Mixed Reality for Engineering Design Interpretation in Construction Engineering Management

该项目旨在通过更好地培养建筑工程专业的学生成为项目工程师，为国家利益服务。为了做到这一点，该项目旨在帮助学生培养与实际建筑项目相关的关键问题解决技能。在这些技能中，设计解释就是其中之一。工地学习对于培养设计解释能力至关重要，但在建筑工程教育中，提供这样的学习机会仍然是一个挑战。为了增加工作现场学习的机会，该项目将探索混合现实技术和身临其境体验的使用。具体地说，该项目将使用混合现实来使建筑工程学习者能够：(1)在虚拟工地环境中在空间上定位和操纵设计组件；(2)查看和操作能够实现室内定位和位置感知的导航系统；以及(3)观察工地图像并从设计的3D可视化中空间绘制物体的周围环境。该项目将研究沉浸式混合现实环境如何影响建筑工程专业学生的学习。研究结果有助于提高工程设计思维的教与学，特别是在建筑工程管理中。该项目将以空间认知和情境学习的概念研究和实证结果为指导，探讨混合现实辅助教学设计的关键方面及其在建筑工程管理问题中的应用，包括用户的体验。当前建筑工程管理教学的三个主要需求将是：(I)对情景和物理背景的设计表征的应用、分析和综合；(Ii)将现场背景纳入结构化和泛化的建筑工程概念；以及(Iii)使用传统材料(例如，2D图纸、视频、图像)时复杂的空间和时间信息的整合和内部化。基于技术的学习方法的设计将有助于发展与时空信息处理相关的灵活和适应性知识，并可能增强学生的视觉感知、空间能力和内化。该项目期望推动未来工程劳动力学习方面的研究，并就人类技术前沿对解决问题的实践的影响贡献新的知识。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by better preparing construction engineering students to be project engineers. To do so, the project aims to help students develop critical problem-solving skills relevant to real construction projects. Among these skills is design interpretation. Job site learning is vital to develop design interpretation abilities but providing such learning opportunities remains a challenge in construction engineering education. To increase access to job site learning, this project will explore the used of mixed reality technologies and immersive experiences. Specifically, the project will use mixed reality to enable construction engineering learners to: (1) spatially locate and manipulate design components in a virtual job-site environment; (2) view and operate a navigation system that enables indoor-positioning and location awareness; and (3) observe job-site images and spatially map an object’s surroundings from the 3D visualizations of designs. The project will study how the immersive mixed reality environment affects construction engineering students’ learning. Results of the study may help to improve teaching and learning of engineering design thinking, specifically in construction engineering management. Guided by conceptual research and empirical findings on spatial cognition and situated learning, this project will address key aspects of mixed reality-assisted instructional design and its application to construction engineering management problems, including the users’ experiences. Three major needs in current construction engineering management pedagogy will be targeted: (i) application, analysis, and synthesis of design representation to situational and physical contexts; (ii) incorporation of in-situ contexts in structured and generalized construction engineering concepts; and (iii) integration and internalization of complex spatial and temporal information when using traditional materials (e.g., 2D drawings, videos, images). The design of a technology-based learning approach will contribute to the development of flexible and adaptable knowledge related to spatial and temporal information processing and may enhance students’ visual perception, spatial ability, and internalization. This project expects to advance research in learning for the future engineering workforce and to contribute new knowledge about the effects of the human-technology frontier on problem-solving practices. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.