Using gamification and flipped classroom for remote/virtual labs for engineering students

Providing students with a virtual and remotely accessible version of in-person labs as well as virtual and interactive tutoring is a continuous challenge during the pandemic. The paper outlines the design, development, and implementation of 6 virtual experiments for mechanical engineering students, which combines gamification principles and flipped classroom. The virtual labs allow the students to measure the data from the experiment as they would in reality. Instead of having a lecturer showing how to calculate the results based on an example, the students are guided through the theory like a computer game. The game has a step-by-step process which allows the student to find the correct solution themselves. The more they progress through the game the fewer guides and hints they receive. While at the beginning the students answer simple multiple-choice questions, later the students’ progress to “minigames” where they place building blocks into the correct position to build an equation or a Freebody/kinetic diagram. The paper evaluates the feedback received from the students as well as compares this with the in-person version of the lab. The paper explores the option to adapt existing software to create a low-cost gamification and flipped classroom experience.