Sustainability 2023, 15, 2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032186 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Review Metaverse as a Learning Environment: Some Considerations Maria José Sá 1, * and Sandro Serpa 2 1 CIPES—Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, 4450-227 Matosinhos, Portugal 2 Centre of Social Sciences—CICS.UAc/CICS.NOVA.UAc, Interdisciplinary Centre for Childhood and Adolescence—NICA—UAc, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of the Azores, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal * Correspondence: mjsa@cipes.up.pt Abstract: The metaverse is unavoidable in an increasingly digitalized society and will potentially have a profound influence on what is understood as teaching and learning in its formal and informal dimensions, both in initial and continuing education. This research, carried out through document analysis, aims to reflect on several challenges and opportunities that the metaverse poses to educa- tion as a source of opportunities for a more relevant and effective teaching process, which neces- sarily involves the development of both the implementation and monitoring of research studies in the follow-up of education in the metaverse environment. Keywords: curriculum; ethics; future of education; learning process; metaverse; teaching; virtual classroom; virtual reality 1. Introduction According to several authors, we are increasingly living in a super-smart society, characterized by the close connection between artificial intelligence, the internet of things, big data, and man [1–5]. This factor increases the influence of this technology and the way it is mobilized in the (re)definition of one’s individual and collective identity [6–8] and the consequent interest in the study of cultures and online communities [1–7]. It was in this context that the COVID-19 pandemic, and the consequent security measures related to physical distance, boosted the increasing implementation of the digi- tal dimension [3,9–11] in many of the sectors of life, of which we highlight for the purposes of this paper. These include education through elements such as online classes, virtual conferences, and lectures, among others [12]. A subsequent phase is the growing interest and presence of the metaverse, which, in a way, deepens the digital dimension in social and economic life and, potentially, in edu- cation itself [13–15] in the (possible) development of the United Nation’s Sustainable De- velopment Goal 4—quality education. However, the metaverse as a learning environment is a topic that is (still) very little studied [16]. Suh and Ahn [14] point out four reasons for this emergence of the metaverse. Firstly, this trend stems from the technological evolution we have been witnessing. Secondly, as a result of COVID-19 and the inevitability of using virtual communication, of which edu- cation is a paradigmatic example. Thirdly, the so-called Generation Z (the digital natives, known colloquially as zoomers) have profoundly changed the consumption patterns of cultural goods. Finally, the massive dissemination of mobile devices (PCs, mobile phones and tablets, among others) and access to the Internet from anywhere and at any time has allowed everyone to access the metaverse. However, what is the metaverse all about? First, it is pertinent to emphasize that it cannot be confused with any exclusive software program or specific platform exclusive to any company or even of a state/public entity, state, or governmental nature [17–19]. It is Citation: Sá, M.J.; Serpa, S. Metaverse as a Learning Environment: Some Considerations. Sustainability 2023, 15, 2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032186 Academic Editor: Hao-Chiang Koong Lin Received: 21 December 2022 Revised: 12 January 2023 Accepted: 20 January 2023 Published: 24 January 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/license s/by/4.0/).