Evaluation of Virtual Reality Application in Construction Teaching: A Comparative Study of Undergraduates
Dongyang An, Hui Deng, Cheng Shen, Xu Yiwen, Lina Zhong, Yichuan Deng
Abstract
Construction courses are characterized by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge; however, the teaching of practical knowledge is often absent due to safety and cost considerations. VR can improve the teaching of practical knowledge by facilitating interactions between teachers and students through virtual means, regardless of location, which is a weakness of current lecture-based teaching, especially in the COVID-19 era. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the effect and discuss the prospect of VR in construction teaching, with a comparative study of 50 students who were evenly divided into two groups and taught using traditional teaching and VR teaching, respectively. This experiment shows that VR teaching improves the students’ learning enthusiasm and satisfaction, especially in terms of practical knowledge. Additionally, students believe the combination of traditional and VR teachings can be more helpful in construction teaching. The findings of this research strengthened the advantages of VR in delivering practical knowledge in construction teaching.