Using Virtual Reality as a Cost-Effective Substitute for Engineering Labs in Underdeveloped Countries

Engineering education in underdeveloped countries is lacking on multiple fronts, majorly, the insufficiency of practical and technical know-how of engineering graduates. This problem stems deeply from a lack of experimental laboratories and at best inadequate training equipment for students to carry out practical knowledge. This paper is centered on the introduction of virtual laboratories as a less expensive and more dynamic means of carrying out engineering practices in graduate and undergraduate programs to make up for the lack of actual laboratories in these underdeveloped nations. This paper proposes the introduction of Virtual Reality into engineering education to bridge this gap between underdeveloped nations and developed nations as an educational aid in engineering. Also conducted is a comprehensive literature survey on already in-practice VR technology in institutions world-wide, the benefits this tech has provided these institutions and the benefits it will afford underdeveloped nations.

[1]  Christian Gütl,et al.  Virtual laboratories for education in science, technology, and engineering: A review , 2016, Comput. Educ..

[2]  Fabio Di Giorgio,et al.  Virtual reality in satellite integration and testing , 2016, 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Systems Engineering (ISSE).

[3]  Veronica S. Pantelidis,et al.  Virtual reality and engineering education , 1997 .

[4]  Jorge Martín-Gutiérrez,et al.  Virtual Technologies Trends in Education , 2017 .

[5]  Jan Zenisek,et al.  A virtual reality supported 3D environment for engineering design review , 2017, 2017 23rd International Conference on Virtual System & Multimedia (VSMM).

[6]  T. Beyrouthy,et al.  Virtual reality application for interactive and informative learning , 2017, 2017 2nd International Conference on Bio-engineering for Smart Technologies (BioSMART).

[7]  A. A. Afonja,et al.  Engineering Education for Industrial Development: Case Studies of Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe , 2005 .

[8]  Jorge Martín-Gutiérrez,et al.  Editorial: Learning Strategies in Engineering Education Using Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies , 2017 .

[9]  O. Zavalani,et al.  Use curiosity for virtual reality “as a hook” in the engineering education , 2012, 2012 15th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL).

[10]  Manuel Travassos Valdez,et al.  3D virtual reality experiments to promote electrical engineering education , 2015, 2015 International Conference on Information Technology Based Higher Education and Training (ITHET).

[11]  Michael Gastrow,et al.  Higher education and economic development: the importance of building technological capabilities , 2015 .

[12]  Rifat Khabibullin,et al.  The application of virtual reality technologies in engineering education for the automotive industry , 2015, 2015 International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL).

[13]  John Messner,et al.  Using Virtual Reality to Improve Construction Engineering Education , 2003 .

[14]  Fábio Matoseiro Dinis,et al.  An immersive Virtual Reality interface for Civil Engineering dissemination amongst pre-university students , 2017, 2017 4th Experiment@International Conference (exp.at'17).

[15]  Alcinia Z. Sampaio,et al.  Interactive models used in Civil Engineering education based on virtual reality technology , 2009, 2009 2nd Conference on Human System Interactions.

[16]  John T. Bell,et al.  Investigation and application of virtual reality as an educational tool , 1995 .

[17]  R. Manseur.  Virtual reality in science and engineering education , 2005, Proceedings Frontiers in Education 35th Annual Conference.

[18]  Veronica S. Pantelidis,et al.  Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in Education and Training Courses and a Model to Determine When to Use Virtual Reality. , 2010 .

[19]  Manuel Travassos Valdez,et al.  Virtual labs in electrical engineering education - The VEMA environment , 2014, 2014 Information Technology Based Higher Education and Training (ITHET).

[20]  Abdul-Hadi G. Abulrub,et al.  Virtual reality in engineering education: The future of creative learning , 2011, EDUCON 2011.

[21]  Parameswaran Ramanathan,et al.  Virtual Learning Environments in engineering and STEM education , 2013, 2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[22]  John T. Bell,et al.  The application of virtual reality to (chemical engineering) education , 2004, IEEE Virtual Reality 2004.

[23]  Rytis Maskeliūnas,et al.  Application of ICT by Small and Medium Enterprises in Ogun State Nigeria , 2017 .

[24]  P. Benko,et al.  Virtual reality vs. reality in engineering education , 2017, 2017 15th International Conference on Emerging eLearning Technologies and Applications (ICETA).

[25]  Janez Vogrinc,et al.  Facilitating Effective Student Learning through Teacher Research and Innovation , 2010 .

[26]  Samuel H. Huang,et al.  Simulation games in engineering education: A state‐of‐the‐art review , 2011, Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ..

[27]  Burcin Becerik-Gerber,et al.  Immersive virtual environments versus physical built environments: A benchmarking study for building design and user-built environment explorations , 2015 .

[28]  G. Ganesan,et al.  AN INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNIQUES AND ITS APPLICATIONS , 2012 .

[29]  Jing Liu.  Integrated mechanical and electro-hydraulic system modeling and virtual reality simulation technology of a virtual robotic excavator , 2009, 2009 IEEE 10th International Conference on Computer-Aided Industrial Design & Conceptual Design.

[30]  Rytis Maskeliunas,et al.  Impact of ICT on Universities Administrative Services and Management of Students' Records: ICT in University Administration , 2018, Int. J. Hum. Cap. Inf. Technol. Prof..

[31]  Rytis Maskeliūnas,et al.  A Semantic Web-Based Framework for Information Retrieval in E-Learning Systems , 2017 .