Developing a C-UMC Model for SW Education Program Using Metaverse

Recently, metaverse have been used in education to improve learners' interest and engagement. In particular, there have been studied various educational models such as theory, practice, and project classes in SW education programs. In this study, we aim to verify whether the SW education program has a significant effect on computational thinking and communication skills by using the communication-centered model (C-UMC), which centers on ‘communication’ as one of the characteristics of the metaverse. The SW education program applied in this study targets 23 high school students and is conducted for 16 sessions (2 hours × 8 sessions). This study is an ongoing research, and we presented the design process for conducting the study, as well as the current classroom process and preliminary results. For further study, we will perform an effectiveness analysis on whether there was a significant difference in learners' computational thinking and communication skills.