eric Oliver, Daniel Hatch
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) offers a potentially engaging environment for teaching college students. The faculty of an interaction design program is currently creating a college course where students are taught entirely in a VR classroom. The curriculum and study methodology are simultaneously in the development process and intend to measure the impact of such a course on students and instructors. The research questions in consideration involve understanding the needs for facilitating a classroom in a virtual world while ensuring learning occurs. The faculty plans to use the metaverse as a dual workspace and classroom for student participants. The metaverse is an online social experience where students interact through an internet connection in a seemingly lifelike digital space. Additional questions involve the adoption of a beta of the Meta Horizon Workrooms and whether the technology offers a viable platform for virtual classroom instruction. The proposed technology integrations include video conferencing, spatial audio, and additional app integrations for increasing student engagement and academic performance.