Virtual reality mega-case throughout the curriculum

Education will be revolutionized by the use of virtual reality. The Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department at Wichita State University along with industrial partners, Boeing, Cessna, Raytheon, Brittain Machine, and Thayer Aerospace, are creating a set of integrated models of an aerospace manufacturing line that can be used in a virtual reality environment to seamlessly analyze different aspects of the system in an effort to improve it. This paper describes the development of integrated virtual models as an aviation mega-case study. Various aspects of these models are used in the majority of courses in our curricula to illustrate for our students the connection between the knowledge and skills they gain in different courses in the analysis of real-world issues.