DIGITAL LEARNING FACTORIES: CONCEPTUALIZATION, REVIEW AND DISCUSSION

Abstract: Learning factory is a modern approach toward educating future production engineers with emphasis on product realization. To date, many publications have presented methodologies and implementations of virtual environments for training production engineering students. However, the advantages/applications of the virtual environments have not been clearly highlighted specifically for learning factories and their study scenarios. This work discusses and further develops the concept of digital learning factory where virtual environments are applied as complementary tools beside the physical teaching approach to boost the learning experience and discusses the benefits. Furthermore, a case study has been considered to further elaborate the concept