This engineering education research project seeks to create virtual reality simulations that will allow students to perform laboratory experiments in strength of materials. The project focuses on developing conceptual understanding through realistic simulations, guided by mathematical models of the phenomena being investigated. A key feature of this project is allowing simulations of unsuccessful or dangerous experiments and investigating the efficacy of these as a learning tool.
The broader significance and importance of this project will be to demonstrate or disprove the effectiveness of the proposed simulation tool for engendering conceptual understanding in core engineering courses. The project team plans to broadly disseminate the virtual simulation product, making it freely available to the engineering community; dissemination will be supported by a planned workshop. Such dissemination may lower barriers to adoption by schools where limited resources make laboratory experiments problematic.
Intellectual Merit: This project utilizes virtual 3D simulations of engineering laboratories to improve learning, reduce costs, and improve access. By leveraging cyberlearning and innovative visualization techniques, the virtual laboratory experiments allow learners to explore engineering phenomena in new ways that are not safe or cost-effective in physical, real-world laboratories. Such virtual learning environments go beyond past computer lab simulations by creating a more immersive environment that places the students "inside" the experimental setup. The researchers have disseminated the results and made the software available for free download and have also hosted a workshop on the use of games to improve Engineering education. Broader Impacts: This project improves the access to common engineering experiments for universities and students that do not have access to the expensive, physical laboratory space and equipment. This project also increases learning effectiveness via the interactive visualization and well-designed interfaces of the virtual labs that allow students to explore engineering formulae in new, safer, and more engaging and interactive ways. Lessons learned from this exploratory project may be extended beyond the initial three materials strength experiments proposed to further improve engineering education throughout the US and world. The 3D virtual environment runs on commonly-available, non-specialized computer systems so that as many people as possible can make use of these tools. Significance: 1. Improve learning 2. Improve access 3. Reduce cost This project has resulted in a reusable 3D virtual lab software for students to explore and learn strength of materials content. It is reusable at any university, thus it should positively impact access and learning within engineering specifically. The results of this study will enhance pedagogical methods within engineering as faculty adopt tools such as this software to support/augment their existing real-world labs or replace (or make access to when none are previously available) labs that are either too costly to maintain or build. While this research focused on utilizing 3D virtual environments within the context of the strength of materials engineering laboratory, this work is more broadly applicable to learning environments in other disciplines. The process developed in collaborating on multi-disciplinary teams of domain experts, usability and interface design experts, and software development is replicability in other areas of STEM, and we encourage others (and have encouraged others through our conference presentations) to repeat this process to improve learning and access in their disciplines. As a result of increase access to lab experiences in the field of engineering (and specifically the strength of materials lab), student learning and success in engineering should improve. Consequently, human resources in STEM should improve if the products of this project are adopted. This software developed as part of this project should either augment and support existing physical laboratories (for strength of materials), or it can provide a replacement and provide access to the virtual laboratory software for universities that do not have the resources to either maintain or build such a real-world engineering laboratory.
