Abstract
The Mining Industry Human Resources Council anticipates that the Canadian mining industry will need to hire tens of thousands of workers over the coming decade, and it is expected that ~60% of these jobs will be in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. In 2021 and 2022, Queen’s University partnered with BBA Engineering Consultants to build a full-scale, virtual reality copper mineral processing plant to enhance their training capacity to meet projected labour demands. The tool includes an environment where engineering students can work in real-time to diagnose problems in a high-fidelity and safe manner. The project aims to sharpen real-life problem solving and design skills in engineering students, so they are workplace-ready for employment in the mining industry. In the fall of 2022, the Virtual Reality Copper Concentrator was tested on approximately 50 mining engineering students in their 2nd and 3rd year of study, as a part of the undergraduate curriculum at Queen's University. Students were each allowed 45 minutes in the virtual reality environment to explore the site and engage in a plant troubleshooting exercise. This presentation will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of virtual reality tools in mining engineering education, as well as the impact on student engagement and comprehension of topics in mineral processing.