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来服务于国家利益。为此，该项目旨在帮助学生发展与真实的建筑项目相关的关键问题解决技能。 这些技能之一是设计解释。工作现场的学习是至关重要的发展设计解释能力，但提供这样的学习机会仍然是一个挑战，在建筑工程教育。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沉浸式体验的使用。 具体而言，该项目将使用混合现实使建筑工程学习者能够：（1）在虚拟工作现场环境中空间定位和操作设计组件;（2）查看和操作导航系统，实现室内定位和位置感知;（3）观察工作现场图像并从设计的3D可视化中空间映射对象的周围环境。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。本研究结果对于改善工程设计思维的教与学，特别是建筑工程管理的教学与学，有一定的参考价值。在空间认知和情境学习的概念研究和实证研究结果的指导下，本项目将解决混合现实辅助教学设计及其应用于建筑工程管理问题的关键方面，包括用户的体验。当前建筑工程管理教学法的三个主要需求将是有针对性的：（i）应用，分析和综合设计表示的情景和物理环境;（ii）在结构化和广义的建筑工程概念中纳入现场环境;（iii）在使用传统材料（例如，2D绘图、视频、图像）。设计一个以科技为本的学习方法，将有助于发展与时空信息处理有关的灵活和适应性强的知识，并可能提高学生的视觉感知、空间能力和内化能力。该项目旨在推进未来工程人员的学习研究，并为人类技术前沿对解决问题实践的影响提供新的知识。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.