Enhancing engagement in virtual reality learning: Insights into design, usability, and pedagogical impact

Virtual reality (VR) and metaverse platforms are now widely used to make difficult topics easier to experience and explore, on both headsets and regular screens. However, problems like dizziness, mixed engagement, and uneven uptake suggest that “more immersion” is not enough. What seems to mat-ter more are specific design choices: how the scene is laid out, how quickly tasks follow one another, and whether students use VR headsets or non-VR devices. In this study, we examined how a metaverse-style learning platform can be designed to feel comfortable, engaging, and worth using again for students with different devices and levels of gaming experience. Thirty-one design undergraduates completed a short sustainable agriculture activity, ei-ther in VR or on a non-VR device, and followed either a U-turn path or a simpler, linear path. We combined survey data with coded open-ended com-ments. Perceived usefulness and enjoyment were the strongest predictors of students’ intention to use VR for learning, with attitude also helping, whereas feeling confident using VR alone and judging the interface “intuitive” did not increase intention as expected. Headset use and weekly gaming were both linked to lower immediate intention. A linear layout produced 18 percentage points fewer mentions of dizziness than the U-turn layout, and students who did not mention dizziness reported higher ease-of-use, enjoyment, perceived performance, and intention. Non-VR users and non-weekly gamers also re-ported higher intention than VR-headset users and weekly gamers, with no gender differences observed. Overall, the results highlight three design levers for metaverse-based learning: scenes that avoid unnecessary turning, small-step tasks with clear feedback, and real support for both VR and non-VR devices.