Personalizing Engineering Education Through Environmental Backgrounds and Augmented Reality

This study aims to design, develop, and evaluate a Personalized Engineering Playground (PEP) that connects students' environmental backgrounds with engineering applications. It investigates the impact of early outdoor experiences on students' motivation to pursue engineering careers. Utilizing a comprehensive survey of over 150 engineering technology students, the study collected both quantitative and qualitative data on nature-related activities, career influences, and environmental perceptions. The findings indicate that activities such as building (23%), exploring (17%), and observing nature (20%) play a significant role in shaping engineering interest. Approximately 45% of the students reported that outdoor experiences had a positive influence on their career paths. These insights will inform the development and implementation of an Augmented Reality (AR) learning tool that integrates students’ environmental backgrounds and artificial intelligence to promote a more innovative, context-aware approach to engineering education.