A collaborative pilot between EECS and TELT introduced an innovative and engaging approach to enhance student interaction.
Dr. Marie-Luce Bourguet, Senior Lecturer in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Queen Mary, wanted to foster collaborative learning, co-creation, and greater student engagement. The metaverse was identified as a promising solution, leading to the selection of Mozilla Hubs for a pilot project. This virtual platform, widely used by educators and organisations worldwide, offers students an accessible space to personalise their environment, share ideas, and support one another throughout the program.
A three-month pilot was approved through the Ideas Forum with backing from the Technology Enhanced Learning Team (TELT), Queen Mary Academy (QMA), and IT Services. The project, led by Dr. Marie-Luce Bourguet included participation from several students on the transnational joint program between Queen Mary and BUPT (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications).
The project aimed to explore how the metaverse can foster collaborative learning, co-creation, and enhanced student engagement. Mozilla Hubs was chosen as a virtual platform where students could share learning materials like videos and 3D simulations. Within this space, students, represented by personalised avatars, could work in small groups to discuss course content, collaborate, and solve problems. The metaverse could also serve as a social hub for building connections. Students are actively involved in designing and implementing the collaborative space through a co-creation process.
Potential outcomes:
During a 3-month pilot, six students from various levels of the EECS BUPT undergraduate program were tasked with designing and developing virtual spaces on the Mozilla Hubs platform. Their goal was to create environments that would support student teams collaborating on creative engineering group projects. Together, the six students developed a collaborative workspace and a larger exhibition hall for showcasing coursework and facilitating peer evaluation. Fellow students were then invited to use these virtual spaces and provide feedback through surveys.
Two surveys—one for students using the collaborative workspace and another for those in the exhibition hall—received a total of 86 responses. Both surveys included common questions to gather student feedback on the metaverse, focusing on its ease of use and its potential to transform their learning experience.
Most students rated their overall experience with the metaverse as easy or very easy, which was encouraging given the potential challenges of introducing a new technology to first-time users.
Students appreciated being able to navigate the application entirely via their keyboard, describing it as "easy to understand" and "similar to other games." While some mentioned that it took a little time to get used to, they agreed that "once you get familiar with the basic operations," it becomes "very convenient to use."
Those who found the experience difficult primarily cited issues like poor internet connection or, as one user described it, “catastrophic lag.”
The fact that most students found the platform easy to use could be attributed to the helpful guidance provided by the six students who created the space.
The surveys also asked if students agreed with the statement, ‘The metaverse could transform my learning experience’. Most agreed or strongly agreed.
Students were asked to elaborate on why they thought the metaverse could transform learning. In their responses, they highlighted several key themes, such as increased engagement, ease of collaboration and enjoyability, indicating that the technology has a wide range of strengths and the potential to create a significant positive impact in education:
“I think the metaverse can [...] provide students with more interesting and diverse ways of communication.” “The Metaverse could make collaborative learning easier and more effective [...] even if they are in different corners of the world.” “Scientific experiments could also be conducted in simulated laboratories without concerns about safety and resource limitations.”“This technology could greatly expand the boundaries of learning, making it more experiential and interactive.”"The Metaverse could empower learners to explore, collaborate, and grow in ways that were previously unimaginable.” “I think using Metaverse can increase my learning initiative and make learning enjoyable.”“It's convenient and fun to use.”“This environment allows me to focus more on the learning content and reduces external distractions.”
Not all feedback was positive. Some students reported feeling dizzy after using the metaverse for extended periods. Others felt it was effective for showcasing material but did not enhance learning. One student found traditional web pages more convenient and disliked the experience of watching videos “second-hand” through the eyes of their avatar. Feedback was also collected through an interview with the six students who co-created the spaces on Mozilla Hubs. Having spent more time on the platform, these students had a deeper understanding of its benefits and challenges than the survey respondents, but nevertheless their responses touched on similar themes:
“The most interesting part of Mozilla Hubs is that it offers a different way to interact online. You feel closer to other people than when you use MS Teams. It’s much more creative.”“In Mozilla Hubs you can talk one-on-one and have group discussions taking place in the same space, which isn’t possible in mainstream online meetings. You can more easily move between conversations as well. Communication is more immersive.”“You can move between presentations more seamlessly and choose to watch them alone or in a group. Younger students will be particularly interested in classes in the metaverse - it might make them more focused.”
Before the pilot, TELT invited members from its Community of Practice and Learning Technologist Group to a demonstration of the Mozilla Hubs platform.
Following the demonstration, staff were interviewed about their views on the platform and the metaverse as a learning tool. They believed that using such technology could help students develop flexibility, adaptability, and innovation—skills valuable in the workplace. While they felt that not every lecture should be virtual, they saw potential for the platform as an award or incentive. They particularly appreciated the ability to import 3D objects and the ease of using breakout rooms. They also thought it could be effective for inductions, ice-breaking activities, and mental health well-being sessions, as it might offer a level of anonymity appealing to students with mental health concerns.
The project's success can be evaluated across multiple dimensions, extending beyond the positive feedback from students detailed in this case study. Notably, one of the six students who contributed to the co-creation of the virtual space received a SEED Award from Queen Mary Academy. This award recognises the valuable contributions of our students and aims to foster further engagement in educational development opportunities across Queen Mary. Several students involved in the pilot are continuing their exploration of the metaverse during their final year of study. Leveraging their strong coding skills, they aim to integrate artificial intelligence features, such as virtual assistants or facilitators, to enhance the guidance provided to students within the metaverse environment.
Marie-Luce presented the findings of this pilot at the 2024 iLRN Conference (Immersive Learning Research Network) in a session titled “Students' Co-Creation of Collaborative Learning Spaces in the Metaverse.” Building on the success of the initial project, Marie-Luce also secured a Teaching and Research Award from the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE) for a further exploratory study. This upcoming study will delve deeper into how co-created spaces in the metaverse can enrich the student experience by offering new avenues for collaboration. The project will utilise a different metaverse platform, FRAMEVR, chosen for its accessibility, performance, analytical capabilities, and cost-effectiveness.
The Mozilla Hubs pilot has also uncovered additional potential applications for the metaverse in education, beyond fostering student collaboration. These include delivering instructional content, enhancing experiential and active learning, and integrating virtual reality and 3D models into the curriculum.
Overall, the outcomes of this project demonstrate that the metaverse holds significant promise as an innovative educational tool, opening up new possibilities for immersive, interactive, and student-centred learning experiences. The next phase of research will further explore these opportunities, aiming to deepen our understanding of the metaverse's transformative potential in higher education.
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