ABSTRACT
While online learning had traditionally been implemented to aid in-person education, it has recently evolved into a critical tool for remote education. In particular, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the spread of online learning and its significance. However, this wave of innovation in the education field has revealed the lack of research on how online education should be systematically provided and which educational aspects should be considered to enhance learner satisfaction in online settings. With the recent emergence of the Metaverse, VR education is once again proposed as a major tool for online learning despite existing limitations in research which put both systematic and educational aspects into consideration. Hence, this study presents and discusses a research model that converges technology acceptance model, information systems success model, and self-determination theory with the purpose of exploring variables that affect learner satisfaction, mediating the flow theory. Results showed that most variables of both self-determination theory and information system quality within VR education impact learner satisfaction. In particular, learners’ flow—complete immersion in learning—functions as an important mediating variable for learner satisfaction. These findings suggest designing and running a systematic platform that reflects self-directed learning is imperative to bring the best educational practices into the Metaverse. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.