Metaverse in in the geography lecture classroom? Evaluating ‘group VR’ possibilities using the multiplayer ‘Wooorld’ VR app

ABSTRACT

With the introduction of in-class group-based virtual reality (VR), multiple students can interact in a single shared “metaverse”. One geography-focused group VR option is the Wooorld app, available on various Meta Quest unit models. To evaluate the feasibility of group VR in a higher education geography lecture classroom, a pilot study was run for two days with a small, upper-level Urban Geography class at Arkansas Tech University in spring 2023. Using multiple wireless Meta Quest 2 headsets, the class collectively used the Wooorld app to visit 3D-rendered global downtowns. Inside the app, students saw each other’s avatars and manipulated the viewing area for the rest of the class. Students completed pre/post-experience surveys, and the data suggest strong student enthusiasm for shared VR, and for Wooorld. However, some technical and physical space issues arose. While this pilot study aimed to evaluate the potential of classroom group VR via the Wooorld app, this study also considers the possibility of using group VR in future geography lecture classrooms.

KEYWORDS:

• Virtual reality
• metaverse
• group VR
• student learning
• research methods
• digital fieldwork

Acknowledgements

The author offers sincere thanks to the Urban Geography students at Arkansas Tech University that voluntarily participated in this study in Spring 2023.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

IRB Statement

This research was deemed as “exempt” by the Arkansas Tech University Institutional Review Board in April 2023, pursuant to federal regulation 45 CFR 46.104 (d)(2)(i)(ii). This exemption is referenced by Arkansas Tech University IRB as E-2023-38.

Additional information

Funding

The virtual reality equipment used in this study was funded from a 2021-2022 Teaching Technology Innovation Grant from Arkansas Tech University.