048: Learning About Food Circular Economy and Sustainable Development in the Metaverse

Introduction

The integration of advanced technologies in education creates opportunities to enhance authentic learning experiences, particularly in sustainability. The metaverse, with its immersive capabilities, provides a novel platform for addressing real-world issues like food waste and sustainable agriculture, though its use in formal education remains limited. This project explored the metaverse's potential for teaching sustainability topics, including food waste and the circular economy, which are crucial in regions like the Philippines, where food insecurity poses significant challenges.

Methods

A narrative-driven educational module was developed within the metaverse, simulating a mango farm environment with 12 non-player characters and 30 customized 3D models. Version 1 was trialed by 32 students from the BSCN and BSHEEd programs, providing initial feedback. Based on this, enhancements were made, and Version 2 was tested by 22 students from the BSFT program. Data was collected across both phases to evaluate perceived technical functionality, pedagogical utility, and narrative richness, as well as factors influencing engagement and learning outcomes.

Results

Significant correlations from Version 1 showed that perceived usefulness, aesthetic appeal, and performance strongly influence learning intentions. From the data collected for Version 2, results indicate that technical functionality, while acknowledged as important with moderate scores (technology mean scores ranged from 2.55 to 3.59, and performance from 3.64 to 3.86), is not the primary driver for metaverse usage. Instead, the pedagogical utility of the metaverse, indicated by high scores in attitude (4.23 to 4.50) and enjoy (4.14 to 4.32), and their significant correlations with students’ intent to use the platform (enjoy with intent, rho=0.6740, p < 0.001), suggests that positive attitudes and enjoyment are pivotal. Additionally, the low level of concern regarding health impacts (mean score of 2.27) suggests minimal barriers to adoption based on health considerations.

Significance

This study highlights the potential of metaverse platforms, when engaging and pedagogically sound, to effectively teach sustainability in agriculture. The mango farm metaverse offers an innovative and enjoyable approach to learning, equipping students with practical knowledge on eco-friendly practices. These findings demonstrate the metaverse’s ability to address global challenges like food insecurity and environmental sustainability.

Authors: Maria Leonora Lotis del Francisco, Daniel J. Shen