Abstract:

Educational use of the metaverse is progressing. The Department of Metaverse Engineering, established in the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, offers online courses that allow students to learn various knowledge such as management engineering and information and communication in a metaverse. The advantages of using a metaverse for education include the ability to remove geographical and time constraints and to learn about events that are difficult to reproduce in the real world. However, communication between learners in a metaverse is more difficult than face-to-face communication. This is because most communication in a metaverse is by voice or chat, which makes it difficult for learners to share their opinions visually using illustrations or other means, or to understand each other's opinions and theories in order to solve problems. Therefore, there is a need for learning support that takes advantage of the characteristics of the metaverse, which is different from face-to-face learning methods such as lectures. In this paper, we propose a communication support method using collaborative learning, in which learners teach and learn from each other in the metaverse space. Unlike conventional face-to-face learning in which learners individually understand what they are learning, this method activates discussion by allowing learners to exchange opinions and solve problems among themselves. In addition, we propose a function for learners to understand each other's opinions by displaying and viewing the opinions shared among learners on the metaverse.

Although the metaverse enables efficient learning through interactive communication with learners, collaborative learning in the metaverse has the following challenges: English learning in Fondi was supported by learners improving their English skills through conversations with each other. This learning method is a way for each learner to solve his/her own problems. However, in collaborative learning, where learners work together to solve problems, communication among learners to solve problems is difficult. Collaborative learning requires mutual understanding by teaching each other, but in learning with metaverse, it is difficult for learners to actively share their opinions and understand each other.

To solve this technical problem, we propose a method to support communication in collaborative learning by utilizing elements of information and resource sharing in cooperative games. The method sets limits on problem-solving discussions and creates an environment in which learners can visually interact with each other and exchange ideas. This method amplifies the positive attitude toward collaborative learning through the common goal of winning the cooperative game and provides an opportunity for learners to learn from each other.

Keywords:

Cooperative learning, metaverse, communication.