Assessing the Impact of a Construction Virtual Reality Game on Design Review Skills of Construction Students
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 4
Abstract
Being able to perform an effective design review is a fundamental skill that every design or construction student should possess. Performing a design review requires critical thinking, analysis, and communication skills. To support the acquisition of these skills, this study investigated the impact of a virtual reality game, the design review simulator (DRS), in a classroom environment. To assess the impact of the game, the authors performed a crossover experiment with 120 students. The students were split into groups and were asked to perform design reviews in two treatment conditions, 2D drawings or the DRS. A knowledge test was administered at the end of different treatments to collect quantitative data on the students' performance. Results from this research indicate that the DRS supported students in identifying a higher number of design mistakes. Furthermore, students that played with the DRS after performing 2D drawings reviews scored significantly higher in the knowledge test. The research results contribute to the growing knowledge base on the implementation of VR in the classroom and in supporting students in meeting learning objectives related to design review skills. In particular, the research illustrated that the benefits of VR found in the construction industry in terms of improved communication, user involvement, and feedback collection could be translated into the classroom environment.
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 4 • December 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 22, 2020
Accepted: Jun 29, 2020
Published online: Aug 11, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jan 11, 2021
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