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Beyond the Hype and the Crisis: A Possible Metaverse for Education

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Augmented and Virtual Reality in the Metaverse

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Cultural Computing ((SSCC))

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Abstract

This chapter analyses the main features of the Metaverse from an educational perspective in the light of its current stage of development and, in particular, in the light of the crisis it is currently going through. The practical difficulties of implementation, linked to its complexity as an immersive virtual environment, and the concomitance of the AI explosion have slowed down the adoption of the Metaverse, diverting the investments of large technology companies towards AI applications and their integration into the technology we use daily. This, however, does not mean that the Metaverse will have no future, because it is highly unlikely that the technology will no longer offer us the possibility of fully immersive experiences. Rather, it will probably undergo reconfiguration. Its constituent elements, therefore, will not change. For this reason, those involved in education have the task of analysing them and assessing their potential for improving teaching practices, anticipating future developments in terms of methodological foundations for sustainable and beneficial use of the Metaverse. In particular, the researcher has the task of identifying the educational segments, target groups and contents that best lend themselves to an educational treatment based on the Metaverse.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    According to Park and Kim (2022), the Metaverse has six main fields of application: (1) simulation; (2) gaming; (3) the office (i.e. the creation of virtual workspaces); (4) social interaction (which includes cultural events and artistic performances); (5) marketing; and (6) training.

  2. 2.

    Low latency describes a computer network that is optimized to process a very high volume of data messages with minimal delay (latency). These networks are designed to support operations that require near real-time access to rapidly changing data.

  3. 3.

    To recall the main different forms of learning (adapted from the Council of Europe): Formal learning follows a syllabus, is intentional and measured by tests. Non-formal learning takes place outside formal learning but within some kind of organizational framework, is the result of intentional effort, but does not need a formal syllabus or assessment. Informal learning takes during activities that are not undertaken with a learning purpose, is involuntary and sometimes called “experiential” or “incidental learning”.

  4. 4.

    https://www.eventmarketer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/invision.pdf.

  5. 5.

    https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/emerging-tech/virtual-reality-study.html.

  6. 6.

    Godden and Baddeley (1975) had divers learn spoken words, either on land or underwater, and after 4 min tested them in either environment; all divers did all four combinations of environments. In this classic study, they found a large effect of context: whether learning underwater or on land, recall of the materials was much better in the same environment (Murre 2021).

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Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Dr. Fulvio Ananasso of the Italian States General of Innovation for valuable advice and insightful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INDIRE (National Institute for Educational Research), Rome, Italy

    Annamaria Cacchione

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  1. Annamaria Cacchione
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Correspondence to Annamaria Cacchione .

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  1. Informatics and Computer Science, British University in Egypt, El Sherouk City, Egypt

    Vladimir Geroimenko

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Cacchione, A. (2024). Beyond the Hype and the Crisis: A Possible Metaverse for Education. In: Geroimenko, V. (eds) Augmented and Virtual Reality in the Metaverse. Springer Series on Cultural Computing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57746-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57746-8_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-57745-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-57746-8

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