Designing educational metaverses: a literature review to determine guidelines

Recent advancements have led to the adoption of metaverse technology in various fields, including education. This rapid growth prompts us to explore the most effective practices for facilitating students’ learning and engagement in metaverse environments and what design elements of these environments improve educational experiences. Several systematic literature reviews underscore the increasing interest in the Metaverse's transformative potential in education. While emphasizing benefits such as innovative instructional approaches and enhanced student engagement, these reviews also highlight common limitations like privacy concerns and device compatibility issues. The agreement in these reviews shows that more research is needed to make the most of using the Metaverse in educational settings. To clarify design issues and instructional methods a systematic review is conducted between 2013 and 2023 years for metaverse usage in education. The study synthesizes 26 papers that thoroughly investigate educational metaverses through four key areas of the evaluating game- and simulation-based education framework [de Freitas, S., & Oliver, M. (2006). How can exploratory learning with games and simulations within the curriculum be most effectively evaluated? Computers & Education, 46(3), 249–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2005.11.007], namely pedagogical consideration, mode of representation, learner specification, and context. After analyzing the literature findings, we present six practical recommendations for educational metaverses to address design issues; ensuring active learning, integrating XR technologies carefully, enhancing customization, promoting collaboration, improving interaction & communication, and providing technical support and usability.