For digital native generations, augmented reality (AR) represents a friendly way to enrich reality with virtual, computer‐generated elements. Considering the students’ proficiency for the use of smartphones, internet and of continuously refreshing applications, AR is very suited for a modern engineering education. In this field, AR supports a better understanding and a thorough learning, while increasing the commitment and the motivation for learning. The paper presents the step‐by‐step approach to the AR technology adopted within the Power Engineering Faculty of the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania. Such an approach lets students and teachers time to get used to the change, to adjust the vision of AR implementation according to the results obtained so far and to keep up to the newest available technologies. Based on the Aurasma free platform, augmented information, images, and videos were created to appear in books, presentations, and on experimental units for three laboratories. Within the paper, the way in which AR works, may be directly experienced by the reader, as it was by a group of students and faculty members included in a pilot study. According to their feedback, the use of AR in power engineering education facilitates a better understanding of this complex technical domain, providing new and challenging opportunities to integrate theory with practice and to acquire authentic skills in their professional areas.

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The overall objective of this paper is to propose a viable approach to quality Education in Power Engineering during the COVID-19 period. To this end, we base the study on our previous steps in implementing Augmented Reality technology for training future engineers in the field of energy. To cope with the present challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, we analyzed the necessary paradigm shift to maintain the benefits of using Augmented Reality in teaching.

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The main objective of the paper is to simulate the steady state flow conditions along the regulated Damboviţa River in Bucharest City. The canal has 11 reaches in series separated by control structures with gated weirs (barrages). The simulations are performed using the 1D HEC-RAS software for flows between 3 and 45 m3/s, in order to find the optimal opening of each set of gates, so that water levels along reaches are kept at the target Normal Pool Levels (NPL) elevation. For the determined operating situations optimized gate openings and gates' rating curves are drawn. The computed water surface profiles for the maximum flow allow for checking if the banks are flooded, whereas velocity values for the minimum, ecological flow of 3 m3/s highlight the reaches over which the biota could be affected during summer drought periods. This model could assist the Water Management Authority's technical staff to better operate the gates in an integrated manner. Since currently gate operations are individually performed at each control structure, such a model would be a primary step in designing and implementing an automatic controlling system for the entire Damboviţa canal in Bucharest City.