Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering

James Walker, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Georgios Kapogiannis, Ahmed Elamin, Ran Wei

Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE), March 2020

[DOI] [Cite]

James Walker, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Georgios Kapogiannis, Ahmed Elamin, Ran Wei. 2020. Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering. In Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE). DOI:https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-10-2019-0069

James Walker and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Georgios Kapogiannis and Ahmed Elamin and Ran Wei. (2020). Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering. Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE). https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-10-2019-0069

James Walker and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Georgios Kapogiannis and Ahmed Elamin and Ran Wei. "Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering." Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE), 2020. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-10-2019-0069

James Walker, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Georgios Kapogiannis, Ahmed Elamin, Ran Wei. 2020. Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering. Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE). doi:10.1108/ITSE-10-2019-0069

James Walker and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Georgios Kapogiannis and Ahmed Elamin and Ran Wei, "Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering," Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE), 2020. doi: 10.1108/ITSE-10-2019-0069

@article{itse-2020,
  title={Developing a Pedagogical Photoreal Virtual Environment to Teach Civil Engineering},
  author={James Walker and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Georgios Kapogiannis and Ahmed Elamin and Ran Wei},
  journal={Interactive Technology and Smart Education (ITSE)},
  year={2020},
  doi={10.1108/ITSE-10-2019-0069}
}

Virtual Reality (VR), Virtual field trips, Civil engineering education, Pedagogical frameworks, Discovery learning, Situated cognition

Abstract

It is possible for civil engineering (CE) students to graduate from a degree programme without gaining experience on a construction site. The implementation of virtual field trips using virtual reality (VR) in CE education is a development that can address this phenomenon and help facilitate the consolidation of abstract theories into tangible competences. This project aims to solve a fundamental CE education problem: once a structure has been completed, it is often impossible to see how it was built; hence, how can you demonstrate the construction process to a student? This research used the opportunity of a new campus library development to record its construction sequence. This was achieved by visiting the site eight times to take panoramic stereoscopic photos of the construction process. By its nature, using VR as a didactic tool facilitates experiential learning, but this project also incorporates discovery learning and situated cognition to develop students’ understanding of the construction process. The study highlights the role of VR in enhancing student learning by providing authentic and immersive experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical understanding.