Making Learning Engaging and Productive: \(\mathsf \small {SimLab}\) , a VR Lab to Bridge Between Classroom Theory and Industrial Practice in Chemical Engineering Education

Engineering education faces a gap between theory and industrial practice due to the expense, space requirements, and limited utility of industry-specific equipment. Universities thus hesitate to invest in such machinery. Metaverse provides virtually limitless digital space at minimal operational costs, facilitating avatar-based interaction and collaboration. This paper explores the potential of the Metaverse in connecting engineering education and industrial practice. We introduce \(\mathsf \small {SimLab}\) , a simulated chemical plant in the Metaverse designed to complement chemical engineering courses. By incorporating gamification elements, \(\mathsf \small {SimLab}\) emulates the hands-on experience of a physical lab, facilitating embodied operation and fostering enjoyable collaborative learning. We evaluate \(\mathsf \small {SimLab}\) through a user study and observe a significant improvement in learning outcomes compared to physical and 2D game-based labs (11% and 15% respectively). \(\mathsf \small {SimLab}\) also enhances perceived engagement, interaction, and learning efficiency. Collaboration among students and with the tutor greatly accelerates task completion. In the multi-user mode, task completion time and the number of attempts decrease by 65% and 55% respectively, compared to the single-user mode.