Metaverse Platforms in Enhancing Student Interest in Teaching and Learning: A Pilot Study on Cryptography Using Ciphersphere

This study examines the use of the Metaverse platform to increase student interest in education. The focus of the study is the development of the CipherSphere learning platform, developed through the Spatial.io platform, as well as its functionality and implementation. This study investigates how elements of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), including Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), Perceived Usefulness (PU), and Perceived Enjoyment (PE), affect the goals of students using the Metaverse platform in the learning process. The study involves fifty Form Three students from a secondary school in Southern Malaysia. This study uses a design development research approach. The Metaverse platform uses TAM factors to teach the topic of Columnar Transposition in Fundamental Computer Science subjects. The findings show that Perceived Enjoyment does not have a significant impact on students’ willingness to use the Metaverse platform. In contrast, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness have a significant impact. This study provides great benefits to educators and educational technology developers as they think about and implement digital learning methods. To ensure students accept and engage, ease of use must be considered. The results of this study also suggest that further research is needed to understand the elements that influence the acceptance of the Metaverse platform in various educational contexts.