Within the field of electric power systems, the study of electrical equipment can be frustrating and demotivating because of the lack of a clear vision of how this equipment functions and operates in a real environment. The use of virtual reality can provide a more concrete representation for students, who rarely have the opportunity to visit a power substation or generating plant to acquire an understanding of how the equipment operates when integrated into an actual system. This paper describes work undertaken to improve the classroom study of such equipment , and to motivate students, by providing a clear overview of the equipment, approximating theory and practical functions, and simulating real situations that would be encountered on the equipment in an actual system. A virtual reality authoring tool was developed to provide students with a visualization of an autotransformer installed in an electric power substation, and to allow them to perform virtual maintenance and operating procedures on it. The influence of the software on students' levels of motivation and their performance was evaluated using questionnaires and reports. Finally, a framework is proposed that can help others create virtual reality trainings.

The study of electrical equipment in disciplines in the field of electric power systems can be frustrating and demotivating due to the lack of a clear vision of the function and operation of such equipment in a real situation. The use of virtual reality provides a more concrete representation for the students, who often do not have the opportunity to visit a substation or power plant for the generation of electric power to get to know the equipment and its mode of operation integrated into the system. This paper aims to improve the study of such equipment in the classroom and to motivate the students by providing a clear view of the equipment and its practical functions. A software for virtual reality was developed with an authoring module whereby it is possible to create virtual operating procedures and maintenance in an electric power substation, and an execution module, in which one can eventually perform the operating and maintenance procedures in a virtual environment. The students interact with the software by visualizing a transformer installed in a substation and performing operation and maintenance procedures in a virtual environment. Also, an evaluation of the influence of software on the general motivation and student performance was performed through questionnaires and reports.