The Effects of Virtual Reality on Student Learning in Civil Engineering Program: Case of a Developing Country
Publication: ASCE Inspire 2023
ABSTRACT
In conventional teaching environment, complex civil engineering problems are taught with little visual cues given to the students mostly in the form of 2D drawings or textbooks and PowerPoint slides. The importance of visual aids cannot be downplayed in an educational environment as they increase student understanding of the course content. In this paper, the effects of desktop-based virtual reality systems on student learning in a civil engineering education environment have been investigated. The students considered as a case in this study belong to civil engineering department of a top-rated university of Pakistan. This research used interactable computer animations as a complementary tool to traditional teaching methods to enhance student learning of complex structures. The considered participants were split between the two groups, i.e., Group A (a simulation group) and Group B (a control group). Both groups were taught the same course content by the same full-time instructor. The control group studied the same topic in a conventional learning environment with textbooks and PowerPoint slides being taught, and the simulation group was taught with an interactive animation (addition of desktop virtual reality system) in addition to the traditional classroom teaching techniques. Student performance between the two groups was then compared through a knowledge assessment test. The knowledge assessment test result showed a mean value of 6.51 for Group A and 5.25 for Group B with a mean difference of 1.26. A t-test, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, was further performed between the two groups’ results to determine if the results were significantly different. The test was found to be statistically significant at 5% with a t value of 3.54, thus indicating that the simulation group benefited from the desktop VR program. Hence, the assessment showed statistically significant improvement in understanding and learning of Group A as compared to Group B.
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ASCE Inspire 2023
Pages: 96 - 104
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Published online: Nov 14, 2023
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