Evaluating Competency Transfer from Factory I/O to Real PLC Systems in Industry 4.0 Engineering Education

The growing demand for engineers with practical competencies in industrial automation requires educational approaches that effectively integrate theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience. This study proposes and evaluates a hybrid virtual–physical learning framework for programmable logic controller (PLC) education by combining Factory I/O simulation with deployment on a physical PLC laboratory system. The proposed framework was evaluated using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with control and experimental groups involving undergraduate engineering students assigned to control and experimental groups. Educational effectiveness was assessed using five complementary performance indicators: knowledge gain, programming errors, task completion time, deployment success rate, and student confidence. The results indicated that students using the proposed framework achieved higher knowledge gains, committed fewer programming errors, completed programming tasks more efficiently, and reported greater confidence than students following a conventional laboratory approach. The findings indicate that integrating virtual industrial simulation with physical PLC implementation may support competency development and students’ preparation for real industrial automation tasks. The proposed framework provides a practical methodology for competency-based PLC education and may contribute to the modernization of engineering curricula by strengthening the connection between virtual simulation and real-world industrial practice.