Fuqua, J. L., & Perez, J. O., & Zhao, Y., & Saldivar, R. A. (2025, April),  Enhancing Equity: Evaluating VR in a Mechanical Engineering lab  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE PSW Conference, California Polytechnic University, California. 10.18260/1-2--55160

\bibitem{asee_peer_55160}
  Fuqua, J. L., \& Perez, J. O., \& Zhao, Y., \& Saldivar, R. A. (2025, April), \emph{ Enhancing Equity: Evaluating VR in a Mechanical Engineering lab}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE PSW Conference, California Polytechnic University, California.
  10.18260/1-2--55160

Juliana Lynn Fuqua, Jessica Ohanian Perez, Yitong Zhao, and Reuben A Saldivar.  " Enhancing Equity: Evaluating VR in a Mechanical Engineering lab".  2025 ASEE PSW Conference, California Polytechnic University, California, 2025, April.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/55160 Internet.  11 Aug, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_55160}
  Juliana Lynn Fuqua, Jessica Ohanian Perez, Yitong Zhao, and Reuben A Saldivar.
  " Enhancing Equity: Evaluating VR in a Mechanical Engineering lab".
  \emph{2025 ASEE PSW Conference, California Polytechnic University, California, 2025, April}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/55160 Internet.  11 Aug, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_55160
author = "Juliana Lynn Fuqua, Jessica Ohanian Perez, Yitong Zhao, and Reuben A Saldivar"
title = " Enhancing Equity: Evaluating VR in a Mechanical Engineering lab"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE PSW Conference"
year = "2025"
month = "April"
address = "California Polytechnic University, California"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/55160}
number = {10.18260/1-2--55160}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - 
Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that can offer benefits to the classroom and training situations.  This study examined the impact of VR in an engineering laboratory course. During spring semester 2024, a mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) observation was conducted of an engineering thermal-fluids lab course that introduced VR, at a four-year university. Two instructors each taught two sections (VR and control) of the same lab, with 16 students enrolled per section. Surveys were distributed and student focus groups were run by trained student research assistants to determine the advantages and challenges of using VR. Behavioral observation was also conducted. The results indicated that the VR lab provided students an equitable learning experience which they appreciated (all students were able to take a turn to perform this lab, including women who were often relegated to note-taking roles in traditional labs). In addition, the program replicated a real-world lab in a safer, less expensive way. Drawbacks to the VR lab included technical issues, the time needed to learn the new technology, and a lack of collaborative skill-building. These findings have implications to improve engineering education and training situations (e.g., enhancing equity through use of technology).


AU  - Juliana Lynn Fuqua
AU  - Jessica Ohanian Perez
AU  - Yitong Zhao
AU  - Reuben A Saldivar
CY  - California Polytechnic University, California
DA  - 2025/04/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  -  Enhancing Equity: Evaluating VR in a Mechanical Engineering lab
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55160
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--55160
ER  -