A metaverse-based playground for architectural education, MPAD

Abstract

Educational processes have faced a paradigmatic shift in integrating virtual environments and novel technologies. This rapid change in recent history has led to increase the use of diverse novel methodologies in research on design education approaches. Architectural design education, which relies on practice and physical participation, is where research should be intensified by following leading technologies and methods to ensure sustainability. In this context, immersive virtual environments, rapidly developing metaverse technologies, and the adoption of game-based educational models display potential for architectural education studies. This thesis develops and examines a metaverse-based collaborative virtual model for basic design in architectural education using a game-based learning approach. The concepts of the metaverse as a holistic virtual environment and games as creative methods form the foundation of this learning approach, an educational playground. This playground is introduced to basic design students based on the CIX building block game (1996), developed from a geometry-based system by French architect Fabien Vienne (1925- 2016). CIX blocks were reconstructed in a multi-user virtual playground called MPAD (Metaverse-based Playground for Architectural Education). MPAD was experienced by 38 participants in a collaborative environment with VR headsets and the Collaborative Learning Assessment, an adaptation of the Technology Acceptance Model, was applied to the participants. The results indicate that the MPAD experience in design education yields positive results. In the future, MPAD aims to serve as an example of immersive reality technologies and collaborative design approaches.