Design and Comparison of Immersive Interactive Learning and Instructional Techniques for 3D Virtual Laboratories

Date of Award

Fall 2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering

Program/Concentration

Modeling and Simulation

Committee Director

Frederic D. McKenzie

Committee Member

Sushil Chaturvedi

Committee Member

Yuzhong Shen

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E58 R46 2012

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) as a learning environment plays an important role m engineering education. Utilizing the VR learning environment as a supplement to engineering-based laboratories is especially beneficial for students to prepare for the physical experiment and to grasp the experiment objectives and procedures. Such a methodology can also play a significant role in distance education.

This work presents the methodology design for the physical-to-virtual transformation of two undergraduate mechanical engineering laboratory experiments, namely the "Jet Impact Force on Vanes (Jet Force Lab)" and the "Elastic Test of a Beam in Pure Bending (Beam Bending Lab)" at Old Dominion University. The 3D virtual laboratories, implemented under two virtual environments - 3DTV and Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE), serve as pre-lab sessions in addition to the physical laboratory experiment. The current study compares the influence of two instructional methods ( conventional lecture-based and inquiry-based) under two virtual environments, and the results are compared with the pre-lab sessions using the traditional paper-based lab manual. Subsequently, the evaluation is done by conducting qualitative and quantitative assessments from students' pre- and post-laboratory performances. The research results demonstrate that although the participants in the CA VE virtual environment slightly outperform their counterparts among the other two environments, the data sets from all three environments are not statistically different. However, when factors such as cost, maintenance, and accessibility are taken into consideration, the 3DTV as the learning environment may provide the optimal solution in the long run.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/w8t3-xs24

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