Using a Virtual Gaming Environment in Strength of Materials: Increasing Access and Improving Learning Effectiveness

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This engineering education research project seeks to create virtual reality simulations that will allow students to perform laboratory experiments in strength of materials. The project focuses on developing conceptual understanding through realistic simulations, guided by mathematical models of the phenomena being investigated. A key feature of this project is allowing simulations of unsuccessful or dangerous experiments and investigating the efficacy of these as a learning tool.The broader significance and importance of this project will be to demonstrate or disprove the effectiveness of the proposed simulation tool for engendering conceptual understanding in core engineering courses. The project team plans to broadly disseminate the virtual simulation product, making it freely available to the engineering community; dissemination will be supported by a planned workshop. Such dissemination may lower barriers to adoption by schools where limited resources make laboratory experiments problematic.