Efficacy Investigation of Virtual Reality Teaching Module in Manufacturing System Design Course

Abstract

Manufacturing system design is a complex engineering field that requires cooperated and aggregated multiple-disciplinary theoretical and practical support. Thereby, the concepts and topics in manufacturing system design courses are not easy to grasp by students. Advances in virtual reality (VR) technology present a new opportunity that can provide the implementation of complex engineering theory from industrial real-life practice in a virtual 3D model. The authors developed a unique queuing theory VR teaching module that can be used in a manufacturing system design course. The module uses Oculus Rift headset, Oculus Touch, and unity 3D software package. The efficacy of this VR teaching module is measured through simulation sickness, system usability, and user experience tools. The statistical analysis shows that VR teaching module is a user-friendly and efficient tool for delivering queueing theory. Approximately 91.7% of the participants experienced below moderate level simulation sickness and none of them withdrew from the study; 91.67% had “above average” satisfaction in terms of system usability. The average user experience was found to be 3.625 out 6. The results also show that the system usability has impact on students' knowledge gain but not motivation, while user experience can affect student's knowledge gain and motivation. VR teaching module outperforms the traditional teaching module in terms of knowledge gain and motivation. Overall, the findings of the study confirm the efficacy of VR technology in teaching queuing theory.