The Educational Metaverse as a Distributed Cognitive System: Integrating Distributed Knowledge Theory into the Design of Virtual Worlds

Abstract: In recent years, the Metaverse has emerged as a new educational environment that combines virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and collaborative interfaces, creating dynamic learning spaces that transcend the physical and temporal boundaries of the traditional classroom. In the educational context, the Metaverse is not just a technological innovation, but a pedagogical opportunity for the development of experiential, experiential, and collaborative learning. However, the success of such environments depends on the theoretical foundation of their design and an understanding of how students accept and interact with them. This study explores the relationship between Distributed Cognition theory and the acceptance of Metaverse educational worlds by secondary school students, through the theoretical framework of UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology). The research question was to create and validate a model that connects the theory of Distributed Knowledge with key factors of UTAUT, in order to investigate the impact of this theory on the design of virtual learning environments in the metaverse. The research provides guidelines for the design of virtual learning environments that combine cognitive artifacts, collaboration interfaces, and metacognitive tools, thus advocating the creation of distributed cognitive learning ecosystems.

Keywords: Metaverse, Distributed Knowledge Theory, UTAUT.