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The importance of Metaverse in education:

The case study of Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Kairouan

Prepared by

Aziz Hermassi

Mini Memoir

English Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Kairouan

Supervised by

Dr. Mimoun Melliti

January 2023
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Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 in November 2019 has hit the educational institutions around the

globe and the traditional education started to be questioned. This urged educators and learners

to abandon face-to-face teaching methods. In order to cope with the pandemic, educational

institutions and mainly universities have become more adaptive and online learning presented

a perfect alternative to face-to-face learning. With the announcement of the rebranding of

Facebook, the media giant which changed its name to Meta in the 28th of October, 2021 and

the emergence of the Metaverse which gained a lot of attention from educationists, this

attention eventually grew even bigger. While different studies were concerned with the data

related to the Metaverse and education in general, there is no study, to the best of our

knowledge which focused on the implementation of the Metaverse in Tunisian universities.

To cover this research gap, this paper tends to investigate this new technology, its importance

in higher education and its impact on education in Tunisian universities and aims to provide a

practical framework for implementing the metaverse in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in

Kairouan, in a realistic attempt based on the current actual possibilities available in Tunisia.

Consequently, a survey was conducted on 24 students, in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

in Kairouan in order to gather data about their knowledge about the Metaverse, their attitudes

towards it ,their thoughts about its implementation in the faculty and the impact that it can

potentially leave on the process of teaching and learning in higher the education scene.

Keywords: Metaverse, Virtual reality, education, 3D, avatar,

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Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………..2

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………..3

List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………....5

List of Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………6

Chapter One: Introduction………………………………………………………………7

1.0. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………7

1.1 Background of the study………………………………………………………………7

1.2 Research questions………………………………………………………………8

1.3 Research method………………………………………………………………8

1.4 Conclusion………………………………………………………………9

Chapter Two: Literature Review…………………………………………………………10

2.0. Introduction………………………………………………………………10

2.1.1An introduction to the Metaverse………………………………………………………10

2.2. The Metaverse in higher education……………………………………………………11

2.3. The impact of using the Metaverse in Tunisian universities……………………………12

2.4. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………….15

Chapter Three: Methodology………………………………………………………………16

3.0. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………16

3.1. Data collection…………………………………………………………………………16

3.2.Data analysis……………………………………………………………………………19
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Chapter Four: Findings and Discussion…………………………………………………21

4.0.Introduction………………………………………………………………………………21

4.1.The implementation of the Metaverse in Tunisian universities………………………..21

4.2. Implementing the Metaverse in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Kairouan…….22

4.3. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………23

4.4.Discussion………………………………………………………………………………23
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List of tables

Table 1: Questions of the survey……………………………………………………………16

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List of Abbreviations

VR: Virtual Reality

AR: Augmented Reality

XR: Extended Reality

3D: Three dimensional

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Chapter one: Introduction

4.0. Introduction

This study examines the importance of the implementation of the Metaverse and its

impact on higher education, most specifically in the Tunisian universities. Additionally it

tends to provide a scientific and a practical framework for strategically implementing this

technology in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Kairouan.

The first chapter of this paper is divided into four sections. The first section is the

background of the study. The second one poses the research questions and the final

section provides the research method.

4.1. Background of the study

The main role of any educator is to figure out the best methods and strategies possible to

provide the best quality knowledge for learners without treating them like storage units for

that knowledge. That’s what pedagogy is basically all about. Throughout the years technology

has been playing a major role in education. Its presence in teaching has become an obligation

in all fields of education as it adds much needed value to the classroom sessions. The outbreak

of the covid-19 in the late 2019 has helped to reveal the true potential of technology, mainly

its importance in education. With the dramatic progress of computer science, the emergence

of computers with multiple super processors that can work together simultaneously, the

development cutting edge virtual reality technologies, with the rebranding of Facebook and

changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc. or simply Meta and the emergence of the term

Metaverse, the attention of the educationists was drawn to implementing it in education.

Since the pandemic, the metaverse has quickly taken over the news and media platforms

around the world. This new emerging technology is changing the shape of the internet as we

used to know it. It eventually started to be involved in education in many universities around
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world. In the last two years it has clearly proven that how useful it could be when used

strategically as a tool of teaching in universities.

The virtual reality and augmented technologies have been taking the world by storm

during last few years, especially during the lockdown and Tunisia is not an exception since

many Tunisian companies and start-ups that involve the use of virtual reality technologies

were founded during the last decade which helped to spread the VR and AR culture among

Tunisians.

1.1. Research questions

The use of the virtual reality and the metaverse in universities can certainly open new paths

but, this still begs the questions that this particular paper aims to answer:

How can the Metaverse be implemented in the Tunisian universities? How does such a

technology impact education? And how can the implementation if the Metaverse in education

be applicable in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Kairouan?

1.2. Research Method

This paper examines the impact of the possibilities implementing the use the metaverse

on the higher education scene in Tunisian universities, using a combination of qualitative and

quantitive research, through inspecting some of the recent researches on the implementation

of the Metaverse and its impacts on education in different universities around the globe and

additionally by conducting a survey on 24 students from different departments within the

Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Kairouan to collect more information about the students’

awareness of this rising technology, their thoughts on using it in Tunisian universities in order

to provide a scientific and practical framework for strategically implementing the Metaverse

in teaching in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Kairouan.

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1.4.Conclusion

The goal of this paper is, not only, to show the effects of the implementation of the Metaverse

in education in universities, but, also to reveal its true potential when Tunisian educators start

to implement it in teaching and to come up with a practical framework which takes into

consideration the current possibilities in Tunisia.

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Chapter Two: Literature review

2.0.Introduction

The literature review chapter consists of three sections with the first one being an introduction

to the Metaverse. The next section touches upon the Metaverse in higher education. Finally,

the third chapter deals with the impact of using the Metaverse in Tunisian universities.

2.1. An introduction to the Metaverse

In the last couple of decades, technology has become a vital element in people’s daily

lives. The possibilities offered by the technology are almost endless. People, nowadays, live

in a time, where everything is connected, through the web. They can interact, study, work,

play, or even run entire businesses, from the comfort of their home, through a single tap on

their smartphones. With the outbreak of covid-19 and during almost three years of pandemic,

technology has shown its full potential. It is where the term ‘metaverse’ gained a massive

amount of attention as it has exponentially grown, especially when Mark Zuckerberg has

decided to change the name of his company Facebook to Meta, and since then, the term

‘metaverse’ took all over the news and media platforms.

Despite this flood of information we witness everyday about the word metaverse, there are

people who still have no clue about what metaverse is and what it can be used for (Sweeney,

2021).

The word Metaverse consists of a combination of “meta” which, in Greek, means

“beyond” or “after”; and a part of the word “universe”. Hence, the word means “beyond the

universe” .The term Metaverse refers to the next generation of the internet. It is network of

3D modelled and Artificial Intelligence powered environments, where users are presented as

avatars (Recker et al., 2021). It is accessible through virtual reality and augmented reality

technologies. People who enter the Metaverse can do almost anything. They can interact with

one another and with other elements around them within this universe, they can play games
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with one another, they can study, they can work, they can even buy and sell real estate. This

new term basically means an environment where individuals live digitally (Recker et al.,

2021).

The term metaverse might have become a buzzword in the recent years, but, this term

turns out to be a variant to the word “Metauniverse” which first use dates back to 1992 in

Neal Stephenson’s science fiction novel “Snow Crash”(1992), a novel that introduces its

readers to a virtual and computer-generated 3D setting that individuals can gain access to

through virtual reality technologies and interact with their surroundings in that 3d

environment. Stephenson’s novel is considered the book that predicted the Metaverse (Kumar,

Singh, 2022)

2.2. The Metaverse in higher education

The implementation of the Metaverse in education was introduced, at first, in

universities as a way to meet the growing demand for non-face-to-face education during the

years of pandemic. The outbreak of the coronavirus disease(COVID-19) pandemic made it

impossible to provide medical training across the borders. Because efficient surgical training

would be challenging and virtually impossible using video-conferencing systems such as

zoom and in order to deal with these limitations, the Seoul National University Bundang

Hospital in korea introduced the use of the Metaverse in education, in the medical field, by

providing a training in lung cancer surgery by using the Metaverse through the use of AR

(Augmented Reality) and XR (Extended Reality) technologies on May 29, 2021 during the 6th

Outreach program. The platforms of these technologies were held under the supervision of

the Asian Heart and Thoracic Surgery society and more than 200 surgeons from Asian

countries attended the program and received training without limiting their learning

opportunities by relying on zoom sessions (Koo, 2021). This totally different educational

experience has revealed how the metaverse goes beyond simply being a bunch of immersive
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entertainment platforms and it opened new paths for using it strategically and creatively in

other fields of higher education.

Nowadays, the higher education is moving forward into a tribrid model which flows

between in-person, online, and simulated teaching environments (Fourtané, 2022). Virtual

reality technologies have exisited for more than two decades and the emergence of the

Metaverse during the time of the pandemic made it clear for the educationists that this

technology is the future for higher education. Fourtané (2022) adds that in the future, students

will be attending “Metaversity”, not university.

In an article called “Metaverse pros and cons: Top benefits and challenges”, which

was published on the UK-based online magazine Tech Target, Mary K. Pratt (2022)

mentioned the unique benefits of the Metaverse stated that there are “several positives and

emerging applications that technology delivers have already been identified. First and

foremost, the use of the Metaverse provides more accurate representation for the physical

objects in the real world. The users of these platforms are going to be able to accurately see

and interact with the physical objects as if they were real. Pratt (2022) adds: “a car shopper,

for example, could visit and auto dealer in a fully immersive spatial web, examine car models

and test drive them as if in the real world”. In terms of education this feature of the metaverse

on its own can offer the students endless opportunities and possibilities for learning. They will

be able to actually live what they learn. For instance students of Mechanical engineering are

will not have to interact with real mechanical parts or engines, they can learn from their

computers by simply logging into the metaverse platform of their institutions. The students of

Archaeology will not have to travel to visit historical sites anymore. They can visit them

while sitting in front of their computers through their VR headsets, which will save all the

time, effort and money. The improved immersive experience that Metaverse offers can be
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strategically used to enhance student engagement, provide hands-on experience, and enable

simulations of real-world scenarios.

Second, the Metaverse allows for better collaboration since it mimics real world social

interactions and, as mentioned above, it provides accurate representation for the physical

objects in 3D. This feature, on its own, allows individuals to collaborate as if they were in the

same room. The students can take advantage of this feature in order to create projects more

efficiently without even having to be within the same geographical area. For example, med

students can collaborate on surgeries and don’t even have to be physically present in the

operating room. In fact, back in June 2022,acoording to the Marketplace Magazine, two teams

of surgeons from two different continents managed to successfully separate 3-year-old

conjoined twins in Rio de Janeiro. The surgeons 3D printed models of the kids’ brains and

practicing the surgeries by using virtual reality goggles and controllers, stayed connected with

a London-based teams that worked on surgeries like this before (Alvaro, Segarra, 2022).

Finally, the Metaverse can be a very useful tool for providing more effective and

efficient testing and training (Pratt, 2022). The Metaverse can allow for a different level of

testing and training with great efficiency. Ideas can be tested within the Metaverse and

training and practice can occur through the computer code instead of using physical resources.

. As mentioned above, the surgeons who operated on the conjoined twins first practiced the

procedure inside a virtual reality environment before working on the actual surgery in the real

life.

2.3. The impact of using the Metaverse in Tunisian universities

With the immersive experience that it offers, the endless possibilities of social

interaction, regardless of the physical borders, and the different opportunities provided for the

collaborative work (Fourtané, 2022), the implementation of the metaverse and the virtual
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reality in Tunisian universities can have a massive impact on the Tunisian higher education

scene. First and foremost, the implementation of this technology in Tunisian higher education

will allow for better social interaction especially for introverted students and students who

deal with social anxiety problems. This will provide equal opportunities of learning for them.

The collaborative projects and presentations will require less effort when they are achieved in

VR environments. They will no longer require the physical presence and the stress that comes

with it. It can all be achieved through avatars without the need of being in a real classroom,

which means that Metaverse will provide a safer space for all students where bullying and

harassment can also be more controllable.

Second, the metaverse will advocate the philosophy of inclusive education in Tunisian

universities. Belova (2023) mentioned that “one of the best things about the Metaverse is that

the technology provides all learners, without exception with the same opportunity to get

involved in the learning process”, which means that students with disabilities have more

chances to study and engage in more learning activities together with regular learners and

interact more comfortably.

Finally, using the Metaverse will result in more engagement by the learners, since the

traditional learning resources are generally in static forms, like printed textbooks, papers, e-

books, pictures, videos, charts and other materials (Wu et al., 2013). Students are less likely

to interact with such learning resources. In the Metaverse-based education, the learning

resources are visualized and decentralized which allows students to interact (Suzuki et al.,

2020; Myburgh, 2022). For instance, in a lesson on the topic of the earth, there may be a

lecture about the earth with a printed textbook and a demonstration using a globe and a map in

the classic teaching session. With the help of AR, the learning resources can be totally
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different. A 3D spinning earth modelled inside the metaverse where learners can observe it at

360° by zooming in out or rotating it (Chen et al., 2022).

2.4. Conclusion

To sum up, the Literature Review chapter provided three sections where the first

section provided an introduction to the Metaverse, the second section touched upon the

importance of the Metaverse in higher education, and the final section identified the impacts

that the Metaverse can potentially leave in the Tunisian universities.

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Chapter Three: Methodology

3.0. Introduction

As mentioned in the first chapter, the goal of this study is answer for these three

questions;

1) What is the importance of implementing the Metaverse in higher education?

2) What are the impacts of implementing the Metaverse on Tunisian universities

3) And how can the implementation if the Metaverse in education be applicable in the

Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Kairouan?

In order to answer these questions, this paper is divided into two major parts, where the

first part, which is the theoretical part, consists of data collection and the second part provides

a practical framework for the implementation of the Metaverse in the Faculty of Arts and

Humanities in Kairouan.

3.1. Data Collection

This study was conducted during the first semester of the academic year 2022/2023.

The researcher conducted a survey on 24 students who belong to the Faculty of Arts

and Humanities of Kairouan in order to gather data about their knowledge about the

Metaverse, their attitudes towards it, their thoughts about its implementation in the faculty and

the impact that it can potentially leave on the process of teaching and learning in higher the

education scene. The questions of this survey helped to obtain a better understanding for the

students’ awareness about the Metaverse and their thoughts towards its implementation in

teaching in universities.

These questions are listed in the table below:

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Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4

Have you Do you think that the Do you think Do you think

previously come Metaverse and virtual that using that using

across the word reality can be useful Metaverse and Metaverse and

“Metaverse”? tools for teaching? virtual reality in virtual reality in

higher education Tunisian

can improve the universities can

process of improve

teaching and learning and

learning? teaching?

By sharing this survey on the researcher’s profile on the social media platform

“Facebook”, the responses of the research targets are presented in the charts below:

Figure 1

Results of the first survey question

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The figure above touches upon the participants’ knowledge about the metaverse. It is

important to have an understanding of their knowledge about this emerging technology in

order to build a framework for its implementation in Tunisian universities.

Figure 2

Results of the second survey question

The second question is important since it deals with the participants’ attitudes towards

the idea of implementing the Metaverse in higher education.

Figure 3

Results of the third survey question

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The third question is as equally important as the second one in the sense that it shows

the participants’ attitudes and thoughts about implementing the Metaverse in universities,

specifically whether the Metaverse improves the process of teaching and learning or not.

Figure 4

Results of the fourth survey question

The final question of this survey is very important since it reveals the thoughts of the

participants’ in terms of implementing the use of the Metaverse in the Tunisian universities

and how it can potentially affect the process of teaching and learning in Tunisian universities.

3.2.Data analysis

By analysing Figure 2, considering the huge popularity the Metaverse during the last

years, the possibilities and the opportunities that it offers, and the fact that it was considered

an alternative to face-to-face sessions in different cases during the pandemic, it becomes that

the Metaverse has a lot of potential in terms of implementing it in universities.

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Based on the data provided by Figure 3, the researcher comes to notice that 3/4 of the

participants think that using Metaverse and virtual reality in higher education can be

beneficial for teaching and learning, considering the advantages that the Metaverse learning

has over the traditional way of learning and online learning thanks to the immersive

experience that it provides and the different opportunities that it offers.

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Chapter Four: Findings and Discussion

4.0. Introduction

This chapter is divided into two major sections with the first section being a

theoretical approach and the second being a practical approach. The first section investigates

the idea of the Metaverse and the possibility to implement it in Tunisian universities. Then

through a very detailed study of fully immersive virtual reality techniques, a practical

framework for implementing Metaverse in education, in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

of Kairouan is presented in the next part.

4.1.The implementation of the Metaverse in Tunisian universities

The Metaverse and (VR) technology have the potential to revolutionize the way we

teach and learn in higher education. Students can be transported to new worlds and

experiences, making learning more engaging and interactive. However, there are a few steps

to consider when implementing Metaverse in higher education in Tunisian universities. First,

educators must identify the specific educational goals and objectives that Metaverse can help

achieve. This can include enhancing student engagement, providing hands-on experience, or

enabling simulations of real-world scenarios. The next step is to research and evaluate

different VR technologies and platforms that are available and to consider factors such as

their cost, their ease of use, and their compatibility with existing hardware and software.

Furthermore, a plan must be developed for integrating the Metaverse into existing curriculua.

This may involve creating VR content that aligns with course objectives, training faculty on

how to use VR technology, and identifying opportunities for students use of VR outside the

classroom. Additionally the institutions have to implement and test the VR technology in a

pilot program with a small group of students and faculty. This will allow educators to gather

feedback and make fixes adjustments before spreading the program. After efficiently
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implementing the use of Mtaverse in the institution, educators continuously monitor and

evaluate its effectiveness in achieving educational goals, and make adjustments as needed. It

is also worth noting that it's important to consider the cost of VR equipment, the need for

specialized training, the need for a Metaverse platform that teachers and students can log into

to attend the Metaverse-based sessions, and the need for a dedicated space where students can

use VR equipment. Additionally, the legal procedures of implanting these technologies in

higher education in Tunisia need to be taken into consideration.

4.2. Implementing the Metaverse in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Kairouan

4.2.1. Using fully immersive Virtual Reality to generate interactive models

In order to start using the Metaverse strategically for education, it is important to start

with building 3D models which fit into the curricula of each department of the faculty since

they are the backbone of the entire metaverse-based education experience. There are a few

steps that need to be taken in order to properly build these models. The first step is to use a

software to create 3D environments such as Blender. The same software can be used to build

the models for the VR environment as well. This can include objects, characters, and

landscapes which can be as realistic as possible.

After completely building the environments and the models, they have to be exported

as FBX or OBJ files. These file types are compatible with Unity which will automatically

create a new scene and add those models to it.

After finishing up the models and the environments, they need to be tested in VR.

Unity is a good place to test the 3D materials using VR headsets. Testing them will allow for

customizing and refining them if needed. It will also allow to make sure that they are working

as expected before actually using them for teaching.

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These models can be used in VR environments that fit the needs of every department

in the faculty. For example, the students of archaeology can be provided with scale 1:1 3D

models of historical sites that they can visit through VR without needing to travel and visit

them in real life, they can have reimagined models of these historical sites at the time they

were built so that they can actually live what they study. Students who study civilization will

now be able to actually visit different times or places and live them through their VR

headsets, not only study them.

4.2.2. Publishing and sharing 3D materials

Once the VR environment is complete, it needs to be published to a platform such as Steam or

Oculus store, where the students can download it and using on their own devices. It can also

be shared with students through a link.

4.3. Conclusion

In summary, the implementation of the Metaverse in education will further enhance

the learning experience; it will create more engagement through its interactive environments

and will make the process of learning faster, easier and more efficient. However,

implementing this kind of technology in higher education can be expensive. and not all

universities have the resources to afford it. This can create a divide between institutions that

have access to this technology and those that do not.

4.4. Dsicussion

As the researcher mentioned before, this study investigates the importance of the

implementation of the Metaverse and its impact on higher education in general and in the

Tunisian universities in particular and provides a practical framework to implement this

technology in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Kairouan while taking into
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consideration the current capabilities of Tunisia. The use of the Metaverse in education

can be quite beneficial in many ways. It provides an enhanced learning experience,

creates more engagement and saves the students so much time, effort and money.

However it's important to ensure that students and teachers are aware of the potential

risks and side effects of using this technology, such as disorientation or motion sickness,

and take appropriate precautions. The Metaverse can also be a space for bullying,

harassment and other types of non-physical violence.

The cost of implementing VR technology in higher education can vary widely

depending on a number of factors, including the type of VR technology used, the scale of

the implementation, and the specific needs of the educational institution.

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