Abstract
Mixed reality (MR) and mobile visualisation methods have been identified as important technologies that could reimagine spatial information delivery and enhance higher education practice. However, there is limited research on the impact of mobile MR (MMR) within construction education and improvement of the learners’ experience. With new building information modelling (BIM) workflows being adopted within the architecture, engineering and construction industry, innovative MMR pedagogical delivery methods should be explored to enhance this information-rich spatial technology workflow. This paper outlines qualitative results derived through thematic analysis of learner reflections from two technology-enhanced lessons involving a lecture and a hands-on workshop focussed on MMR-BIM delivered within postgraduate construction education. Seventy participants across the two lessons recruited from an Australian university participated to answer the research question: ‘Does applied mobile mixed reality create an enhanced learning environment for students?’ The results of the analysis suggest that using MMR-BIM can result in an enhanced learning environment that facilitates unique learning experiences, engagement and motivation. However, the study outcome suggests that to understand the processes leading to these learning aspects, further empirical research on the topic is required. This paper is part of the special collection Mobile Mixed Reality Enhanced Learning edited by Thom Cochrane, James Birt, Helen Farley, Vickel Narayan and Fiona Smart. More papers from this collection can be found here.
Highlights
With growing project scale and complexity, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is exploring innovative solutions to augment communication and information visualisation to enhance workflows and project management (Chan et al 2018)
We present the emerging themes of the thematic analysis performed on the submitted essays representing participants’ reflections on the experiences they had with the mobile mixed reality technology
The current study aims to make a contribution to the literature by analysing qualitative student learning reflection data that highlight that mobile mixed reality may lead to enhanced learning experiences by answering the research question: ‘Does applied mobile mixed reality create an enhanced learning environment for students?’ Based on the shared views from participants in the study, we identified four frequent themes that address the enhanced learning environments, namely, learning engagement, learning motivation, learning about augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) technologies and first-time experiences with the technologies
Summary
With growing project scale and complexity, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is exploring innovative solutions to augment communication and information visualisation to enhance workflows and project management (Chan et al 2018). Building information modelling (BIM) has been identified as a tool to improve the efficiency of design communication and collaboration among project participants, with many countries implementing governance measures to integrate BIM into their public projects (Antwi-Afari et al 2018). Used throughout the whole building lifecycle, BIM enables visualisation, scheduling, communication and collaboration among project participants to rectify design errors and implement changes before a project is developed. This combination of spatial modelling and information data enables optimised process and communication workflows (Miettinen and Paavola 2014) supporting the ever-changing standards and critical success factors (Antwi-Afari et al 2018) around BIM compliance within the AEC industry (Chan et al 2018). It was noted that most courses use traditional didactic methods only, but a balance is required between traditional and emerging educational methods
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