Examining the training and education potential of the metaverse: Results from an empirical study of next generation SAFe training

Yılmaz M., O'farrell E., Clarke P.

JOURNAL OF SOFTWARE: EVOLUTION AND PROCESS, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.1010022531, 2023 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 1 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1002/smr.2531
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF SOFTWARE: EVOLUTION AND PROCESS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Applied Science & Technology Source, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Computer & Applied Sciences, INSPEC, Metadex, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1010022531
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: industrial case study, metaverse, SAFe, serious games, software engineering processes
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced many to seek alternative means of training and learning, which ended up with increasing investment in the notion of the metaverse. Metaverse is envisioned as the next iteration of the Internet in which the virtual and the real world are blended to materialize a highly immersive experience. Not surprisingly, perhaps, next-generation training and education systems are concerned with methods to integrate themselves into metaverse environments. In particular, participants are looking for more interactive and flexible training while maintaining a degree of educational content and high quality for their training plans and interactive workflows. In this paper, we conducted research to explore the role of metaverse in employee training. To this end, we utilized a variant of PlaySAFe (i.e., a 3D game) to investigate its metaverse adoption and usage. A qualitative design was adopted, using semistructured interviews to explore practitioners' experiences using the new version of PlaySAFe. After having it played in an industrial setting, we interviewed a group of software practitioners to compare the actual and expected features. This research has explored the pros and cons of using the current technologies for the practical groundwork of SAFe training. Findings from this research suggest that the metaverse holds the potential to deliver improved practical alignment in training and education programs, but that at the present time, practitioners expect more metaverse compatible features.