Immersive VRLab Training

In this study, we apply the latest VR technology and design a state-of-the-art engineering lab training session – the immersive virtual reality lab (iVRLab). The major hardware used for development in this study includes a Dell Alienware desktop computer, an Oculus Rift headset with handheld sensors, and a large display monitor. For software, Unity3D, Maya, and VRTK SDK are used intensively. The training offers a totally immersive, embodied, and interactive experience for the college students to practice the lab work of photolithography, which is an essential technology in fabricating integrated circuit. Learning theories and instructional principles behind the scenes are constructivism, embodied cognition, scaffolding and rewarding systems, multimedia cognitive load theories, and others. The study is to find answers to research questions such as (but not limited to):

• Will the iVRLab with embodied features bring positive learning effects in a college engineering lab training? Will it be a feasible complement to the current engineering lab training curriculum?
• How do college students perceive their embodied experience and cognitive load when participating the iVRLab training?
• How to incorporate design elements into iVRLab to better accommodate learners’ needs and learning characters in an immersive VR context?

iVRLab is proudly funded by the University of Missouri Research Council grant, and is a joint project between SISLT TELL lab and the College of Engineering.