Mapping of Extended Reality Uses to Product Life Cycle Phases, in Engineering Education: Identification of Contributions Based on Educational Case Studies

For several years, digital tools have been integrated into the professional environment of engineers in industry. Higher education has evolved to familiarize and train students in their use and in the integration of these tools at different stages of the product life cycle. The objective of this work is to identify relevant Extended Reality (XR) functionalities that can be used at various stages of the product life cycle and can contribute to improving processes. This article proposes a framework that maps the uses of XR—encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—to stages of the product life cycle processes, in a mechanical engineering education context. This comes from several case studies carried out with students, in order to identify the possible gains brought by these technologies. The work integrates established process models with a scoping review of XR affordances and eight case studies implemented in curricular activities. The methodology clarifies task–deliverable decomposition and derives job needs that are not fully addressed by conventional tools, then identifies XR features that can address those needs. Finally, an evaluation of the contributions of XR uses at various stages of the processes is proposed. The educational sequences and case studies presented here, use XR both as a teaching tool and also as a new vector for improving industrial performance. So, students are enable to understand the concepts, to experiment with the different uses, and to identify the interest for industrial uses.