This interdisciplinary research program addresses construction industry training needs in equipment operation by drawing upon such knowledge domains as computer graphics, human-machine interaction, psychology, human factors. This research will contribute to the foundation of the visualization, training, and safety topic areas for architecture, engineering, and construction research and establish fundamental knowledge for more effective use of technology tools to improve workforce development methods and outcomes. The proposed integrated activities will advance discovery regarding the cognitive, sensory and motor characteristics of real and virtual training, human-machine interaction, and construction workforce development areas. Crucial to virtual training systems is the issue of skill transfer from the virtual practice experience to real world performance. Through development of a unique experimental facility and a sequence of experiments, the program of research is devised to establish new understandings regarding skill requirements, skill development and learning in varied artificial environments, and transfer of skills between artificial and real environments. Fundamental research on the comparative effectiveness of virtual technologies in equipment-operator training is limited worldwide and pursued very little in the United States. Given the size of the construction industry and other related industries (e.g., manufacturing), the research contributions in this project are expected to directly impact the US workforce and economy and will potentially enable better design, operation and management of equipment-related operator training programs. Broader impacts of the research will include three societal benefits: 1) the reductions in workforce training costs that can be possible through proper design of virtual training systems; 2) the effective education and training of the future industrial workforce, construction engineers, and human factors experts; and 3) the broad knowledge and technology transfer of equipment training technology and principles from the construction industry to other related industries.
