The present study proposes a framework for university students’ metaverse technologies in education acceptance and intention to use. The study is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data used are coming from two universities and are compared to each other. 311 university students from The Netherlands and 292 from Greece participated, gathering 513 valid answers to analyze (285 from The Netherlands and 228 from Greece). The objectives of the study are to analyze the relationship between students’ intention to use metaverse in education technologies (hereafter named MetaEducation) in correlation with selected constructs of TAM such as Attitude (ATT), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PE), Self-efficacy (SE) of the metaverse technologies in education, and Subjective Norm (SN). Furthermore, we want to research any cultural differences between the two populations based on their answers. Therefore, we propose two different structural models from the SEM analysis, once for each country. For both proposed models, different and individual analysis is conducted. We decided not to combine the datasets, since the samples present several cultural differences. The proposed models will be useful to universities’ managers, policymakers, and professors to better incorporate the upcoming metaverse technology. The present study tests the correlations among the aforementioned constructs. Preliminary results show a hesitance to use MetaEducation technologies from university students from both countries. Self-efficacy and Subjective Norms affect Attitude and Perceived Usefulness positively, but on the other side, there is no strong correlation between Perceived Ease of Use and Attitude or Perceived Usefulness and Attitude. Authors believe that the weak ties among the study constructs have to do with the lack of knowledge of what really MetaEducation really is, and which are its advantages of use.
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The last trend in technology is the upcoming Metaverse [1]. Metaverse represents a combination of virtual and augmented technology. With this technology, users will be able to immerse into a fully digital environment by obtaining a virtual identity through a digital avatar and acting as this was the real world. They can meet other users, shop, buy real estate, visit bars and restaurants, even flirt. Metaverse can be applied in several aspects of life such as (among others): Economy (Metaverse is entering into the cryptocurrency field), finance [2], social life, working environment, healthcare, real estate [3], and education [4]. In the last 2 and a half years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, universities made immediate use of e-learning technologies, providing students with access to online learning content and platforms. Previous considerations on how to better integrate the technology to universities or how the institutions can be better prepared in terms of infrastructures were vanished almost immediately due to the necessity of immediate actions towards the need for social distance and global health [5]. The present study proposes a framework for university students’ metaverse technologies in education acceptance and intention to use. The study is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) [6, 7]. The objectives of the study are to analyze the relationship of students’ intention to use metaverse in education technologies (hereafter named MetaEducation) in correlation with selected constructs of TAM such as: Attitude (ATT), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PE), Self-efficacy (SE) of the metaverse technologies in education, and Subjective Norm (SN). The present study develops a structural model of MetaEducation acceptance. This model will be useful to universities’ managers, policymakers and professors to better incorporate the upcoming metaverse technology. The present study tests (if supported) the correlations among the aforementioned constructs. Preliminary results show a hesitance to use MetaEducation technologies from university students. Self-efficacy and Subjective Norm affect Attitude and Perceived Usefulness positively, but on the other side, there is no strong correlation between Perceived Ease of Use and Attitude or Perceived Usefulness and Attitude. Authors believe that the weak ties among the studies constructs have to do with the lack of knowledge of what really MetaEducation really is, and which are its advantages of use.
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Metaverse, a burgeoning technological trend that combines virtual and augmented reality, provides users with a fully digital environment where they can assume a virtual identity through a digital avatar and interact with others as they were in the real world. Its applications span diverse domains such as economy (with its entry into the cryptocurrency field), finance, social life, working environment, healthcare, real estate, and education. During the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 era, universities have rapidly adopted e-learning technologies to provide students with online access to learning content and platforms, rendering previous considerations on integrating such technologies or preparing institutional infrastructures virtually obsolete. In light of this context, the present study proposes a framework for analyzing university students' acceptance and intention to use metaverse technologies in education, drawing upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The study aims to investigate the relationship between students' intention to use metaverse technologies in education, hereafter referred to as MetaEducation, and selected TAM constructs, including Attitude, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Self-efficacy of metaverse technologies in education, and Subjective Norm. Notably, Self-efficacy and Subjective Norm have a positive influence on Attitude and Perceived Usefulness, whereas Perceived Ease of Use does not exhibit a strong correlation with Attitude or Perceived Usefulness. The authors postulate that the weak associations between the study's constructs may be attributed to limited knowledge regarding MetaEducation and its potential benefits. Further investigation and analysis of the study's proposed model are warranted to comprehensively understand the complex dynamics involved in the acceptance and utilization of MetaEducation technologies in the realm of higher education
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