Integrating Real-World Experience into Engineering Education through Augmented Reality-based Learning Factory

Project Lead: Sagil James

ABSTRACT

The traditional engineering teaching practices are heavily focused on classroom-based instructions. Consequently, they are deficient in providing the students with competent and multi-disciplinary skills that are much needed for their career success. Most experts agree that the current engineering education cannot be treated effectively by being only constrained to a classroom. Also, several studies have forecasted a considerable shift in the labor market towards the highly knowledgeable and technically skilled workforce. Employers are already concerned about the growing skills gap, which is expected to widen over the next decade. To address these emerging challenges, there is an inevitable need to update the current engineering education strategies while adopting modern training concepts and industrial learnings to help improve the technical skill levels. The ‘Learning Factory’ concept is a relatively new way of approaching this problem. A Learning Factory (LF) is a simulated learning environment that essentially integrates the learning and working environments, from which realistic and relevant learning experiences arise. However, most existing LF implementations involve expensive equipment in an academic setting. The limitation of this approach is the fact that the configuration is extremely rigid, and the purchased equipment soon becomes obsolete, thereby narrowing the scope of the learning factory. Using cost-effective advanced technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) in engineering education could potentially overcome the challenges of existing LF.

The goal of the proposed pilot project is to enhance the preparedness of the undergraduate engineering students at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) and guarantee a successful engineering educational experience by designing and implementing an Augmented Reality-based Learning Factory (ARLF). The ARLF concept is an innovative and cost-effective education delivery mechanism that combines the concepts of LF and AR into a competent tool for teaching challenging engineering concepts to CSUF students. The “Real-world to Classroom” concept of the proposed ARLF-based project provides a comprehensive digital platform in which the students can immerse and perceive the real-world environment by using a low-cost AR system and associated software. The objectives of this pilot project are 1) To train engineering undergraduate students with immersive-learning technologies such as AR, which are non-existent in the current curriculum, 2) To expose the engineering students to real-world engineering problems/ challenges requiring them to solve it while working in small groups, and 3) To prepare and motivate minorities and underrepresented undergraduate students to harness the necessary technical know-how and professional skills required to ensure their timely graduation. The proposed study will support the CSUF Graduation Initiatives (GI) 2025 by 1) providing necessary academic preparation for the participants, especially minority and underrepresented students, 2) ensuring timely completion of the engineering degree program, thereby increasing the four-year graduation rates significantly, and 3) presenting better career opportunities for the participants by increasing their marketability in both college and industries, thus promoting student engagement and well-being.