Integrating Asynchronous Technology and Virtual Reality to Support Aircraft Maintenance Technology Education

我们来自格林维尔技术学院的教职员工团队与克莱姆森大学的教职员工合作，开发并实施了用于异步交付的飞机检查维护流程的交互式虚拟现实(VR)模型。我们的模式强调了现代飞机维修技术为地方、州和全国受众所需的课程开发和工作场所准备。我们的努力汇聚了一支多学科团队，包括一所为期两年的技术学院、研究型大学、高中和工业界。我们的参与者在飞机维修技术教育、虚拟现实、人机系统设计、航空检查和维护流程、异步学习和课程评估方面拥有专业知识，从之前的NSF、FAA和NASA拨款中获得了明显的结果。此外，我们还拥有先进技术系统实验室和虚拟现实眼动跟踪实验室的资源。行业合作伙伴为整合我们的VR产品贡献了经验丰富的从业人员、多样化的检测任务和测试平台。这一创新方法是将经过测试的VR技术扩展到两年制大学飞机维修技术课程的第一次努力。现有的方法无法准确模拟飞机维护过程的复杂性，报告了有限的转移能力和学生对工作场所的准备。我们的集体努力取得了以下成果：为大学生和行业员工提供了一个创新的、高影响力的飞机维修技术课程应用模式；增加了为从学习过渡到劳动力而准备的飞机维修技术员工作场所人才库；招聘和指导材料，以吸引代表不足的群体学习飞机维修技术；一个提供将VR技术作为教学工具的计划；以及一个研究机构、社区学院、行业和高中之间合作的国家模式。最重要的是，这一努力整合了NASA和FAA资助的正在进行的研究的成果，利用先进技术和虚拟现实来改进飞机检查和维护流程。

Our faculty team from Greenville Technical College in collaboration with faculty members from Clemson University have developed and implemented an interactive virtual reality (VR) model of the aircraft inspection maintenance process for asynchronous delivery. Our model has emphasized the curriculum development and workplace preparedness needed by modern aircraft maintenance technology for local, state and national audiences. Our effort has brought together a multidisciplinary team including a two-year technical college, research university, high schools and industry. Our participants have expertise in aircraft maintenance technology education, VR, human/machine systems design, inspection and maintenance processes in aviation, asynchronous learning and curriculum assessment with demonstrable results from previous NSF, FAA and NASA grants. Moreover, we have had the resources of the Advanced Technology Systems Laboratory and Virtual Reality Eye Tracking Laboratory at our disposal. The industry partners contributed experienced practitioners, a diversity of inspection tasks and test beds for integrating our VR products. This innovative approach is the first effort to extend tested VR technology to the aircraft maintenance technology curriculum in a two-year college. Existing approaches have not been able to mimic accurately the complexity of the aircraft maintenance process, reporting limited transfer capabilities and student preparedness for the workplace. The outcome of our collective efforts have lead to the following: an innovative, high-impact model for curriculum application in aircraft maintenance technology for college students and industry employees; an increased workplace pool of aircraft maintenance technicians prepared for the transition from learning to workforce; recruiting and mentoring material to attract under-represented groups to aircraft maintenance technology; a program providing the use of VR technology as a pedagogical tool; and a national model for collaboration among research institutions, community colleges, industry and high schools. Most importantly, this effort has integrated deliverables from on-going research funded by NASA and FAA in the use of advanced technology and virtual reality to improve the aircraft inspection and maintenance processes.