3D Virtual Spaces Supporting Engineering Learning Activities

Abstract

Virtual environments constitute the support platform for various teaching and learning activities. Instead of a local application for this purpose, this paper explores the effects of using distributed virtual reality environments in the educational process. The architecture of the presented system is based on the recently developed web-based technology called AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript And XML), implemented on a Linux operating system configured to run Apache with PHP and MySQL support; i.e., LAMP architecture, which contributes to the portability and ease of installation of the application. The platform is designed to support the integration of lesson modules such as the EngView environment which is discussed in more detail in this contribution. Pedagogical, technical, and implementation-related aspects are presented in conjunction with the virtual environment used in the engineering training curriculum. Statistical information resulted from the training shows a significant increase in task completion time when the virtual setup is used. Keywords: Virtual environment, Learning, Teaching, Motivation, Virtual training.Knowledge acquisition has shifted from an individual to a collective activity. There is a migration of the learning process from one individual to a group of individuals as knowledge becomes a collective activity enhanced by the phenomena of social interaction. The complexity of the information and the way we interact with it makes us active parts in the educational environment. Searching, discovering, and testing are the most frequent human activities in such situations. When an interpretive level of comprehension is reached, these activities are mature enough to trigger creational thinking, and constitute the beginning of the applied level of understanding. As complements to learning, virtual training gives constructive feedback to learners by providing them with a hands-on approach to the studied subject.In the following sections, we emphasize the potential of distributed virtual environments to improve the learning process. To prove the point, we try to answer one question: "What do the 3D virtual spaces bring into the learning processes in order to make them effective and evolutionary?"

Design features of a VR software system for personnel training in aviation

“…When we create virtual space models, the base criterion should be the accuracy of the human representation of reality which may not necessarily correspond with reality. To this end, the human experience is first constructed by situating the user in the virtual context, then tested through the user's direct interaction with the environment, and reconsidered, in a recursive process [10].…”

Applications of Virtual Reality Technologies in Architecture and in Engineering

“…Different disciplines involve the application of VR. Recent studies have recognized the potential of VR in education and in different disciplines (Win, 1993;Pantelidis, 1995;Byrne, 1996;Youngblut, 1998;Ainge, 2000;Kaufmann et al, 2000;Mantovani, 2001, Gerval et al, 2002Shin, 2004;Sala & Sala, 2005;Popovici et al, 2009, van Krevelen & Poelman, 2010, Matsuda et al, 2013, Soares Calado et al, 2013, Tsoupikova et al, 2013. Virtual Reality offers benefits that can support the education and the design project, in particular in the faculties of architecture.…”

“…(Saleri, 2002) Figure 6. The concept of the proposed intelligent virtual place (Lee & Park, 2013, p. 588) Virtual reality also supports the creation of 3D environment to facilitate engineering learning activities (Popovici et al, 2009).…”

“…Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology which has various application fields (from education to the psychiatry) (Pantelidis, 1995, Popovici et al, 2009, Krevelen & Poelman, 2010, Malbos et al, 2013, Parsons et al 2013, Tsoupikova et al, 2013. Its hardware components are coceived for a correct human interface and they consist of a set of visual display apparatus (for example, head mounted display), input devices (for instance, data gloves), and position sensors (Sherman & Craig, 2002).…”