D2.3 Needs Analysis Report of Students

This report presents the Needs Analysis of Engineering Students conducted within the scope of the VILLAGE (Virtual Innovative Learning Laboratories for Global Engineering Education) project funded under the Horizon Europe MSCA Staff Exchange programme (Grant Agreement No. 101086464). Based on data collected from 1,009 engineering students across multiple universities and regions, the study investigates students’ awareness, perceptions, expectations, and needs regarding the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in engineering education. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative analysis of Likert-type and multiple-choice questions with qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended responses, the report identifies key gaps related to practical training, skill development, institutional integration, and infrastructural support for VR-based laboratories. The findings provide empirical evidence to inform the development of a pedagogically grounded instructional model and the design of innovative VR-supported engineering laboratories in subsequent work packages of the VILLAGE project.