The purpose of this research answers two research questions: How do community college welding instructors view the importance of teaching safety in the North Carolina community college welding classrooms and labs in certificate, diploma, and associate degree programs? How does it impact what they teach? What are the safety skills taught, and how…

The integration of Augmented Reality (AR) in welding training is considered to increase the efficiency, security and time gain in operations, reducing consumable and infrastructures costs. Prior research has examined the integration of AR-simulation in applications, like medical operations or aviation, showing the need for greater usability of…

Females are underrepresented in construction and trades, including welding. Studies have shown that female students often face gender-associated challenges due to being enrolled in male-dominated education programs. Similarly, some female teachers in male-dominated disciplines face gender-associated challenges. Yet, little is known if such gender…

The welding workforce is facing a deficit of skilled welders, highlighting the need to develop more efficient and effective welding training methods. Virtual reality (VR) technologies have been adopted to create VR welding simulations for educational and training purposes. The purpose of this literature review was to collect and analyze…

Incorporating virtual reality (VR) technology into training environments has been effective as it allows training to remain safe, efficient, and meaningful. Welding training is no exception, with research highlighting benefits such as decreased welder anxiety, increased cost- and time-efficiency, reduction in material usage, and advanced levels of…

Simulator technologies have become more prominent in many educational contexts in recent years. Simulator technologies such as virtual reality (VR) exist in many forms and can be used for different purposes, including weld process training. University-level course students have previously reported using VR technology can positively contribute to a…

School-based agricultural education offers a rich context to illuminate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Understanding and enhancing STEM learning within agricultural education requires a deep understanding of how agricultural educators currently illuminate STEM concepts within their curriculum. Building upon the work of…

Objective/Research Question: There is a growing demand for skilled workers in engineering and technology fields. However, the number of engineering technology degrees awarded is much less compared to engineering, and a high percentage of students in engineering technology do not persist beyond the first year. To meet the demands for skilled…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how critical aspects can be defined in a learning study on welding without conducting any pre-tests. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the authors focus on empirical examples from a learning study on welding conducted in six iterative cycles, with conversation analysis and variation theory…

The advantages and importance of university-industry collaboration, particularly in curriculum design and delivery, are well-known. However, although curriculum development models are available in the literature, very few are sufficiently concrete to be applicable in practice or are generalizable beyond their discipline of origin. In this paper, a…

The influence of augmented feedback and self-estimation of errors on the welding skill learning of vocational high school students was the focus of this study. A quasi-experimental research design was utilized by randomly assigning two classes of car repair students to an experimental group and a control group. Each participant had 9 practice…

Virtual reality (VR) technology is an advanced modern resource commonly integrated into various forms of training. VR training simulations are customizable in that quality-grading parameter settings, physical environment, and user capacity can be modified to personal or professional preference. In this study, VR technology training practices are…

The campus of United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) has a collection of three large solar arrays over the UTTC Skills Center. This building has been the training hub for professional trades such as carpentry, welding, automotive, commercial vehicle driving, heavy equipment operation, and sustainable agriculture. Most recently, renewable energy,…

This research project sought to evaluate potential barriers limiting the use of augmented reality welding simulators into career and technical education welding curricula. This study used quantitative and qualitative case studies to address five objectives: (1) What is the operating cost of a CTE welding program, (2) Are there cost savings on…

Simulator technologies such as virtual reality (VR) can serve as practical tools in the educational process. VR technology applications can be effectively used for weld process training. Weld process training can often be found in university-level agricultural education settings. We sought to determine if using a VR technology application within…