2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Student Flow State in VR/AR Module for First-Year Architectural Engineering & Construction

Presented at Architectural Engineering Division (ARCHE) Technical Session 2

Many first-year engineering students struggle with self-efficacy and continued interest because instruction focuses on the foundational and technical knowledge and skills needed to be an engineer, with few real-world scenarios and applications. Students’ beliefs that they lack capacity to complete required courses and diminishing interest contribute to ongoing student retention problems, including in Architectural Engineering and Construction (AE/C). Students’ self-efficacy and interest can be increased by showing engineering impacts on the real-world. However, classroom access to real-world examples can be challenging. Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) can enable access. Virtual/Augmented-Reality-Based-Discipline Exploration Rotations (VADERs) used real-world engineering examples to engage students in understanding the five subdisciplines of AE/C. To maximize the benefit of VR/AR, students’ immersion in these learning experiences is necessary.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which students experienced a flow state in VADERs. Flow is absorption in an activity despite high level of task demands. Therefore, a high flow state means the VR/AR experience is not so difficult students can not complete the activities, and it is not so trivial that students are not engaged. The research questions were: What are the patterns in students’ self-reported flow states when using VADERs? How do these patterns compare with regards to students’ demographics and perceived difficulty of VADERs?

VADER-1 was implemented in AE/C introductory courses at an R1 Midwestern institution, R2 Southeast HBCU, and an R1 Southeast institution. Survey data were collected from 201 first-year AE/C students at the beginning of the semester and after completion of VADER-1. The Flow Short Scale (FSS), a 10-item measure of self-reported flow state, and questions regarding level of rotation difficulty were employed. Cluster analysis on the FSS data grouped students with similar flow states. Clusters were explored for student demographics characteristics and perceived difficulty of VADER-1.

Results reveal varying levels of flow absorption and fluency across five clusters. Three clusters, including 79% of the students, demonstrated that students agreed they experienced aspects of flow. While demographic differences amongst the clusters were not significant, there were differences according to perceived difficulty of the subdiscipline VR/AR activities.

Exploring students flow state through clustering was found to be useful in highlighting differences among students’ engagement in the VR/AR experience. Given the variation in engagement across student clusters, recommendations for the design and implementation of VR/AR experiences to ensure students’ greater flow state will be made.

Authors

C. Elizabeth George University of Notre Dame [biography]

C. Elizabeth George is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame studying Chemical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Corporate Practice. In the summer of 2024, she participated in the Engineering Education Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU Site) program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). There, she worked with Dr. Heidi Diefes-Dux, Dr. Erica Ryherd, and Euclides Brandao Maluf to research flow state in VR/AR modules for first-year architectural engineering and construction students.
Prof. Heidi A. Diefes-Dux http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3635-1825 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Heidi A. Diefes-Dux is a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL). She received her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. She was an inaugural faculty member of the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her current role in the College of Engineering at UNL is to lead the disciplinary-based education research initiative, growing the research enterprise and the engineering education research graduate program. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of modeling and design activities with authentic engineering contexts; the design and implementation of learning objective-based grading for transparent and fair assessment; and the integration of reflection to develop self-directed learners.
Euclides Maluf http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-1655-8784 University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

The author is an experienced Industrial Engineer with a minor in Occupational Safety Engineering and Education. With over 10 years of expertise in training professionals across companies, educational institutions, and industries, they possess strong skills in processing, analyzing, and synthesizing large data sets. Their ability to thrive in collaborative, team-oriented environments complements their technical expertise. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where they serve as a Graduate Research Assistant. Additionally, he contribute as a visiting professor at Federal Institute of Science and Technology of Minas Gerais (IFMG-Bambuí) in Brazil. His research is centered on innovative methodologies for Engineering Education, with a particular focus on the VADERs project: Virtual/Augmented-reality Discipline Exploration Rotations. This initiative seeks to enhance self-efficacy, diversity awareness and engagement in engineering within the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) curriculum by integrating immersive technologies into the learning experience.
Dr. Ece Erdogmus Clemson University [biography]

Ece Erdogmus, PhD, PE is the Founding Dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Construction at Clemson University since August 2024. Prior to this, she was the Chair of the School of Building Construction at Georgia Institute of Technology (2021-2024). Before joining Georgia Tech, she was a Professor and Associate Director at the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She has PhD and MS degrees in Architectural Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. She is a licensed civil/structural engineer in the state of Virginia.
Erdogmus’ wide range of research activities cover masonry design and construction; assessment and rehabilitation of historical masonry using nondestructive testing and numerical modeling; and use of Augmented/Virtual Reality in architectural engineering and construction education. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed technical articles and led numerous projects funded by NSF, NCMA Foundation, Nebraska DOT, and National Center for Preservation Technology.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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