Developing Digital Simulation for Mechanical Engineering: An Innovation in Distance Education

Distance education engineering students need to be exposed to real-life apparatus to increase the awareness and understanding of the engineering concepts. Nevertheless, the lacking of these equipments, partly due to its size, cost and space, has constained the distance learning process. Therefore, suitable teaching aids can be used to ensure students comprehension between theory and reality. Digital simulation-based approaches can be implemented. This research is conducted to study and recognise the usage of distance learning module based on multimedia in engineering subjects. Software or courseware of animation-based simulation developed as a distance teaching and learning aid was used as the learning approach. The objective of this research is to study the efficiency of animation-based simulation towards Mechanical Engineering students for Pneumatics System subject. The aim was to identify whether there exist a significant difference in the overall achievement compared to the conventional method of learning. Results obtained have proven the effectiveness of this approach due to the increment of score in students performance test.