The Impact of VR Application on Student’s Competency Development: A Comparative Study of Regular and VR Engineering Classes with Similar Competency Scopes

• Main Authors: Jang Hee Lee, Olga A. Shvetsova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: university competency model; Fourth Industrial Revolution; engineering course; VR class; regular class; comparative study
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/8/2221

This research focuses on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Korean National Competency Standards. The aim of this research is to perform a comparative study of two university engineering courses to present the difference between the effect of virtual reality (VR)-based teaching and traditional teaching on learning robotics. To achieve this goal, the authors used the expert method, focus group interviews, and a comparative study. There were three hypotheses and four research questions on the relationship between teaching method and competency development. As a case study for this research, the authors chose Korea University of Technology and Education and designed a survey to assess students’ competencies. The participants were second- and third-grade university students. Quantitative data were collected from the interview forms developed by the researcher; qualitative data were analyzed using the expert method and a comparative study. A significant difference was observed between competency development in the VR class and that in a regular class with a similar syllabus. Furthermore, it was noted that different teaching methods affect competency development in different ways; VR tools develop some competencies, but not all of them. Authors found that the VR tool requires an appropriate teaching method and affects the student’s ability to develop competencies.