Exploring Virtual Reality as a Design Observation Training Tool for Engineering Students

Nicholas Moses; Shanna R. Daly; Kathleen H. Sienko

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) Technical Session 1
Tagged Division: Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED)
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43663
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43663
Download Count: 410

Paper Authors

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Nicholas Moses University of Michigan

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I am a PhD candidate studying Design Science. My research interests include design in cross-cultural and international settings, the role of designer positionality in socially-engaged design, and engineering education. I hold a dual MS in Mechanical Engineering and Anthropology from Oregon State University, and currently work with several organizations to design and manufacture improved institutional cookstoves in low- and middle-income countries.

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Shanna R. Daly University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-2973

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Shanna Daly is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University.

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Kathleen H. Sienko University of Michigan

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Kathleen H. Sienko is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan (UM). She earned her Ph.D. in 2007 in Medical Engineering and Bioastronautics from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology, and holds an S.M. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from MIT and a B.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of Kentucky. She co-founded the UM Center for Socially Engaged Design and directs both the UM Global Health Design Initiative (GHDI) and the Sienko Research Group. Dr. Sienko is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award and several teaching awards including the ASME Engineering Education Donald N. Zwiep Innovation in Education Award, UM Teaching Innovation Prize, UM Undergraduate Teaching Award, and UM Distinguished Professor Award.

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Abstract

Observation is an essential tool in human-centered engineering design. Observations allow engineering designers to collect rich data on design problem environments and stakeholder behaviors in ways that are not always possible with other methods, as well as allow for the identification of discrepancies in other data (e.g., verbal reports from stakeholders) (Blomberg & Burrel, 2009). Developing design observation skills presents challenges, however, as observation often involves uncontrolled environments and the management of significant levels of uncertainty, which engineering students have been shown to struggle with (Jordan, 2015). Practical observation experience may also require extra effort for students to reach observation locations outside the classroom. In addition, students may be confronted with high-pressure or sensitive observation environments like medical facilities in co-curricular and extracurricular design projects and internships, which are likely to be especially difficult to prepare for in a classroom. Virtual reality (VR) has been promoted as a promising design training tool for its ability to provide controlled, yet immersive access to scenarios that are otherwise difficult to replicate in a classroom (Özgen et al., 2021). There is mixed empirical evidence on the benefits and drawbacks of VR-based training simulations in higher education (Merchant et al., 2013), however, and no studies have characterized the use of VR for engineering design observation training.

To explore the effectiveness of VR for supporting engineering design observation training, this study explored students’ perceptions of a prototype VR-based design observation training tool. Four undergraduate engineering students were each interviewed twice: once after the VR training experience and again after in-person design observation practice within a clinical setting during a co-curricular design program. Approximately six hours of data were collected and analyzed inductively to characterize student perceptions of advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness of VR as a training tool compared to conventional classroom training (i.e., lecture and in-classroom practice). We found that student participants reported VR-based design observation training to be a more engaging format than other classroom-based training formats, such as lectures or two-dimensional videos. Participants also reported that VR-based training did not fully prepare them for responding to the social queues and interactions present in in-person design observation experiences, however. Preliminary recommendations for VR-based observation training experiences and related future research are also discussed.

Citation
Format

Moses, N., & Daly, S. R., & Sienko, K. H. (2023, June), Exploring Virtual Reality as a Design Observation Training Tool for Engineering Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43663

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Observation is an essential tool in human-centered engineering design. Observations allow engineering designers to collect rich data on design problem environments and stakeholder behaviors in ways that are not always possible with other methods, as well as allow for the identification of discrepancies in other data (e.g., verbal reports from stakeholders) (Blomberg &amp;amp; Burrel, 2009). Developing design observation skills presents challenges, however, as observation often involves uncontrolled environments and the management of significant levels of uncertainty, which engineering students have been shown to struggle with (Jordan, 2015). Practical observation experience may also require extra effort for students to reach observation locations outside the classroom. In addition, students may be confronted with high-pressure or sensitive observation environments like medical facilities in co-curricular and extracurricular design projects and internships, which are likely to be especially difficult to prepare for in a classroom. Virtual reality (VR) has been promoted as a promising design training tool for its ability to provide controlled, yet immersive access to scenarios that are otherwise difficult to replicate in a classroom (Özgen et al., 2021). There is mixed empirical evidence on the benefits and drawbacks of VR-based training simulations in higher education (Merchant et al., 2013), however, and no studies have characterized the use of VR for engineering design observation training. 

To explore the effectiveness of VR for supporting engineering design observation training, this study explored students’ perceptions of a prototype VR-based design observation training tool. Four undergraduate engineering students were each interviewed twice: once after the VR training experience and again after in-person design observation practice within a clinical setting during a co-curricular design program. Approximately six hours of data were collected and analyzed inductively to characterize student perceptions of advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness of VR as a training tool compared to conventional classroom training (i.e., lecture and in-classroom practice). We found that student participants reported VR-based design observation training to be a more engaging format than other classroom-based training formats, such as lectures or two-dimensional videos. Participants also reported that VR-based training did not fully prepare them for responding to the social queues and interactions present in in-person design observation experiences, however. Preliminary recommendations for VR-based observation training experiences and related future research are also discussed.
AU  - Nicholas Moses
AU  - Shanna R. Daly
AU  - Kathleen H. Sienko
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Exploring Virtual Reality as a Design Observation Training Tool for Engineering Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43663
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43663
ER  -