DOI
10.5703/1288284318533
Description
Engineering education often overlooks the formative influence of outdoor experiences in shaping students’ curiosity about how things work. This study examines how such experiences contribute to students’ interest in engineering and demonstrates how those insights can inform experiential learning tools. A mixed-methods survey was administered to 189 Mechanical Engineering Technology undergraduates, yielding 150 complete responses. The instrument combined Likert-scale items and open-ended prompts to capture demographics, nature affinity, formative outdoor activities, and connections between those experiences and engineering interest. Reliability testing confirmed strong internal consistency (α = 0.854; ω = 0.751). Nearly half of respondents (47%) identified outdoor experiences as a meaningful influence on their decision to pursue engineering. Thematic analysis revealed recurring experiences involving building structures, observing water systems, and exploring mechanical devices such as bikes, dams, and turbines. Drawing from these findings, a student-informed augmented reality (AR) module was developed to translate these formative experiences into an interactive learning environment. The module, modeled in Blender and deployed through Adobe Aero, allows students to construct a bridge over a virtual creek using logs of varying structural integrity and incorporates tensions from the Environmental Identity Development framework to encourage reflection on structural decisions and ecological impact. A pilot test with seventy-four students yielded strong responses on a six-point scale, with over ninety percent agreeing that the module was helpful for learning and applicable to other engineering topics. Students expressed interest in using similar AR tools in future courses and reported renewed motivation toward studying engineering. Grounding AR design in students lived experiences strengthened engagement, deepened conceptual understanding, and reconnected engineering learning with the natural contexts that often inspire it.
From Outdoor Curiosity to Engineering Learning: Developing an Augmented Reality Module Grounded in Student Experiences
Engineering education often overlooks the formative influence of outdoor experiences in shaping students’ curiosity about how things work. This study examines how such experiences contribute to students’ interest in engineering and demonstrates how those insights can inform experiential learning tools. A mixed-methods survey was administered to 189 Mechanical Engineering Technology undergraduates, yielding 150 complete responses. The instrument combined Likert-scale items and open-ended prompts to capture demographics, nature affinity, formative outdoor activities, and connections between those experiences and engineering interest. Reliability testing confirmed strong internal consistency (α = 0.854; ω = 0.751). Nearly half of respondents (47%) identified outdoor experiences as a meaningful influence on their decision to pursue engineering. Thematic analysis revealed recurring experiences involving building structures, observing water systems, and exploring mechanical devices such as bikes, dams, and turbines. Drawing from these findings, a student-informed augmented reality (AR) module was developed to translate these formative experiences into an interactive learning environment. The module, modeled in Blender and deployed through Adobe Aero, allows students to construct a bridge over a virtual creek using logs of varying structural integrity and incorporates tensions from the Environmental Identity Development framework to encourage reflection on structural decisions and ecological impact. A pilot test with seventy-four students yielded strong responses on a six-point scale, with over ninety percent agreeing that the module was helpful for learning and applicable to other engineering topics. Students expressed interest in using similar AR tools in future courses and reported renewed motivation toward studying engineering. Grounding AR design in students lived experiences strengthened engagement, deepened conceptual understanding, and reconnected engineering learning with the natural contexts that often inspire it.