Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality and Human Behaviour
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2024.1447288

Does Self-paced Learning in Mobile Flood Protection Unit Construction in Virtual Reality Have Advantages Over Traditional Measures?

Provisionally accepted
Patrick Querl Patrick Querl *Raymond Leonardo Chandra Raymond Leonardo Chandra *Djamel Berkaoui Djamel Berkaoui Koen Castermans Koen Castermans Heribert Nacken Heribert Nacken
  • RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study examines the use of virtual reality (VR) as an application example in university education using an immersive virtual lab employing self-paced learning in the field of civil engineering. The study focuses on the construction of a Mobile Flood Protection Unit (MFPU), a task that is traditionally taught through written instructions or video tutorials. The authors conducted an experiment in which 48 students were divided into two groups to learn how to build an MFPU using a VR tutorial and a traditional instructional video. The effectiveness of these teaching tools was evaluated in terms of factual and procedural knowledge transfer. In addition, the students' personal perception of the use of the VR software was evaluated. A positive effect on factual knowledge transfer and a positive reception of students towards using VR were observed, while further studies are needed about the knowledge gain on the procedural level.

    Keywords: virtual reality, Self-paced learning, Immersive Virtual Lab, e-learning, Education, hydrology, unity, Experimental results

    Received: 11 Jun 2024; Accepted: 02 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Querl, Chandra, Berkaoui, Castermans and Nacken. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Patrick Querl, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52056, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
    Raymond Leonardo Chandra, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52056, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.