Author(s):
This project (Mix-ED) aims to better prepare construction engineering and management (CEM) students to be the future project-engineer workforce. This project focuses on developing CEM learners’ critical problem-solving skills (among them skills in design interpretation), focusing on the demands of associating designs with situations and contexts in a construction project. In-situ (or “authentic context”) learning–vital to developing engineering design interpretation abilities–is predominantly acquired from visits to job sites; however, its scaffolding remains a challenge in CEM education. Mix-ED uses Mixed Reality (MX) technologies and immersive experiences to explore alternative pathways for learning in CEM classrooms and laboratories. The project utilizes a technology designed to enable learners to (1) spatially locate and manipulate design components in response to how they would naturally perceive the job-site environment; (2) view and operate a navigation system that enables indoor positioning and location awareness, and (3) observe job-site images and spatially map an object’s surroundings from the 3D visualizations of designs. Experiments study the learners’ performance and improvement of CEM learning when exposed to the immersive environment. This project addresses key aspects of MX-assisted instructional design and its application to CEM problems, including user experiences. Three major limitations in current CEM pedagogy will be targeted: (i) ineffective application, analysis, and synthesis of any form of design representation to situational and physical contexts; (ii) inadequate incorporation of in-situ contexts in structured and generalized CEM concepts; and (iii) suboptimal integration and internalization of complex spatial and temporal information when using traditional materials (e.g., 2D drawings, videos, images). The design of a technology-based learning approach contributes to the development of flexible and adaptable knowledge related to spatial and temporal information processing. It enhances visual perception, spatial ability, and internalization. This project advances research in learning for the future engineering workforce by (i) developing self-regulation and adaptability–21st-century skills and competencies–through the interaction of virtual information in MX and (ii) contributing to new knowledge on the effects of the human-technology frontier– through problem-solving practices using MX. Results will contribute to engineering design thinking (e.g., communication of designs), including a broad, positive, and direct impact on the teaching and learning of CEM.
Coauthors
Ivan Mutis, Illinois Institute of Technology; Gady Agam, Illinois Institute of Technology
