Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Enhancing the Teaching Effectiveness of Coal Mine Disaster Prevention

Coal mine disaster prevention is a fundamental course within mining engineering and coal mine safety engineering curricula. Given the complexity and variability of coal mine disasters, it is crucial to cultivate students’ practical awareness to address the challenges encountered in this field. Virtual reality (VR) technology, with its highly realistic and reusable virtual environments, reduces the resource consumption required for on-site training. Additionally, it offers an effective solution for students to safely and efficiently understand coal mine disasters, master the common types of disasters and their causes, and enhance immersive learning, practical skills, and emergency response capabilities. This study integrates virtual simulation experiments with course content and utilizes VR technology to simulate mine environments and disaster processes, which allows students to experience disaster events in a safe virtual setting. By incorporating embodied cognition theory and VR gesture technology, an interactive learning system is developed to improve students’ learning efficiency and engagement. The results indicate that applying VR technology to teaching coal mine disaster prevention and control significantly stimulates students’ interest and facilitates a comprehensive, intuitive understanding of the causes, characteristics, and prevention measures associated with coal mine disasters. Employing virtual reality technology in education not only enhances the students’ awareness of coal mine safety but also provides strong support for the sustainable development of coal mine enterprises.