Enhancing automotive engineering education in vocational schools through virtual reality

• Published in: Proceedings of SPIE, the international society for optical engineering Vol. 13634; pp. 1363410 - 1363410-9
• Main Authors: Lim, Chen Kim, Wong, Wee Hin
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: SPIE 23.04.2025
• ISBN: 9781510691773; 1510691774
• ISSN: 0277-786X
• DOI: 10.1117/12.3066245

This study explores the use of a Virtual Reality (VR) application developed based on the syllabus of basic engine maintenance for the automotive program offered at vocational schools. The VR environment has been shown to enhance traditional paper-based teaching by reducing wear and tear during practical lessons. For stakeholders such as school principals and teachers, VR is particularly valuable as it minimizes the risk of damaging real engines during training, leading to cost savings. Additionally, students who used the VR application demonstrated significant improvement in hands-on skills, compared to those who only received traditional classroom instruction. Without the VR application, students often struggled to visualize real-world engine maintenance, resulting in poorer performance during practical exams. The VR application is designed with a laboratory environment and utilizes a first-person perspective to engage users. It incorporates 6-Degrees of Freedom (6-DoF) VR learning modules and covers three core lessons: replacing a valve cover gasket, removing a gasket from the exhaust manifold, and replacing a gasket on the intake manifold, all of which are part of the basic engine maintenance syllabus. Each lesson is assessed at three levels, focusing on flow, engine cleanliness, gasket replacement, torque order, and overall performance. A single-subject, multiple levels testing design was used, supported by qualitative surveys. The study took three months to complete, during which participants attended their regular classes, used the VR application before their practical sessions, and then completed the preliminary survey. A non-randomized controlled evaluation with a total of 39 respondents is carried out, and the significant potential of VR in enhancing the students' perceived knowledge gains, learning experience and practical skills development is discussed in detail in this paper.