E-Learning Student Coaching Environment and Virtual Reality in Mechanical Engineering

E-Learning Student Coaching Environment and Virtual Reality in Mechanical Engineering

S. Manjit Sidhu *, N. Selvanathan ** & S. Ramesh *
* University Tenaga Nasional, 43009 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
** University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract:

This work presents an extension of our study on multimedia patterns of interactions and visualization of engineering tools. We used four approaches in implementing the software tools for user visualization i.e. 2D, 3D, coach environment and desktop virtual reality. The engineering tools designed have been enhanced to enable the integration and investigation of visualization in various engineering problems for undergraduates. Each problem was designed using different software development tool. More significantly, we have enhanced some of the tools to the degree where the user can interact and be coached independently. This dramatically increases the quality of the tools i.e. patterns of interactions, 2D and 3D views of synthetic models. In general the result shows that these tools could alleviate the user interacting and instil a sense of learning and the user understand the engineering problem better.