Developing a pedagogical photoreal virtual environment to teach civil engineering

Walker, James H.; Towey, Dave; Pike, Matthew; Kapogiannis, Georgios; Elamin, Ahmed; Wei, Ran

doi:10.1108/itse-10-2019-0069

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Part of the lessons learned in developing content was the need for some best practice pedagogical guidelines for tutorial design for the laboratory. Other researchers who have developed teaching content for civil engineering undergraduate students in China, also emphasise the need to use a pedagogical framework that allows for experiential and discovery learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation (Walker et al, 2020). It has been recommended that academics and VAR researchers need to work closely to develop design guidelines and proven pedagogical methodologies (Ijaz et al, 2018).…”

Section: Adoption Of Teaching In the Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of virtual reality technology in higher education: An evaluation of five teaching semesters in a purpose-designed laboratory

2021

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Virtual and augmented (VAR) technology is in the early stages of being adopted as a teaching platform in higher education. The technology can facilitate immersive learning in environments that are not usually physically accessible to students via 3D models and interactive 360° videos. To date, adoption rates of VAR technology for teaching have not been well described across a higher education institution. Further, there is an absence of information on the optimal VAR laboratory designs and cost per student. In this study, a purpose designed virtual reality laboratory was formed in 2017 at The University of Sydney, housing 26 Oculus Rift headset units. An evaluation was conducted on the design, costs, rates of teaching adoption and student experiences over five teaching periods (2.5 years). Over this period, 4833 students were taught in the laboratory across 7952 student visits. The laboratory was used most by the Faculty of Engineering (53%), followed by the Faculty of Arts & Social Science (23.8%) and Faculty of Science (23.2%). For engineering, the units of study using the laboratory represented only 1.4% of annual faculty subjects offered. This confirms that adoption was in the initial stage of innovation diffusion. The laboratory saw a 250% increase in student numbers over the period of evaluation and 71.5% of students surveyed (n = 295) reported enhanced learning outcomes. The cost per visit was only AU$ 19.50. These findings give confidence to higher education institutions that the right VAR technology infrastructure is a sound educational investment for the future.

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Section: Adoption Of Teaching In the Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of virtual reality technology in higher education: An evaluation of five teaching semesters in a purpose-designed laboratory

2021

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“…The survey was designed by the authors of the study following the guidelines of other similar studies [ 4 , 29 ] and with the support of colleagues who are experts in the development of this type of surveys.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflections throughout the COVID-19 Lockdown: What Do I Need for Successful Learning of Engineering?

Revilla‐Cuesta

Skaf

Navarro

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The intention of this study was to identify the elements that engineering students consider fundamental for successful learning on engineering courses. The aim was to provide generic guidelines suitable for any engineering course with which the teaching may be adapted in the light of comments from students, while student learning improves. The abrupt transition from face-to-face to asynchronous online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted reflection among students on both teaching methods. Students were invited to evaluate each method through a survey of open-ended questions, identifying useful elements for their learning. The survey was repeated over nine weeks, to obtain the views of students after they had accepted the change and had critically analyzed how to improve online teaching. A cross-coded qualitative and mixed (word counting) analysis showed that the explanation of engineering concepts should be organized, hierarchical, repetitive, and exemplified. Furthermore, the teacher should link all the activities and projects to the concepts explained and quickly solve any doubts that they raised. As a consequence of the online teaching resulting from COVID-19, the need of independent student learning and peer support was also very evident. Teaching functions are essential on engineering courses, as teachers have to explain the overall concepts carefully, identify the key concepts, and demonstrate their industrial and professional applications. Furthermore, teaching methodologies that balance these aspects with autonomy and peer support for learning on engineering courses should be promoted.

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“…The use of virtual reality in education is becoming increasingly common, but pedagogy used in this environment is rarely explicit or claimed. Walker et al (2020) review the current debate on virtual reality learning and explore the evolution of virtual reality environments in a pedagogical context. Kebritchi and Hirumi (2008).…”

Section: Virtual Reality In Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Solutions in Educators’ Training: Concept for Implementing a Virtual Reality Simulator

Kugurakova

Golovanova

Shaidullina

et al. 2021

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed

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Over the past decade virtual reality technologies have been actively introduced into all spheres of life, affecting, among other things, the education sector. The purpose of this study is to develop a concept introducing a virtual reality simulator into educators' training. The underlying principle of the study is to design a virtual reality environment that, firstly, facilitates the development of conflict resolution competence for the students of pedagogical faculties, and secondly, facilitates its performance evaluation. In this article, approaches to design such a virtual reality simulator are discussed. The purpose of the simulator is to develop conflict resolution competences that are indispensable to future teachers. Besides the current study presents a set of situational cases, that are possible to resolve in a virtual reality environment. The resolution of those cases will help future teachers to prevent conflicts as well as to determine their behaviour in pre-conflict and conflict situations. The components of conflict resolution competence that are possible to develop with the help of the designed virtual reality simulator have been defined. The conducted study has also identified approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of conflict resolution competence development.

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Developing a pedagogical photoreal virtual environment to teach civil engineering

Cited by 17 publications

References 43 publications

Adoption of virtual reality technology in higher education: An evaluation of five teaching semesters in a purpose-designed laboratory

Adoption of virtual reality technology in higher education: An evaluation of five teaching semesters in a purpose-designed laboratory

Reflections throughout the COVID-19 Lockdown: What Do I Need for Successful Learning of Engineering?

Digital Solutions in Educators’ Training: Concept for Implementing a Virtual Reality Simulator

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