Virtual reality and hypermedia in learning to use a turning lathe

A Virtual reality environment with hypermedia was designed to help undergraduates understand the structure and functioning of a turning lathe. Study 1 was carried out with 30 novice students and Study 2 involved 24 students attending a machining course. These studies demonstrated that the virtual lathe can foster the comprehension of some core machining concepts. Further, the studies suggest that novice students benefit most from earlier free navigation of the virtual environment whereas expert students benefit from an analysis of the hypermedia.