Enhanced Virtual Reality Plant: Development and Application in Chemical Engineering Education

Abstract

Over past few decades, constantly emerging technologies have brought a profound transformation for traditional teaching mode. Virtual reality plant (VRP), as an available complement, has been increasingly focused in education field. The paper presents the development and application of an augmented VRP for chemical engineering education. The augmented virtual reality system integrates multi-technologies, such as virtual reality, communication, database and MATLAB. According to investigations, teachers and students are highly satisfied with the platform and give a positive evaluation. 85.1% of students utilize the VRP system more then 8time per month. 87.5% teachers deem that the usage of the system plays a certain role in the cultivation of students' practical ability. The feedbacks reveal that VRP system is expected to become a promising auxiliary tool for the cultivation of practical ability of students.