Development of a low-cost immersive virtual reality solution for STEM classroom instruction: A case in Engineering Statics
Oai Ha · 2020
Virtual reality (VR) technology has received great interest from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) educators in all levels of education due to its endless possibilities in enhancing student learning of complex and abstract concepts in the fields. Although the recent advances of VR technology have made many VR solutions more affordable than in the past, it is still more expensive to provide students fully immersive learning experience at the classroom level. This study describes the efforts to develop a low-cost 3D immersive application (or app) for classroom instruction of Engineering Statics. Students’ achievement in the course depends not only on their competencies in mathematics and physics but also on the ability to visualize 3D structures from 2D representations and retrieve correct spatial information for solving problems. Built for smartphones and cardboard headsets, the app provides students with an immersive environment to explore 3D structures from different viewing angles and resolve the ambiguity associated with many 2D graphics in Statics textbook problems. The app developed in this study and the preliminary evaluation results will be used as an intervention and inputs in an ongoing study that aims to evaluate the educational benefits of the app in Statics education.