Integration of building science education with virtual reality systems in architecture schools

In architectural education, which is a program based on learning by seeing, touching and doing, students primarily need to imagine in order to design and draw. Since 2018, Generation Z individuals have been receiving education at universities. For individuals in Generation Z, technology is an integral part of their lives. Considering that Generation Z students receive architectural education in universities today, it is important to update the education and training system for the individuals in the generation. In this sense, especially in the education of Generation Z individuals who are visual learners; It is thought that it will be useful to include current technologies and to explain the subjects through animation and/or visualization. In the study; it is aimed to question whether it is possible to organize the building science courses, which have an important role in architectural education, in accordance with the needs of Generation Z individuals. The relevant organize has been tried to be provided by the integration of virtual reality technologies into building science courses. In the integration phase, it is aimed not to replace traditional education with virtual reality systems, but to support education where necessary. Within the scope of the study, virtual reality technologies, the concept of generation, building science courses in architectural education were investigated by literature review. In the field study, which was constructed in the light of the obtained data, a virtual environment experience was carried out with the students enrolled in ARCH 241-Building Science II course of the Department of Architecture of the Faculty of Architecture of Gebze Technical University. Survey and interview methods were used within the scope of the thesis. As a result of the survey study applied to all the students enrolled in the course, a sample group of 10 was determined among the 50 responses. The virtual environment experience with this sample group was carried out through virtual reality glasses. 15 interview questions in which participants' virtual environment experiences were questioned were directed to the students individually after the experience. Based on the findings obtained as a result of the interviews; it has been seen that the created virtual environment facilitates students' perception of the subjects. The participants, consisting of Generation Z members, were able to easily adapt to the environment without experiencing any problems in using the relevant systems. It was seen that the systems that were thought to be integrated into the building science courses were welcomed by the participants, and it was concluded that the use of the systems in the courses will increase the students' interest in the course. Briefly, the system; was found to be successful in terms of usability, instructional, and accessibility. After the evaluation of the study, suggestions were made for future research in this field.