Faculty and student perceptions of the metaverse in higher engineering education: A comparative study

This study examines how students and faculty perceive the use of metaverse technologies in higher engineering education. Within the MAGURA project, 98 students and 35 faculty members participated in a shared immersive training seminar. We used a mixed-methods design: k-means clustering of student Likert-scale responses and thematic analysis of open-ended faculty statements supported by natural language processing. A pre-post comparison of faculty attitudes was also conducted to gauge change after the seminar.

Three student profiles emerged: Highly Engaged Enthusiasts, Moderate Adopters, and Sceptical/Unconvinced learners. These profiles differed in motivation, conceptual understanding, and interest in further immersive training. The elbow method supported the choice of a three-cluster solution. Faculty views formed three corresponding groups: Pedagogical Innovators, Tech-Realists, and Cautious Sceptics, reflecting different balances between opportunity and feasibility. Faculty attitudes shifted positively after the seminar (mean score increased from 2.79 to 4.12 on a 5-point scale).

Students most often emphasised interactivity, gamification, and novelty, whereas faculty focused on structure, feasibility, and support needs. Despite these different priorities, both groups recognised the value of immersive environments for visualisation and learner engagement. The paper offers a two-sided analytical framework and practical recommendations for sustainable adoption, including hybrid delivery, faculty co-design, targeted professional development, and planning for institutional infrastructure.