2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Virtual Reality for Second-Year Architectural Engineering and Construction Students: Exploring Flow, Experience, and Difficulty

Presented at Computers in Education (CoED): Computing Pedagogy & Methods (5 of 8) -- T408B

Many engineering students are prone to the “sophomore slump,” and require continued exposure to what engineers actually do and career development to maintain interest in their field. VR has the potential to engage students in real-world scenarios that are hard to access and visualize. In Architectural Engineering and Construction (AE/C), Virtual/Augmented-Reality-Based Discipline Exploration Rotations (VADERs) modules were created using real-world engineering scenarios to engage students in exploring the five AE/C subdisciplines: Acoustics; Construction; Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning; Lighting; and Structures. These modules were designed to help students connect theoretical knowledge with practical applications and gain perspective on their field’s scope and demands. In this study, second-year students at three different universities engaged with VADER-2 to complete discipline-specific tasks in a health clinic setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which VADER-2 engaged AE/C students in the learning environment. Students’ perceptions of VADER-2 were assessed through post-intervention measures of students’ self-reported flow (fluency and absorption in a task), overall learning experience, and perceived difficulty of the AE/C sub-discipline activities through both Likert-scale and open-ended items. Through k-means clustering of scale responses, four student clusters demonstrating significant differences in the measures were identified. Open-ended responses revealed that Cluster 4 students emphasized career insight, confidence, and enjoyment, while Cluster 1 students noted confusion and difficulty. Recommendations provide insight for VR/AR module design and use in AE/C programs.

Authors

Kiara Mia Tort Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico [biography]

Kiara Tort is an undergraduate Industrial Engineering student at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. During the summer of 2025, she conducted research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under the mentorship of Dr. Heidi Diefes-Dux, Euclides Maluf, and Toluwalase Brower. Her research focused on examining the impacts of virtual reality-based educational experiences on architectural and construction engineering students. She was recognized as an award winner within the Engineering Education Program for her poster presentation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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]

Euclides Maluf is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a Graduate Research Assistant. His research focuses on how course experiences and assessment practices shape engineering students’ learning, motivation, emotions, self-efficacy, and persistence. Trained in mixed methods research, he works with statistics, psychometric analysis, statistical modeling, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to improve learning experiences and promote equity in engineering education. With a background in Industrial Engineering, Education, and Business Administration, Euclides has over 10 years of experience teaching and training professionals in technical and higher education. He currently contributes to the VADERs Project, using educational data and advanced analytics to support virtual and augmented reality learning experiences in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction education.
Toluwalase Opanuga University of Nebraska - Lincoln [biography]

Toluwalase Opanuga is an engineering education researcher specializing in curriculum innovation and instructional practices that strengthen how engineers are prepared for complex, real-world challenges. She earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education Research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Eastern Mediterranean University in Turkey, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Her research focuses on curriculum development, problem-based learning, and ethics education in engineering. Her work explores strategies for strengthening engineering curricula and preparing future engineers with the critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills needed to address complex societal and technological challenges.
Ece Erdogmus http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6447-1157 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 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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