Metaverse-Based Virtual Campus Tour for Higher Education: Insights from Development to User Experience Validation

In archipelagic countries with thousands of islands separated by wide regional spans, geographic barriers often prevent prospective students from experiencing campus life before making enrollment decisions. This limitation constrains institutions' capacity to expand outreach and enhance their visibility in the higher education landscape. Metaverse platforms present significant opportunities to transform campus tours. However, most virtual tours are still constrained by static visualizations and single-user experiences. This study aims to systematically develop and evaluate a Metaverse-based virtual campus tour, addressing the limitations of existing platforms and examining its usability and user loyalty. The system was created systematically through a four-phase Discover, Blueprint, Develop, and Validate framework. This process consolidated requirements, translated them into design artifacts, and implemented them within a scalable layered architecture, ensuring usability and loyalty. Evaluation results showed that users perceived the system as both usable and recommendable. While usability varied according to familiarity and role-specific expectations, loyalty remained consistently strong across groups. These findings confirm that the system delivers meaningful value, demonstrates strong adoption potential, and offers a replicable development model for applying Metaverse technologies in higher education.