Title: Broad sense and narrow sense perspectives on the metaverse in education: roles of virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and pedagogical theories

Authors: Gwo-Jen Hwang; Shu-Yun Chien

Addresses: Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan ' Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

Abstract: There are different definitions of the metaverse. Some are from technical perspectives, which emphasise multiple criteria for identifying a metaverse system, such as being persistent, shared, and decentralised. On the other hand, some researchers consider metaverse as a virtual learning environment, which enables people to interact with others or experience authentic contexts. Owing to the diverse notations of the metaverse, educational researchers might feel confused and wonder how the metaverse can be used in educational settings and whether the systems they have used can be called the metaverse. In this paper, we address this issue from different angles, the broad sense and the narrow sense. In particular, the broad sense definition is proposed from the perspective of educational objectives and needs. Moreover, research design modes regarding the metaverse in education are discussed by considering the roles played by emerging technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile technologies.

Keywords: metaverse; emerging technologies; virtual learning; augmented reality; AR; artificial intelligence; AI.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2024.135179

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2024 Vol.18 No.1, pp.1 - 14

Received: 23 Feb 2023
Accepted: 13 Mar 2023
Published online: 01 Dec 2023 *