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Project lead Josh Janikowski
diesel program. “Everything is easier to understand.” Comments like these are backed up by
studies of student performance, which shows improvement after using the HoloDiesel engine. Diesel program instructors have reported better quiz scores after students have had time with HoloDiesel.
Instructors also appreciate HoloDiesel’s relevance to “real-world” skills that their students need to learn. Given the ability to interact with component parts directly in their virtual experience of the engine, students gain troubleshooting abilities. By providing this this new sense of familiarity with how the engine functions, HoloDiesel helps students begin to cross the bridge between theory and on-the- job, under-the-hood savvy.
For development considerations, Microsoft HoloLens was the instrument of choice because of its reputation for stability. FVTC developers then chose to build in Unity, mostly because it allows for cross-platform development and their team could work with tools they were already comfortable using. Another critical platform for the project was Autodesk Maya, used for 3D computer animation, modeling and rendering. And while the team considers developing a multi-player environment a challenge, they feel that the project is generally replicable by other institutions that can dedicate staffing resources from instructors, to developers, to administrators or managers.
In the future, FVTC will continue to develop HoloDiesel, including additional components over time. They are also exploring ways to offer industry partners similar tools — for example, manufacturers who might benefit from the use of VR experiences for their employees or customers.
Clearly, FVTC can point to many great attributes and benefits of the HoloDiesel project. But Janikowski pinpointed its success easily: “The engine is positioned as a hologram, which makes learning brilliantly simple.”
Meg Lloyd is a freelance writer based in Northern California.
Janikowski pinpointed the HoloDiesel project success easily: “The engine is positioned as a hologram, which makes learning brilliantly simple.”
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