TY - GEN
T1 - Creative Geotechnical Engineering Education Module Based on an Educational Game Using Multiphysics Enriched Mixed Reality
AU - Cui, Luo Bin
AU - Cai, Weiling
AU - Hare, Ryan
AU - Huang, Chen Chen
AU - Tang, Ying
AU - Zhu, Cheng
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 IEEE.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This work-in-progress paper discusses the development of an educational game to provide integrated geotechnical engineering education modules that connect theoretical concepts, laboratory testing, field investigation, and engineering design. The game, Earth Trek, is developed based on the design of geothermal piles, which are an innovative and sustainable geotechnical engineering approach to combat climate change. Virtual reality is applied to visualize the field environments, laboratory conditions, and design components for structural simulation. The game uses a combination of storytelling and tasks to engage students with geotechnical concepts in an enjoyable way. With the newly developed game, geotechnical engineering instructors can provide students with exposure to laboratory testing and field environments, improving the quality of geotechnical engineering education. The use of multiphysics enriched mixed reality gaming allows for a visual representation of the connections between theoretical concepts, laboratory testing, field investigation, and engineering design. Additionally, this study discusses the challenges that geotechnical students face when dealing with worldwide concerns such as energy demand, environmental protection, infrastructure sustainability, and hazard reduction. Earth Trek allows students to apply geotechnical engineering knowledge to explore the underground space and the associated geothermal energy to tackle the engineering problems using only their smartphones. Through exploring the virtual environment and completing game tasks, students can obtain different testing tools used for geotechnical experiments, including thermal conductivity measurement and direct shear test. They are also trained to conduct parametric study to explore the influence of boundary conditions on thermal transfer efficiency of the geothermal pile. The key contribution of this work is to illustrate an educational paradigm based on mixed reality, moving towards creative engineering education in geotechnical engineering. The newly developed educational game and Earth Trek are expected to enhance geotechnical engineering education and provide students with an interdisciplinary knowledge to tackle worldwide concerns.
AB - This work-in-progress paper discusses the development of an educational game to provide integrated geotechnical engineering education modules that connect theoretical concepts, laboratory testing, field investigation, and engineering design. The game, Earth Trek, is developed based on the design of geothermal piles, which are an innovative and sustainable geotechnical engineering approach to combat climate change. Virtual reality is applied to visualize the field environments, laboratory conditions, and design components for structural simulation. The game uses a combination of storytelling and tasks to engage students with geotechnical concepts in an enjoyable way. With the newly developed game, geotechnical engineering instructors can provide students with exposure to laboratory testing and field environments, improving the quality of geotechnical engineering education. The use of multiphysics enriched mixed reality gaming allows for a visual representation of the connections between theoretical concepts, laboratory testing, field investigation, and engineering design. Additionally, this study discusses the challenges that geotechnical students face when dealing with worldwide concerns such as energy demand, environmental protection, infrastructure sustainability, and hazard reduction. Earth Trek allows students to apply geotechnical engineering knowledge to explore the underground space and the associated geothermal energy to tackle the engineering problems using only their smartphones. Through exploring the virtual environment and completing game tasks, students can obtain different testing tools used for geotechnical experiments, including thermal conductivity measurement and direct shear test. They are also trained to conduct parametric study to explore the influence of boundary conditions on thermal transfer efficiency of the geothermal pile. The key contribution of this work is to illustrate an educational paradigm based on mixed reality, moving towards creative engineering education in geotechnical engineering. The newly developed educational game and Earth Trek are expected to enhance geotechnical engineering education and provide students with an interdisciplinary knowledge to tackle worldwide concerns.
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U2 - 10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343396
DO - 10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343396
M3 - Conference contribution
T3 - Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE
BT - 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2023 - Proceedings
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 53rd IEEE ASEE Frontiers in Education International Conference, FIE 2023
Y2 - 18 October 2023 through 21 October 2023
ER -