Virtual Environments for Collaborative Learning

这个项目有两个主要目标。第一个目标是促进远程学习，使先进的虚拟实验室能够部署在在线学位课程中，并供合作学生使用。第二个目标是为本科工程教育中的协作学习和团队建设提供沉浸式虚拟环境。虚拟环境为在校学生在常规上课时间之外进行实验提供了灵活性，从而允许混合实验室交付模式。学生在实验室设施中花有限的时间来熟悉设备，材料和程序，然后进入在线实验室进行额外的实验程序。该项目的一个关键创新是使用多人游戏引擎来开发本科工程教育中协作学习的虚拟实验室环境。

This project has two primary objectives. The first goal is to facilitate distance learning by enabling advanced virtual laboratories for deployment in online degree programs and utilization by co-op students. The second goal is to provide immersive virtual environments for collaborative learning and team building in undergraduate engineering education. The virtual environment is affording flexibility to on-campus students to run experiments outside of regular class time, thus allowing for a blended laboratory delivery mode. Students spend a limited time in a laboratory facility to familiarize themselves with the equipment, materials and procedures and then access an online laboratory to conduct additional experimental procedures. A key innovation of this project is the use of multiplayer game engines for developing virtual laboratory environments for collaborative learning in undergraduate engineering education.