Efficacy of Heat Transfer Experimental Simulations in Virtual Laboratories

In this paper, the effectiveness of virtual simulation laboratories in creating conceptual comprehension of heat transfer techniques is investigated. One of the concepts in thermal physics that the students frequently find challenging is understanding heat transfer mechanisms. The efficacy of using virtual simulation laboratories for teaching the three heat transfer processes—convection, conduction, and radiation, is each assessed. The findings of this study demonstrate how virtual laboratories’ integration of sensory and physical representations aids in learners’ overall comprehension of the subject matter. An investigation of understanding for N = 86 mechanical engineering students revealed that using the heat transfer experimental virtual laboratories (HTEVL) performed significantly better than those students not using HTEVL, on comprehension tests, taking noticeably less time to complete and increased total scores. The perspective of heat transfer experiment comprehension as being difficult was also decreased, according to this study. The level of learning enhancement based on distinct attributes of HTEVL was quantified by statistical tests on the various assessment methods conducted both online and in the traditional laboratory. There is a discernible difference between the two student groups’ responses in this study’s results. The control group has mean test scores that were relatively low as compared with the experimental group. It may be also stated that the learning simulations created in the form of HTEVL can depict the heat transfer process effectively.