Development And Evaluation Of Novel Online Virtual Environment And Virtual Reality Tools To Enhance Instruction of Food Processing Curricula

This goal of this project is to enable effective teaching of complex concepts and analytical approaches related to food processing systems. Specifically, the objectives of this project are to develop and evaluate new instructional approaches based on virtual interactive food processing environments, which are viewable online using conventional personal computers or virtual reality (VR) headsets and can substitute for real-life equipment for institutions without equipment access or pilot plant infrastructure. Additionally, the project aims to utilize student feedback obtained through deployment and evaluation in undergraduate food processing and engineering courses to refine these learning tools and create a strong undergraduate participatory component.