Abstract

A growing number of construction-related virtual simulations demonstrate the benefits of providing students with a realistic and interactive learning experience to help them develop knowledge applicable to real-world situations. Virtual simulation provides a new form of teaching for physical experiments with high complexity, safety hazards, and excessive space. This study examined a course on the construction of Chinese traditional wood architecture for students majoring in architecture and related subjects. An experimental teaching platform with virtual simulation was utilized to respond to challenges of physical experiments. A questionnaire was administered to 74 undergraduate students and three teachers, and interviews were conducted with a subset of the participants. The results revealed that virtual simulation was helpful for students and teachers. This case study highlighted the potential of experimentation in the learning process through new technologies and reflected on whether the application of new technology was helpful to students majoring in architecture design.

Keywords

virtual simulation, chinese traditional wood architecture, interactive learning, undergraduate curric-ulum, project-based learning

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Conference Track

Research Paper

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Sep 24th, 9:00 AM

Teaching with virtual simulation: Is it helpful?

A growing number of construction-related virtual simulations demonstrate the benefits of providing students with a realistic and interactive learning experience to help them develop knowledge applicable to real-world situations. Virtual simulation provides a new form of teaching for physical experiments with high complexity, safety hazards, and excessive space. This study examined a course on the construction of Chinese traditional wood architecture for students majoring in architecture and related subjects. An experimental teaching platform with virtual simulation was utilized to respond to challenges of physical experiments. A questionnaire was administered to 74 undergraduate students and three teachers, and interviews were conducted with a subset of the participants. The results revealed that virtual simulation was helpful for students and teachers. This case study highlighted the potential of experimentation in the learning process through new technologies and reflected on whether the application of new technology was helpful to students majoring in architecture design.

 

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