Abstract
The construction industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled workforce. Higher education is challenged to develop innovative strategies to help college students develop career-specific competency and accelerate the transition from novice to expert. Technology innovations such as virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) have been successfully integrated into learning and training programs to create authentic learning experiences within simulated virtual learning environments to facilitate tacit knowledge acquisition and workplace expertise development, which traditionally takes years of empirical experience and apprenticeship training. This study aims to explore potential VR and MR interventions in construction education and workforce development. It is directed at enhancing understanding of key differences between novices and experts and how VR and MR may facilitate tacit knowledge acquisition and expertise development to address the current skills gap in the construction industry. A simulation of accessibility design review and assessment for a tiny house was conducted via VR and MR mock-ups with the participation of both student novices and professional experts to collect behavioral and perceptual data using instruments that included a think-aloud protocol, a pair of pre- and postsurvey questionnaires, and audio/video recordings. Comparative analyses were conducted, and the results indicated that student novices, despite their lack of expertise, demonstrated comparable patterns of behaviors and achieved design review outcomes similar to those of professional experts with the VR and MR mock-ups. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge by providing preliminary evidence of learning affordances of VR and MR in bridging experience-related gaps and suggesting opportunities for accelerating workplace expertise development among college students via technology intervention. These findings also have the potential to inform instructional design and pedagogical approaches that integrate VR and MR technology in undergraduate construction and engineering curricula.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 04019049 |
| Journal | Journal of Construction Engineering and Management |
| Volume | 145 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2019 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Building and Construction
- Industrial relations
- Strategy and Management
Cite this
Design Assessment in Virtual and Mixed Reality Environments : Comparison of Novices and Experts. / Wu, Wei; Hartless, Justin; Tesei, Aaron; Gunji, Venkata; Ayer, Steven; London, Jeremi.
In: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 145, No. 9, 04019049, 01.09.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Design Assessment in Virtual and Mixed Reality Environments
T2 - Comparison of Novices and Experts
AU - Wu, Wei
AU - Hartless, Justin
AU - Tesei, Aaron
AU - Gunji, Venkata
AU - Ayer, Steven
AU - London, Jeremi
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - The construction industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled workforce. Higher education is challenged to develop innovative strategies to help college students develop career-specific competency and accelerate the transition from novice to expert. Technology innovations such as virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) have been successfully integrated into learning and training programs to create authentic learning experiences within simulated virtual learning environments to facilitate tacit knowledge acquisition and workplace expertise development, which traditionally takes years of empirical experience and apprenticeship training. This study aims to explore potential VR and MR interventions in construction education and workforce development. It is directed at enhancing understanding of key differences between novices and experts and how VR and MR may facilitate tacit knowledge acquisition and expertise development to address the current skills gap in the construction industry. A simulation of accessibility design review and assessment for a tiny house was conducted via VR and MR mock-ups with the participation of both student novices and professional experts to collect behavioral and perceptual data using instruments that included a think-aloud protocol, a pair of pre- and postsurvey questionnaires, and audio/video recordings. Comparative analyses were conducted, and the results indicated that student novices, despite their lack of expertise, demonstrated comparable patterns of behaviors and achieved design review outcomes similar to those of professional experts with the VR and MR mock-ups. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge by providing preliminary evidence of learning affordances of VR and MR in bridging experience-related gaps and suggesting opportunities for accelerating workplace expertise development among college students via technology intervention. These findings also have the potential to inform instructional design and pedagogical approaches that integrate VR and MR technology in undergraduate construction and engineering curricula.
AB - The construction industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled workforce. Higher education is challenged to develop innovative strategies to help college students develop career-specific competency and accelerate the transition from novice to expert. Technology innovations such as virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) have been successfully integrated into learning and training programs to create authentic learning experiences within simulated virtual learning environments to facilitate tacit knowledge acquisition and workplace expertise development, which traditionally takes years of empirical experience and apprenticeship training. This study aims to explore potential VR and MR interventions in construction education and workforce development. It is directed at enhancing understanding of key differences between novices and experts and how VR and MR may facilitate tacit knowledge acquisition and expertise development to address the current skills gap in the construction industry. A simulation of accessibility design review and assessment for a tiny house was conducted via VR and MR mock-ups with the participation of both student novices and professional experts to collect behavioral and perceptual data using instruments that included a think-aloud protocol, a pair of pre- and postsurvey questionnaires, and audio/video recordings. Comparative analyses were conducted, and the results indicated that student novices, despite their lack of expertise, demonstrated comparable patterns of behaviors and achieved design review outcomes similar to those of professional experts with the VR and MR mock-ups. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge by providing preliminary evidence of learning affordances of VR and MR in bridging experience-related gaps and suggesting opportunities for accelerating workplace expertise development among college students via technology intervention. These findings also have the potential to inform instructional design and pedagogical approaches that integrate VR and MR technology in undergraduate construction and engineering curricula.
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U2 - 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001683
DO - 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001683
M3 - Article
VL - 145
JO - Journal of Construction Engineering and Management - ASCE
JF - Journal of Construction Engineering and Management - ASCE
SN - 0733-9364
IS - 9
M1 - 04019049
ER -