Virtual Reality in Engineering Education

Megan Wilkerson presenting Honors Thesis research

Author: Megan Wilkerson | Major: Biomedical Engineering

During the spring 2022 semester and earlier, I worked with Dr. Mostafa Elsaadany of the Biomedical Engineering Department to conduct research on the use of virtual reality (VR) as an educational tool. VR videos were implemented supplementary to in-person lab experiences. These videos were recorded using a 360° 3D camera. The videos depicted the teaching assistants performing the lab procedures as the students would in an in-person laboratory. These videos provide supplementary material for students to refer to when studying. Additionally, these videos could be implemented in the case of students being unable to attend a lab session or if lab spaces are unavailable due to campus closures. This system of creating VR videos provides a way for instructors to create course-specific content that could provide an engaging learning aid.

I got involved in this research through an email that was sent out to undergraduate students in the biomedical engineering department. My research mentor was recruiting undergraduate research assistants to work on various projects involving engineering education. Of these projects, I was assigned to work on the virtual reality project. This project started during the fall 2020 semester and provided a good opportunity to test VR videos as an education tool as the labs the following semesters were remote courses. This project has continued through the spring 2022 semester.

During this research, I learned a lot about virtual reality and video editing. I had no previous experience using virtual reality or video editing in general. Lots of time went into researching different aspects of the project including what was needed out of the camera to record the videos, what compatible software was available, what features were needed in the headsets, and what platforms would be compatible with the system, all while staying within a reasonable price range. This was a challenge since, as stated previously, I had very little knowledge in this area at the beginning of the project. Online tutorials and forums were very helpful in learning to use the camera and video editing software.

My mentor helped guide this research project as the lab videos were going to be implemented in the biomolecular engineering course he taught. He taught me how to write a manuscript and perform a literature review. He applied for equipment grants to fund the cost of the VR equipment and software. I also worked with another research assistant on this project who helped with video editing, writing, and data analysis. Additionally, we worked with the graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants for the course who helped in creating and implementing the VR videos in lab sessions. I also was able to attend training sessions with the UARK Global Campus to learn to make the VR videos more effective as educational tools and reduce the possibility of the videos causing discomfort when viewed in a VR headset. This project was very much a team effort and provided me the opportunity to work with people with different skill sets. This research project allowed me to learn new skills outside of the field of my degree. After graduation, I am going into industry and possibly graduate education in a few years.