Virtual Reality: A Learning Tool for Promoting Learners’ Engagement in Engineering Technology

Israa Azzam; Farid Breidi; Peter Soudah

Download Paper | Permalink

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: Engineering Technology Division (ETD) Technical Session 7
Tagged Division: Engineering Technology Division (ETD)
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44605
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44605
Download Count: 275

Paper Authors

biography

Israa Azzam Purdue University

visit author page

Israa joined the School of Engineering Technology at Purdue University as a visiting scholar in September 2021. She conducts research on the design, modeling, simulation, and control of complex fluid power and mechanical systems. Prior to her appointment as a visiting scholar at Purdue, Israa was a graduate research and teaching assistant at the American University of Beirut (AUB) Lebanon from 2019 to 2021. She conducted research on dynamic system control theory, where she designed and validated robust algorithmic controllers to tackle one of the most concerning problems: energy-performance optimization.

Israa received her B.S degree in Mechanical Engineering from Beirut Arab University (BAU) Lebanon in 2019. In 2021, she received her M.S degree in Mechanical Engineering "Robust Control" from the American University of Beirut (AUB) Lebanon. She is in the process of pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University. Her primary Ph.D. research will focus on designing Interactive Mixed Reality Modules for addressing spatial visualization and understanding complex fluid power systems in Engineering Technology.

visit author page

biography

Farid Breidi Purdue University at West Lafayette (PPI) orcid.org/0000-0003-4959-3292

visit author page

Dr. Farid Breidi joined the School of Engineering Technology at Purdue University as an Assistant Professor in Aug 2020. Farid received his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering degree from the American University of Beirut in 2010, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012, and his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University in 2016.

The primary focus of Farid's research is modeling and design of fluid power and mechanical systems. He is interested in integrating machine learning and data analytics to improve the efficiency and performance of conventional and digital fluid power systems.

visit author page

author page

Peter Soudah

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

Engineering education aims to create a learning environment capable of developing vital engineering skill sets, preparing students to enter the workforce and succeed as future leaders. With all the rapid technological advancements, new engineering challenges continuously emerge, impeding the development of engineering skills. This insufficiency in developing the required skills resulted in high regression rates in students’ GPAs, resulting in industries reporting graduates’ unsatisfactory performance. From a pedagogical perspective, this problem is highly correlated with traditional learning methods that are inadequate for engaging students and improving their learning experience when adopted alone. Accordingly, educators have incorporated new learning methodologies to address the pre-defined problem and enhance the students’ learning experience. However, many of the currently adopted teaching methods still lack the potential to expose students to practical examples, and they are inefficient among engineering students, who tend to be active learners and prefer to use a variety of senses. To address this, our research team proposes integrating the technology of virtual reality (VR) into the laboratory work of engineering technology courses to improve the students’ learning experience and engagement. VR technology, an immersive high-tech media, was adopted to develop an interactive teaching module on hydraulic gripper designs in a VR construction-like environment. The module aims to expose engineering technology students to real-life applications by providing a more visceral experience than screen-based media through the generation of fully computer-simulated environments in which everything is digitized. This work presents the development and implementation of the VR construction lab module and the corresponding gripper designs. The virtual gripper models are developed using Oculus Virtual Reality (OVR) Metrics Tool for Unity, a Steam VR Overlay utility created to make visualizing the desktop in a VR setting simple and intuitive. The execution of the module comprises building the VR environment, designing and importing the gripper models, and creating a user-interface VR environment to visualize and interact with the model (gripper assembly/mechanism testing). Besides the visualization, manipulation, and interaction, the developed VR system allows for additional features like displaying technical information, guiding students throughout the assembly process, and other specialized options. Thus, the developed interactive VR module will serve as a perpetual mutable platform that can be readily adjusted to allow future add-ons to address future educational opportunities.

Citation
Format

Azzam, I., & Breidi, F., & Soudah, P. (2023, June), Virtual Reality: A Learning Tool for Promoting Learners’ Engagement in Engineering Technology Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44605

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Engineering education aims to create a learning environment capable of developing vital engineering skill sets, preparing students to enter the workforce and succeed as future leaders. With all the rapid technological advancements, new engineering challenges continuously emerge, impeding the development of engineering skills. This insufficiency in developing the required skills resulted in high regression rates in students’ GPAs, resulting in industries reporting graduates’ unsatisfactory performance. From a pedagogical perspective, this problem is highly correlated with traditional learning methods that are inadequate for engaging students and improving their learning experience when adopted alone. Accordingly, educators have incorporated new learning methodologies to address the pre-defined problem and enhance the students’ learning experience. However, many of the currently adopted teaching methods still lack the potential to expose students to practical examples, and they are inefficient among engineering students, who tend to be active learners and prefer to use a variety of senses. To address this, our research team proposes integrating the technology of virtual reality (VR) into the laboratory work of engineering technology courses to improve the students’ learning experience and engagement. VR technology, an immersive high-tech media, was adopted to develop an interactive teaching module on hydraulic gripper designs in a VR construction-like environment. The module aims to expose engineering technology students to real-life applications by providing a more visceral experience than screen-based media through the generation of fully computer-simulated environments in which everything is digitized. This work presents the development and implementation of the VR construction lab module and the corresponding gripper designs. The virtual gripper models are developed using Oculus Virtual Reality (OVR) Metrics Tool for Unity, a Steam VR Overlay utility created to make visualizing the desktop in a VR setting simple and intuitive. The execution of the module comprises building the VR environment, designing and importing the gripper models, and creating a user-interface VR environment to visualize and interact with the model (gripper assembly/mechanism testing). Besides the visualization, manipulation, and interaction, the developed VR system allows for additional features like displaying technical information, guiding students throughout the assembly process, and other specialized options. Thus, the developed interactive VR module will serve as a perpetual mutable platform that can be readily adjusted to allow future add-ons to address future educational opportunities.
AU  - Israa Azzam
AU  - Farid Breidi
AU  - Peter Soudah
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Virtual Reality: A Learning Tool for Promoting Learners’ Engagement in Engineering Technology
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44605
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44605
ER  -