2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Utilizing Virtual Reality to Fortify Professional Skills in Engineering Education

Presented at Continuing Professional Development Division (CPD) Technical Session 1

Several skills are needed and, most of the time, are required by the accreditation bodies as part of the preparation for entering the professional engineering practice. Academic institutions require vision, planning, time, and budget allocation to achieve these objectives. Students are required to produce solutions to meet the specific consideration. For that reason, practical experience in engineering principles is the key to enhancing student knowledge in engineering education.
Virtual reality (VR) technology can be implemented to simulate the real workplace and for educational purposes. Applying VR can encourage students to advance their understanding of the course content. Also, the student should be able to engage in classroom learning actively. This advanced technology makes classroom education effective and easy as the topics become less abstract. In the case of the exploitation of energy resources to differentiate the operation of offshore oil and gas rigs, VR technology can be applied to enhance the understanding and visualization of the requirement and components of the types of equipment. This paper presents virtual petroleum facilities to students using VR technology in the Middle East campus.
Innovative teaching in engineering courses with VR helps overcome the challenge of limited real trips, improves interest, and augments the student learning experience. VR technology connects formal and informal learning processes with actual experiences. Several engineering concepts can be easily introduced thru the technology. Feedback from students shows their excitement and engagement in the learning process. Also, it supports promoting an active learning process for the new generation and engineering.

Authors

Dr. Albertus Retnanto http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2015-1634 Texas A&M University at Qatar [biography]

Dr. Albertus Retnanto is a Program Chair and Professor of the Practice of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University at Qatar and has been in the Petroleum Engineering program since 2009. He received his Ph.D. degree in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. He held a Principal position with Schlumberger and has more than 18 years of experience worldwide in technical and management positions in well testing, field development, and production enhancement. He served as SPE Drilling & Completion journal review chairman, SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Medal Award committee member, SPE Drilling, and Completion Advisory committee, and SPE advanced technology workshops. He received the A Peer Apart SPE Award, which is dedicated to the technical excellence of authors to the industry. He received the Associate of Former Student of Texas A&M University College-level Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching and Distinguished Achievement for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, Society of Petroleum Engineers-Middle East & North Africa Region. Dr. Retnanto is an active Program Evaluator (PEV) with the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET.
Dr. Nayef Alyafei http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3510-9642 Texas A&M University at Qatar [biography]

Dr. Nayef Alyafei received his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College London in 2015 and joined Texas A&M University as a faculty member in 2015. Dr. Alyafei is known for his passion for teaching with a unique teaching style. He received several teaching awards such as the Teaching Excellence Award 2019, Faculty of the year 2019, and the Distinguished Achievement College-level Award for Teaching. In addition, Dr. Nayef has recently launched his educational YouTube channel Petrohow, along with his textbook on Fundamentals of Reservoir Rock Properties.
Mohamed Fadlelmula Texas A&M University at Qatar [biography]

Dr. Mohamed Fadlelmula is an Instructional Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ). Fadlelmula is dedicated to teaching excellence, therefore, he has participated in several projects to improve students’ learning experience, motivation and engagement. He has received different teaching awards such as the TAMUQ Teaching Excellence Award 2022, and the College Level Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching from the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University in 2020. Fadlelmula also serves as the ABET coordinator of the Petroleum Engineering Program since 2018.
Saba Hanif Khan Texas A&M University at Qatar

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