Author(s):
Need: The aim of this work is to create a scalable and sustainable educational model of mixed reality gaming in civil engineering education (through the GeoExplorer activity) that provides practical experiences, develops engineering judgment competency, and engages a diverse student audience, while also enabling local adaptation and embedded learning assessment. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) of motivation is used to guide the project design and implementation. Guiding Questions: We have four questions framed around four perspectives: (1) a student perspective on how students learn and experience the innovation, (2) an instructor perspective on how they deploy and experience it, (3) a diversity and inclusion perspective on examining possible difference between individuals, instructions, and institutions, and (4) and institutional and community perspective on what we can learn from implementing mixed reality gaming about how to transform civil engineering education. Outcomes: With the help of the newly established GeoExplorer Consortium, two modules have been developed and iterated: a module focused on cone-penetration testing (CPT) and a module on levee inspection. Based on pre/post-surveys and game data, students indicated that they were satisfied with the experience and found GeoExplorer effective in teaching the content. Pre/post content assessments show that students significantly improved in knowledge and gained confidence. We further find that the experience increased student’s motivation and interest in pursuing a career in civil engineering. Broader Impacts: Our intentional efforts to reach diverse audiences and create inclusive mixed reality learning environments will shed light on the best practices of game-based learning design and implementation for diverse populations of learners. Ultimately, this work seeks to result in a better-trained and more diverse professional workforce that is mindful and capable of addressing challenging real-world problems. To date, the GeoExplorer is active at 14 universities, 20 engineering faculty have engaged in the GeoExplorer community, and over 1,000 engineering students have experienced the mixed reality virtual internship.
Coauthors
Victoria Bennett, RPI, Troy, NY; Tarek Abdoun, RPI, Troy, NY; Yevgeniya (Zhenya) Zastavker, Olin College, Needham, MA
