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师团队与克莱姆森大学的教师合作，开发并实施了一个用于异步交付的飞机检查维护过程的交互式虚拟现实（VR）模型。我们的模型强调了为地方、州和全国受众提供现代飞机维修技术所需的课程开发和工作场所准备。我们的努力汇集了一个多学科团队，包括两年制技术学院、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、航空检查和维护过程、异步学习和课程评估方面具有专业知识，并获得了NSF、FAA和NASA之前的资助。此外，我们拥有先进科技系统实验室和虚拟实境眼动追踪实验室的资源。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者、多样化的检测任务和测试平台。这种创新的方法是首次将经过测试的VR技术扩展到两年制大学的飞机维修技术课程中。现有的方法不能准确地模拟飞机维修过程的复杂性，报告有限的转移能力和学生对工作场所的准备。我们共同努力的结果是：一个创新的、高影响力的面向大学生和行业员工的飞机维修技术课程应用模式；增加飞机维修技术人员的工作场所池，为从学习到劳动力的过渡做好准备；招聘和指导材料，以吸引代表性不足的群体了解飞机维修技术；一个将VR技术作为教学工具的项目；并成为研究机构、社区学院、工业和高中之间合作的全国模式。最重要的是，这项工作整合了由NASA和FAA资助的正在进行的研究成果，利用先进技术和虚拟现实来改进飞机的检查和维护过程。

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.