Assessment of virtual reality and metaverse applications in higher education

Joskowicz, José - González, Fabricio - Urrestarazú, Inés - Tafernaberry, Lucia

Resumen:

This paper examines the use and effectiveness of consumer-grade Virtual Reality (VR) technology in traditional university courses. At the School of Economics, Universidad de la Republica in Uruguay, students were divided into four groups : in-person, standard video conferencing, VR with avatars in a metaverse classroom, and remote participation in the metaverse. The study assessed various Quality of Experience (QoE) factors for students and professors, such as audiovisual quality, comfort, immersion, fatigue, and cognitive load. Findings reveal that VR promotes high student satisfaction, motivation, and interaction, reaching levels similar to in-person classes. However, issues like technical difficulties and discomfort with extended VR use were noted. The paper discusses the broader potential of VR for non-STEM higher education and offers recommendations for future implementation of immersive technologies.

Detalles Bibliográficos
2026
Este trabajo contó con el apoyo financiero de la Comisión Sectorial de Enseñanza (CSE), UdelaR y del Instituto de Estadística de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración, UdelaR.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Higher Education
Immersive Learning Environments
Quality of Experience (QoE)
Metaverse Classroom
Education
Metaverse
Avatars
Videoconferences
Reviews
Usability
Three-dimensional displays
Videos
Video conferencing
Inglés
Universidad de la República
COLIBRI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/53771
Acceso abierto
Licencia Creative Commons Atribución - No Comercial - Sin Derivadas (CC - By-NC-ND 4.0)