Collaborative Virtual Reality Training Experience for Engineering Land Surveying

Abstract

Training students to perform accurate and efficient land surveys through hands-on laboratory experience takes time, space, and expensive equipment. To alleviate demands on these resources, we designed and implemented an immersive virtual reality training simulator that closely replicates both the equipment and social experience of land surveying. Our pilot study of 85 undergraduate engineering students shows high levels of student enthusiasm for the approach, which, by virtue of the recent affordability of virtual reality equipment, is now feasible for a multitude of use cases throughout the engineering curriculum.