Incorporating Equipment Simulators Into A Construction Education Curriculum

Construction equipment simulators have been developed by equipment manufacturers to train operators for the stressful and tough construction environments without the need to employ an actual machine. Equipment simulators present an opportunity for construction engineering and management students to learn appropriate measures of operational performance and factors influencing operations. This study demonstrated that there is significant learning potential associated with integrating a Caterpillar Virtual Training Simulator (VTS) into a construction education curriculum. The simulator could be used to demonstrate and reinforce principles such as material waste, O&M costs, and safety. It could also be used to reinforce concepts such as workforce training and operational learning curves.