Manuscript received August 19, 2022; revised September 5, 2022; accepted November 8, 2022.
Abstract—Online learning is rapidly developing, and various
strategies to effectively operate online learning are being
discussed. In particular, online learning using the metaverse is
expected to facilitate social communication and high presence.
This study examined the presence and effectiveness of online
learning using a metaverse platform. A class was conducted for
six weeks using the metaverse platform Gather.town. A
questionnaire was employed to verify the online presence of the
learners and the effectiveness of the online learning, data were
collected from students who participated in the class. Analysis
of the online presence of the learners and the effectiveness of the
online learning before and after the class revealed the following.
The online presence of the learners who used the metaverse
platform improved compared to before the class. The results,
including those reflecting all sub-variables (teaching, social,
cognitive), were statistically significant. Similarly, online
effectiveness and its sub-variables (confidence in prerequisite
skills, general beliefs about online learning, self-direction and
initiative, and the desire for interaction with others) were
statistically significant.
Index Terms—Metaverse, online learning, presence and
effectiveness of online learning
Hyunji Kim is with Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea.
Myoungsung Kim is with the Busan Metropolitan City Institute for Gifted
Education and Promotion, Busan, South Korea.
*Correspondence: hjgim@pusan.ac.kr (H.K.)
Cite: Hyunji Kim* and Myoungsung Kim, "Presence and Effectiveness of Online Learning Using a Metaverse Platform: Gather.town," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 690-695, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).