Design and Effectiveness Evaluation of a Smart Greenhouse Virtual Reality Curriculum Based on STEAM Education

Abstract

This study developed a smart greenhouse virtual reality (VR) curriculum based on STEAM learning and explored its effects on students’ satisfaction and learning outcomes. The objectives included evaluating STEAM capability indicators, the practicability of VR-assisted teaching, constructing the VR curriculum, discussing students’ satisfaction, and assessing the impact on learning effectiveness. The fuzzy Delphi method was used to evaluate the importance of STEAM capabilities and the practicability of VR-assisted teaching. Experimental teaching was carried out on 26 engineering students, and the case study method was adopted for hybrid analysis and discussion based on quality and quantity. The study found that “hands-on skills” and “problem-solving” were the most important capabilities, with the highest practicability in VR-assisted teaching. Based on this, an analysis was conducted on the integrated teaching design, and the smart greenhouse VR teaching materials based on STEAM learning were developed. After 18 weeks of experimental teaching, most students expressed significant positive affirmation of their satisfaction with the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” curriculum. The study highlights the importance of hands-on skills and problem-solving in VR-assisted teaching. The study suggests that the practicability analysis of VR-assisted teaching should be reviewed according to the curriculum characteristics, and three phases of VR-assisted teaching modes, such as teacher operation, student exercises, and student testing, should be planned to guide students to learn step by step. The curriculum design and planning based on STEAM learning in this study could provide a reference for teachers and researchers to plan students’ STEAM capability training and interdisciplinary capability learning and development. The study highlights the importance of hands-on skills, problem-solving in VR-assisted teaching, and the positive impact of multi-sensory experiences on student learning outcomes. These findings can inform the development of future VR-assisted teaching materials and curricula.

1. Introduction

The rapid progress and development of emerging technology elicits new challenges and opportunities and profoundly impacts society. Moreover, people tend to rely on the convenience brought by technology. After COVID-19, the breakthrough, improvement, R&D, and application of knowledge and technology need support from technology. Professional development should focus on cultivating the following abilities: interdisciplinary integration, innovation, and technological innovation application, which attaches great importance to interdisciplinary education [1,2]. Interdisciplinary integration means using knowledge from different areas to solve problems. Innovation involves creating new solutions, while technological innovation application means effectively using technology to solve problems. These capabilities are crucial in STEAM education because they allow learners to take a holistic approach to problem-solving, think creatively, and use technology effectively to find innovative solutions [3]. STEAM education is a cross-disciplinary educational model that integrates knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines, including science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics [4]. Through STEAM education, learners can understand the interrelationships between different disciplines and learn how to integrate knowledge and skills from different disciplines to solve real-world problems. Furthermore, STEAM education often uses various advanced technological tools and equipment, such as 3D printers, programming tools, and virtual reality technology, to help learners explore and experiment with different design and solution approaches [5]. Additionally, STEAM education emphasizes creative thinking, encouraging learners to think about problems from different perspectives, challenge traditional thinking patterns, and solve problems in innovative and creative ways. Therefore, including STEAM education into curricula that emphasize integrating minds has become an important educational policy in many countries [4].

As such, experts and scholars in different fields have developed many teaching strategies to integrate technology into a curriculum to train students’ interdisciplinary STEAM skills. These include using smart learning products [5,6] such as skills-based learning, big data, robot-based education, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, blockchain, augmented reality, and virtual reality. The auxiliary teaching and learning of emerging technology tools may develop students’ interdisciplinary integration thinking, innovative thinking, and critical thinking, cultivate students’ mastery and application of new technologies, and stimulate more creativity and imagination to solve real-life problems. Furthermore, these tools may help students cope with the changing demand of the workplace environment and improve their employment competitiveness.

However, emerging technological fields are the key to future industrial development, with the importance of describing the cultivation of students’ interdisciplinary professional skills and integrated application capability. Therefore, STEAM education emphasizes interdisciplinary integration teaching to cultivate students’ interdisciplinary integration thinking [7]. Studies show that designing student-centered situational learning activities in combination with science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics can develop students’ STEAM capabilities; these capabilities include interdisciplinary practice, innovative application, and problem-solving to cope with the future trend of technology development [8]. Therefore, VR technology that can create real learning experiences with sensory stimulation, high interactivity, and immersion may realize the high simulation of practical operation in education. As such, students may practice in the virtual environment to improve their practical capability; this will be one of the most important developmental trends of auxiliary teaching in the future [9,10]. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that can provide immersive and interactive experiences for learners [11]. In STEAM education, VR can simulate real-life situations, allowing learners to explore scientific, engineering, and mathematical concepts. It can also teach design concepts and enable learners to create and test prototypes in a virtual environment. Overall, incorporating VR into the STEAM education curriculum can enhance learners’ understanding and mastery of STEAM concepts and skills [12,13].

This study designed VR-assisted teaching materials for the smart greenhouse unit in the case school, discussed the effectiveness of the curriculum, and adopted emerging VR technology with the primary aim of cultivating students’ STEAM capabilities. Here are the research questions/hypotheses for each objective:

(1)

Research question: What are the important STEAM capability indicators to be considered in the design of a smart greenhouse VR curriculum?

Hypothesis 1:

The FDM evaluation conducted by the six experts will identify the most important STEAM capability indicators that should be integrated into the smart greenhouse VR curriculum.

(2)

Research question: Is STEAM VR-assisted teaching a practical approach for teaching a smart greenhouse curriculum?

Hypothesis 2:

The FDM evaluation conducted by the six experts will confirm the practicality of using VR technology in teaching a smart greenhouse curriculum.

(3)

Research question: Can a STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum be effectively designed and implemented to facilitate interdisciplinary-knowledge-integrated learning and hands-on activities?

Hypothesis 3:

The designed STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum will facilitate interdisciplinary-knowledge-integrated learning and hands-on activities, and the implementation will result in an effective teaching and learning experience for the students.

(4)

Research question: How satisfied are students with the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum?

Hypothesis 4:

Evaluating student satisfaction with the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum will result in positive feedback, indicating a satisfactory and engaging learning experience.

(5)

Research question: What is the impact of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum on students’ learning effectiveness?

Hypothesis 5:

The assessment of the impact of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum on students’ learning effectiveness will result in positive findings, indicating that the VR-assisted curriculum has a significant positive impact on students’ learning outcomes.

Five objectives are included, as follows:

(1)

Evaluating the importance of the STEAM capability indicators;

(2)

Evaluating the practicability of STEAM VR-assisted teaching;

(3)

Constructing a STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum;

(4)

Assessing students’ satisfaction with the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum;

(5)

Assessing the impact of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR on students’ learning effectiveness.

2. Conceptual Overview

This study reviewed the literature concerning STEAM- and VR-related topics.

2.1. Definition of STEAM

STEAM education integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics to cultivate students’ interdisciplinary and problem-solving capabilities. It uses engineering or design methods to solve real-world problems based on science and mathematics. According to Kalogiannakis and Papadakis [14], studies have shown that early exposure to STEM learning can inspire students’ interest and educational achievement in various disciplines. The students enjoyed these STEM learning activities and gained confidence and a sense of accomplishment. STEAM reconstructs art education as an inquiry-oriented discipline, encouraging creative problem-solving to enhance students’ competitiveness and prepare them for future challenges and opportunities [1,3,4,15]. Thus, cultivating students’ STEAM spirit can be described as follows:

(1)

Interdisciplinary learning: The seed of the STEAM spirit is interdisciplinary learning. Integrating science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics enables students to learn mutual influence and interdependence among different disciplines.

(2)

Innovative thinking: STEAM spirit emphasizes innovative thinking. Methods such as problem-solving, exploration, and experiments encourage students to find different solutions and cultivate their innovation capability.

(3)

Practical capability: STEAM spirit encourages students to learn through practice. Practical capability is important for students to develop innovation and problem-solving capabilities.

(4)

Systematic thinking: STEAM spirit emphasizes systematic thinking. The correlation and interdependence between different things may be understood, and problems are thereby solved.

(5)

Artistic literacy: STEAM spirit emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and attaches importance to artistic literacy. Art may help students express and convey ideas, thinking, and solutions.

This study promoted STEAM learning for students and established a VR environment to guide students independently through entertaining simulations. During the exploration process, students could improve their five primary capabilities of interdisciplinarity, hands-on skills, daily life application, problem-solving, and sensory learning [16].

2.2. Definition of VR

VR technology is an immersive, interactive 3D simulation technology based on computer technology that creates realistic virtual environments. This technology provides learners with a visualized expression compatible with instinctive visual exploration, allowing them to gain experience and connection with their practical environments [12,17]. VR possesses three features, namely, immersion, interaction, and imagination. These features give users a first-person perspective in a virtual situation, which allows them to enjoy the experience personally. Furthermore, in the virtual situation, user interaction may give users an immersive experience full of possible imagination [9,10,18]. The advantages of virtual reality are as follows:

(1)

Realistic learning experience: VR technology creates a realistic virtual environment, allowing students to experience and understand subjects such as architectural engineering, improving their learning.

(2)

Improved innovation capability: VR technology is interactive and customizable, allowing students to freely create in a virtual environment, enhancing their innovation and imagination, interest in learning, and effectiveness.

(3)

Enhanced practical capability: VR technology simulates practical operations, enhancing students’ practical capabilities. For instance, mechanical engineering students can simulate mechanical designs, improving their understanding of mechanical engineering design.

(4)

Reduced experiment costs: VR technology enables highly simulated virtual experiments, reducing experimental costs and risks while improving the experiment effect. For instance, chemistry students can conduct high simulations, improving their understanding of chemical reactions.

As previously mentioned, developing a low-cost and reusable STEM-integrated instructional platform is essential [19]. This study utilized the characteristics of immersion, interaction, and imagination in virtual reality technology to create a low-cost and reusable environment suitable for students to learn STEAM education and provide real learning experiences [12]. The platform provided students with real-time interaction and feedback, stimulating their learning interest and improving their STEAM learning effectiveness.

2.3. The Role of VR in STEAM Education

STEAM education aims to promote interdisciplinary problem-solving through project-based learning, and virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an effective immersive tool in education. To provide a realistic experience in car assembly, obstacle avoidance, and sensor learning, a virtual intelligent car laboratory that integrates STEAM education concepts and VR technology was developed [2]. This laboratory facilitates the visualization, contextualization, and perception of STEAM theory and practices through interactive teaching projects. The experiment confirms that the laboratory is practical and can enhance learners’ comprehensive and practical innovation capabilities [13].

In addition, VR can promote interdisciplinary learning by allowing students to explore different perspectives and fields in a collaborative and immersive environment [12]. For example, 79 undergraduate biology students participated in a 45-min immersive virtual reality (IVR) simulation to learn about next-generation sequencing, resulting in a significant increase in knowledge. This can lead to more well-rounded and innovative approaches to problem-solving, which is an essential aspect of STEAM education.

However, there are limitations and challenges that need to be considered when implementing VR in STEAM education, such as the availability of VR equipment and cost [2,6,13]. Nonetheless, with proper planning and integration, VR can be a valuable tool for enhancing STEAM education and preparing students for the digital age.

3. Research Method and Design

According to the research purpose and the literature review, the research design and implementation plan are as follows:

3.1. Research Structure

This study was structured as shown in Figure 1 and implemented in two stages. In the first stage, the fuzzy Delphi method was adopted, and six expert scholars were invited to participate in an expert questionnaire survey to analyze the importance of the “STEAM capability indicators” proposed in this study. In addition, a feasibility analysis was conducted on the “STEAM smart greenhouse virtual reality system” developed in this study for its potential use as a teaching aid. These serve as the basis for the integrated STEAM learning and VR-assisted teaching design and the development of STEAM smart greenhouse virtual reality teaching design, curriculum planning, and teaching materials.

In the second stage, experimental teaching was conducted through case studies and questionnaire surveys. The learning process of the students was observed during the teaching process, and qualitative and quantitative data were collected to investigate the satisfaction and effectiveness of STEAM learning. This serves as the basis for revising the course design.

3.2. Research Subjects

In Phase I of this study, the six subjects were experts in VR application, STEAM education, and engineering. Of those, three experts had more than ten years’ qualifications, and three had more than six years’ qualifications; four were male experts, and two were female experts. The Delphi expert questionnaire survey was conducted. In Phase II, 26 students who took the required curriculum of “bioenvironmental control engineering and practice” in the College of Engineering of the case study university were taken as the subjects and randomly divided into groups of 3 or 4. One potential limitation of our study is the relatively small sample size of 26 students. This sample size may be considered insufficient for inferential testing or drawing conclusions about the population. In future studies, we can consider increasing the sample size or conducting a power analysis to determine the appropriate sample size for our analyses.

3.3. Research Methods and Tools

According to the research purpose, qualitative and quantitative hybrid analyses, such as the fuzzy Delphi method, case study method, and questionnaire survey method, were implemented to construct the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum, and its impact on students’ learning effectiveness was evaluated. The related research methods were as follows:

3.3.1. Fuzzy Delphi Method

The fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) combines the Delphi method and fuzzy logic to obtain diverse views for problem-solving, and it was used in this study to establish STEAM capability indicators and VR teaching practicability. FDM eliminates limitations and helps experts reach a consensus for decision-making [20].

The specific implementation of FDM is described as follows. First, this study referred to the “STEAM capability indicators” proposed by Chung et al. [16], which include interdisciplinarity, hands-on skills, daily life application, problem-solving, and sensory learning, to develop a “STEAM learning effectiveness” questionnaire with 21 questions (see Appendix A). This study invited six experts to use FDM to evaluate the importance of the STEAM capability indicators and the feasibility of adopting VR-assisted teaching, as well as to provide suggestions on the appropriateness of the questionnaire items. These served as the main reference basis for the development of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum in this study, including units such as Plant Physiology, Agricultural Facilities—Principles of Greenhouse Engineering, Agricultural Facility Environmental Engineering, Plant Factory, AIoT Agricultural Internet of Things, etc. In the planning process, this study incorporated virtual reality technology and developed VR-assisted teaching content for the smart greenhouse, enabling learners to gain a deeper understanding of the principles and techniques of greenhouse cultivation. In terms of the FDM expert questionnaire, a scale of 0–10 was used, with higher scores indicating greater importance. Experts were asked to rate the items based on their professional expertise and to provide a fuzzy range (maximum and minimum values) to understand their true feelings.

3.3.2. Case Study Method

This study adopted the case study method to collect and analyze student learning performance data and revise the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” curriculum. The case study method provided a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the research object and was used to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on students’ learning effectiveness. This study applied the coding principle to the data; for example, S0102 represents the text data of the student numbered 02 in the first group.

3.3.3. Questionnaire Survey Method

The questionnaire survey method, which is a technology and tool for data collection, uses questionnaires to understand a situation in a planned manner. Based on the results of the expert questionnaires, this study planned and designed an integrated curriculum for “STEAM smart greenhouse VR”, compiled a “curriculum satisfaction questionnaire” and a “STEAM learning effectiveness questionnaire”, adopted a Likert 5-point scale for measurement to discuss the students’ satisfaction with the curriculum and its learning effectiveness, and conducted comprehensive discussions according to the qualitative analysis results. The purpose of conducting the 1-sample t-test in the analysis of curriculum satisfaction is to determine whether the mean satisfaction score of the sample is significantly different from a hypothesized value of 3 (neutral score on a 5-point Likert scale). The value of 3 is chosen as it represents the neutral point on the scale, and a significant difference from this value would indicate either a positive or negative deviation from the neutral perception of satisfaction.

In terms of the expert validity of the questionnaire, two experts were invited to evaluate the validity of the first draft of the questionnaire, revise it according to the suggestions, and then carry out item analysis and factor analysis of the pre-test questionnaire. In terms of reliability analysis, after the inconsistent items were deleted, the “course satisfaction” questionnaire consisted of 9 questions, and the Cronbach’s alpha value was between 0.795 and 0.859; the overall Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.867, and the overall Cronbach’s alpha value of “STEAM learning effectiveness” was 0.861, with 21 questions in total; in particular, “interdisciplinarity” had 3 questions (0.860), “hands-on skills” had 4 questions (0.882), “daily life application” had 4 questions (0.821), “problem-solving” had 5 questions (0.875), and “sensory learning” had 5 questions (0.840), which shows that the results of the questionnaire in this study have good reliability and high consistency. During the expert validity evaluation, the two experts provided suggestions for rewording some of the items in the questionnaire to make them clearer and more relevant to the research context. For example, one item was modified from “This curriculum helps me learn in a fun way” to “1-2 This curriculum makes learning more interesting”, and another item was modified from “This curriculum helps me learn faster and better” to “1-3 This curriculum makes learning more efficient”.

Overall, the three tools for data collection were chosen based on their ability to provide reliable and comprehensive data for evaluating the effectiveness of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum. The findings from these tools were interrelated and analyzed together to provide a holistic understanding of the research object. The data collected through the fuzzy Delphi method, case study method, and questionnaire survey method were analyzed using SPSS software to provide reliable and statistically significant results.

3.4. Academic Research Ethics Statement

In conducting our research, we respect the rights and privacy of the participants and ensure that their participation is voluntary. We will keep the research results confidential, and only the research team will have access to the data, while others will not. Throughout the research process, we will strictly adhere to academic ethics and moral principles [21].

In conducting the fuzzy Delphi method, we will invite six expert scholars to participate anonymously in the questionnaire survey and discussion. The research team will perform statistical analysis and inductive summarization of the experts’ responses to extract relevant themes and concepts. In conducting the case study and questionnaire survey, we will invite 26 engineering college students from a technological university to participate. They will undergo a series of questionnaire surveys and experience STEAM smart greenhouse virtual reality learning, and the research team will perform statistical analysis and inductive summarization of their learning performance and feedback to evaluate the application effect of virtual reality in STEAM education and students’ attitudes and opinions towards virtual reality learning. This study will adhere to academic ethics and moral principles, safeguard the rights and privacy of the participants, and present the research results objectively, truthfully, and reliably.

4. Results and Discussion

This study explores the satisfaction and effectiveness of the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” curriculum through expert analysis, curriculum satisfaction, teaching observation, student learning process analysis, and comprehensive discussion.

4.1. Expert Questionnaire Analysis and Design of STEAM Smart Greenhouse VR-Assisted Teaching

Experts scored the importance and practicability of STEAM capability indicators for assisted teaching of the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” curriculum, as shown in

Table 1. Summary of indicator importance and VR-assisted teaching practicability.

STEAM Capability Indicators	Importance				Practicability
	Min. Value	Max. Value	Score	IPA Z Score	Min. Value	Max. Value	Score	IPA Z Score
Interdisciplinarity	0.355	0.838	0.742	−0.164	0.374	0.820	0.723	−1.378
Hands-on skills	0.319	0.871	0.776	1.231	0.341	0.850	0.754	1.106
Daily life application	0.367	0.827	0.730	−0.657	0.351	0.842	0.745	0.385
Problem-solving	0.435	0.864	0.765	0.780	0.349	0.844	0.747	0.545
Sensory learning	0.335	0.795	0.717	−1.190	0.364	0.829	0.732	−0.657
Mean	0.362	0.839	0.746	-	0.356	0.837	0.742	-

. “Hands-on skills” received the highest score in both categories (0.776 and 0.754, respectively), followed by “problem-solving” and “interdisciplinarity”. “Sensory learning” received the lowest score in importance (0.717), and “interdisciplinarity” received the lowest score in practicability (0.723).

Regarding the meaning of min. value and max. value in the FDM analysis, these represent the lower and upper bounds, respectively, of a range of possible values for each indicator of STEAM capabilities. In the FDM method, experts are asked to rate each indicator by assigning a score within this range based on their perceived importance.

Experts evaluated the importance and practicability of STEAM capability indicators, and the classification of STEAM capability indicators into three categories of high importance/high practicability, high importance/low practicability, and low importance/low practicability were based on the method of importance–performance analysis (IPA) proposed by Martilla and James [22]. In the IPA method, the importance and feasibility scores of each indicator are standardized (Z score), as shown in Table 1, and plotted on a graph, with the x-axis representing importance and the y-axis representing practicability. The indicators were divided into three categories based on their scores, as shown in Figure 2. “Hands-on skills” (1.231, 1.106) and “problem-solving” (0.780, 0.545) were deemed important and practical for VR-assisted teaching, while “daily life application” (−0.657, 0.385) was practical but less important. “Interdisciplinarity” (−0.164, −1.378) and “sensory learning” (−1.190, −0.657) were deemed less important and less practical. In order to enhance effectiveness, teaching materials should focus on cultivating “hands-on skills” and “problem-solving” while integrating practical applications for “daily life application”. Interdisciplinary knowledge can be combined with virtual teaching materials to provide a more comprehensive learning experience.

This “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” is a virtual reality course based on the smart greenhouse practice field of the “biological environment control engineering and practice” curriculum of the College of Engineering of the case study university. The course strongly emphasizes the integration of STEAM and VR into teaching plant physiology, agricultural facilities, and environmental engineering, as shown in

Table 2. Curriculum outline.

Week	Unit	STEAM and VR
1	Curriculum introduction Plant physiology	STEAM VR integrated curriculum description
2	Plant physiology Greenhouse development and application status	S, T, E interdisciplinary learning
3–6	Agricultural facilities—principles of greenhouse engineering Crop environmental physiology (temperature, humidity, light quantity, light quality, photoperiod, and air composition)	S, T, M interdisciplinary learning
7–8	Agricultural facility environmental engineering Greenhouse structure	T, E, A interdisciplinary learning
9	Midterm examination
10–12	Plant factory Environmental control equipment and applications (temperature, humidity, light, and air composition)	S, T, E, A, M interdisciplinary learning VR teaching material intervention (teacher presentation mode)
13–15	AIoT Agricultural Internet of Things Control principle and practice	VR teaching material intervention (student exercise mode)
16–17	Environmental control equipment practice exercise	VR teaching material intervention (student test mode)
18	Final examination	Curriculum satisfaction, and STEAM learning effectiveness questionnaire survey

. The curriculum focuses on the growth and differentiation of plants from an engineering perspective, greenhouse development, crop environmental physiology, greenhouse structure, plant factory, and AIoT, with an emphasis on environmental control factors. This study also planned the sensing system, control mode, and software operation in the student practice field, as well as the application and simulation exercises of the overall environmental control greenhouse device and system.

This study implemented a STEAM curriculum design and VR-assisted teaching based on the smart greenhouse practice field. Interdisciplinary knowledge was integrated from the first week to the eighth week. After the midterm examination, VR teaching materials were introduced from the 10th to 17th weeks, with 3 phases planned for teacher operation, student practice, and testing to develop students’ practical capabilities.

4.2. Analysis of Curriculum Satisfaction

After 18 weeks of teaching, this study conducted a questionnaire survey regarding curriculum satisfaction, and a one-sample t-test analysis (taking test value as 3) was applied, as shown in

Table 3. Analysis of curriculum satisfaction.

Item	Average	Standard Deviation	t	Rank
1-1 The learning process in this curriculum is pleasant.	4.38	0.711	9.475 ***	4
1-2 This curriculum makes learning more interesting.	4.33	0.761	8.579 ***	6
1-3 This curriculum makes learning more efficient.	4.13	0.797	6.912 ***	8
1-4 The learning result of this curriculum is full of a sense of accomplishment.	4.50	0.885	8.307 ***	2
1-5 The design of this curriculum can maintain my learning motivation.	4.04	0.806	6.328 ***	9
1-6 This curriculum helps me achieve my curriculum objectives more quickly.	4.21	0.779	7.599 ***	7
1-7 This curriculum provides me with appropriate learning tasks to familiarize myself with the learning content.	4.38	0.770	8.752 ***	4
1-8 This curriculum provides me with a realistic situation for learning interaction.	4.54	0.721	10.474 ***	1
1-9 I am willing to recommend this curriculum to other students.	4.42	0.717	9.676 ***	3
Curriculum satisfaction.	4.32	0.697	9.313 ***	-

*** p-value < 0.000.

, to understand the students’ curriculum satisfaction. The satisfaction of 26 students with this curriculum ranged from 4.04 to 4.54 (standard deviation ranging from 0.711 to 0.885), with a general dimension average of 4.32 (SD = 0.697) and the t-value of 9.313, all of which reached a significant positive difference. The results indicate that most students were satisfied with the curriculum.

Among them, item 1-8 was the highest, with an average of 4.54 (SD = 0.721) and a t-value of 10.474. The second was items 1-4, with an average of 4.50 (SD = 0.885) and a t-value of 8.307. The third was items 1-9, with an average of 4.42 (SD = 0.717) and a t-value of 9.676, all reaching positive significances.

The results of the satisfaction survey offer valuable insights into the success of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR course in terms of its curriculum design and delivery. The high satisfaction scores suggest that the students responded positively to the course. Notably, the curriculum enabled students to put the knowledge they learned in class into practice in a real-world setting, indicating that the practical nature of the course was a significant factor in its success. The survey results also indicate that the course effectively bridges the gap between engineering and plant science. Ultimately, these results demonstrate that the course design and delivery met the needs and expectations of the students, which is a positive outcome for the educational institution [23].

4.3. Teaching Observation and Analysis of Student Learning Process

Based on the satisfaction questionnaire, students affirmed the planning and teaching of the curriculum. Further analysis of students’ learning feedback texts revealed insights into their learning process. The study focused on students’ STEAM capabilities, including interdisciplinarity, hands-on skills, daily life application, problem-solving, and sensory learning, which are explained below.

4.3.1. Interdisciplinarity

Based on the curriculum’s objectives, contents, and features, this study integrated interdisciplinary knowledge, including science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, related to the smart greenhouse from the first to the eighth week, as shown in

Table 4. Definition of a STEAM smart greenhouse.

STEAM	Definition Description
Science	Impacts of natural environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, light, and air composition on plant growth.
Technology	Technologies, such as temperature, humidity, light, and gas sensors are used to monitor and control the environmental factors affecting plant growth, and to build a smart greenhouse environment.
Engineering	The smart greenhouse roof features a combination of glass and steel bars, designed to absorb light and resist strong winds. The movable roof design creates ventilation ducts and dissipates heat. Round roof structures, such as the gull-shaped circular arch and prince building, offer functional designs for heat dissipation and rain protection. The automation system includes a roller shutter system for manual or automatic shade operations, a fan and sprinkler system to reduce indoor temperature, and a lighting system to support plant growth at night.
Art	Future development of smart greenhouses will focus on the integration of functionality, intelligent control, and aesthetic beauty. This includes considerations of transparent glass lighting design and multi-color artificial lighting systems to enhance the artistic beauty of the greenhouse.
Mathematics	Numerical monitoring of natural environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, light, and air composition in the design of the smart greenhouse, as well as the experimental and computational conversion applications of their impacts on plant growth.

. Students learned about environmental factors affecting crop growth, the functionality and design of the greenhouse structure and equipment, and the innovative design of the smart environmental control system. This approach provided students with interdisciplinary and integrated learning and cultivated their abilities to integrate and apply interdisciplinary knowledge. Based on the feedback provided by the students, it is evident that the planning of interdisciplinary course content and guidance from teachers have helped the students to comprehend the relationship between plant growth and natural science. Additionally, they have gained knowledge of the integrated principles and use of sensors and IoT technology to build intelligent monitoring systems and automated greenhouse environments.

• S0101: We learned that in addition to the engineering structure design, we must also consider the environmental factors and natural science knowledge that affect plant growth, such as temperature, humidity, light, and air composition.
• S0102: This curriculum was designed with STEAM so that we can understand the relationship between biological growth and natural science, and learn to use technologies, such as sensors and the Internet of Things, to build a smart monitoring automated greenhouse environment.

4.3.2. Daily Life Application

In weeks 10–12, VR technology was utilized to assist teaching in this study. The “smart greenhouse VR” teaching was conducted in “teacher display mode” to provide students with an overall understanding of the design and function of the smart greenhouse before engaging in field practices. Three types of smart greenhouses were presented, and the opening and closing designs and shading functions of ventilation skylights were introduced, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4. The indoor layouts of the smart greenhouses were also displayed, including lighting systems, ventilation equipment, and environmental monitoring systems, to provide students with an understanding of the actual application of different types of sensors and monitoring equipment in the field. Through the use of virtual reality as a teaching aid, a realistic smart greenhouse allowed students to immerse themselves, leading to a better understanding of the practical application of emerging technology and real-time monitoring techniques in the smart greenhouse industry.

• S0302: The teacher showed the introduction of three types of VR greenhouse applications, which were exactly the same as the professional practice greenhouse of the department. It was amazing.
• S0204: The VR showed greenhouse environment monitoring equipment so that we could understand the application of sensors and monitoring equipment in smart greenhouses.

4.3.3. Hands-On Skills

During the 13th through 15th weeks of the study, VR technology was utilized for assisted teaching in the “student exercise mode” to help students familiarize themselves with the actual operation of equipment in the smart greenhouse practice field. The student exercise mode provided equipment diagrams, introductions, and operational steps in different virtual scenarios, including artificial lighting, ventilation, sprinkler and shading systems, and various types of greenhouses, as shown in Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7, Figure 8 and Figure 9. This provided students with diversified virtual-reality-integrated learning and improved their interest and motivation in the actual practice field. According to the feedback from students, it can be inferred that in addition to classroom teaching, the teacher planned to use VR technology to assist teaching and provide students with different virtual smart greenhouse layout navigation and equipment operation experiences. This innovative teaching method of integrating virtual and real-life experiences, as well as hands-on learning, has stimulated students’ learning motivation.

• S0403: The teacher assisted the physical field teaching with “smart greenhouse VR”, which enabled us to manually operate the system functions, such as artificial lighting, watering, and shading, which was an innovative virtual-reality integrated learning experience.
• S0602: VR teaching materials allowed us to learn repeatedly, understand the functions of different types of greenhouse systems, and simulate the actual operation exercises of the equipment, which was quite interesting.

4.3.4. Problem-Solving

In weeks 17 and 18 of the study, the “smart greenhouse VR” curriculum in “student test mode” was used to assess students’ competence. The purpose was to determine whether students were qualified to take the practical operation test of the smart greenhouse. The test mode included a “basic equipment operation test” and an “abnormal situation response test”, as shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11. The basic equipment operation test covered the smart greenhouse category selection, as well as the control of the artificial lighting system, ventilation system, internal shading system, sprinkler system, external shading system, and greenhouse roof ventilation system. The abnormal situation coping test provided abnormal environmental data, and students were asked to cope with and resolve the situation. According to student feedback, VR-technology-assisted teaching can help students familiarize themselves with the correct equipment operation process and provide troubleshooting for abnormal monitoring conditions in the smart greenhouse, thus increasing students’ success rate in passing the practical operation test. The immersive learning experience provided by VR technology is more engaging and memorable compared to traditional teaching methods. It enables students to develop critical problem-solving skills that are essential for their future careers in the smart greenhouse industry.

• S0501: Although the feelings of the virtual and actual operation of equipment were different, VR could make me familiar with the correct operation process of equipment and the practice of eliminating greenhouse conditions.
• S0103: Before the final examination of the smart greenhouse internship, we must pass the VR test first, which seemed like a simulation test exercise and would increase our success rate of passing the final examination.

4.3.5. Sensory Learning

This study incorporated the STEAM spirit into the curriculum and used VR technology to facilitate the teaching and learning of smart greenhouse units, providing interdisciplinary and immersive learning experiences. Through VR simulations, students could understand the effects of different lighting colors on plants and interact with related equipment. Combined with actual field practices, students could learn about environmental monitoring, intelligent control equipment operation, and different greenhouse types, improving their learning effectiveness. Based on students’ feedback, this course utilized the STEAM principle and VR technology to enhance the teaching and learning of smart greenhouse units, providing interdisciplinary and immersive experiences. Through VR simulations and practical exercises, students gained knowledge on environmental monitoring, equipment operation, and greenhouse types, resulting in improved learning outcomes. Students found that integrating VR technology into the curriculum was innovative and beneficial for their sensory learning.

• S0603: I have played VR games before, but this is the first time that I saw the integration of VR into curriculum teaching. We were enabled to realize the innovation of technology-assisted teaching and create more imagination space.
• S0301: The acousto-optic experience of VR and the realistic scenario made us feel like we were actually in the greenhouse, which is very helpful for us to practice in the physical smart greenhouse and get started quickly.

4.4. Analysis of Learning Effectiveness

To sum up the teaching observations, students obtained opportunities to practice their STEAM capabilities, such as interdisciplinarity, hands-on skills, daily life application, problem-solving, and sensory learning. This study applied a self-made “STEAM learning effectiveness questionnaire”, and a one-sample t-test analysis (with a test value of 3) was carried out to cross-compare the learning performances of students taking the course. The following analysis results are from the general dimensions and items in each dimension.

4.4.1. Analysis of the General Dimension

In terms of “STEAM learning effectiveness”, the average learning effectiveness of the 26 students ranged from 4.01 to 4.40 (standard deviation ranging from 0.596 to 0.767), as shown in

Table 5. Multi-dimensional analysis of learning effectiveness.

No.	Dimensional	Average	Standard Deviation	t	Rank
1	Interdisciplinarity	4.13	0.767	7.190 ***	3
2	Hands-on skills	4.26	0.764	8.079 ***	2
3	Daily life application	4.10	0.687	7.870 ***	4
4	Problem-solving	4.01	0.754	6.551 ***	5
5	Sensory learning	4.40	0.596	11.515 ***	1
General dimension		4.18	0.667	8.666 ***	-

*** p-value < 0.000.

, with a general dimension average of 4.18 (SD = 0.667) and t-value of 8.666, which all reach the significant positive level; the results show that most students expressed positive affirmation in STEAM learning effectiveness. Among them, “sensory learning” was the highest, with an average of 4.40 (SD = 0.596) and a t-value of 11.515, followed by “hands-on skills”, with an average of 4.26 (SD = 0.764) and a t-value of 8.079; “interdisciplinarity”, with an average of 4.13 (SD = 0.767) and a t-value of 7.190, all of which reached the positive significance.

4.4.2. Analysis of Each Dimension

This study conducted further analysis on the learning effectiveness of a 1-sample t-test of the 26 students from each dimension of STEAM capabilities (with a test value of 3). The average mean of each item ranged from 3.88 to 4.54 (SD ranging from 0.647 to 0.929), and the t-value ranged from 5.376 to 12.840, all reaching positive significances. Moreover, most students were satisfied with the learning effectiveness of STEAM capabilities.

In terms of “interdisciplinarity”, item 1–3, “I think it is important to learn the interdisciplinary integration capability”, was the highest, with an average of 4.33 (SD = 0.702) and a t-value of 9.305. As for “hands-on skills”, item 1–4, “I can practice and explore the principles of curriculum knowledge”, was the highest, with an average of 4.38 (SD = 0.770) and a t-value of 8.752. Concerning “daily life application”, item 1–8, “This curriculum can cultivate my curiosity about daily life problems”, was the highest, with an average of 4.21 (SD = 0.779) and a t-value of 7.599. In terms of “problem-solving”, item 1–13, “I can collect data and take appropriate information to collate the problem”, was the highest, with an average of 4.13 (SD = 0.741) and a t-value of 7.439. As for “sensory learning”, item 1–21, “This curriculum can cultivate my creativity”, was the highest, with an average of 4.54 (SD = 0.588) and a t-value of 12.840, all of which reached positive significances.

The results of the analysis of the learning effectiveness of the STEAM smart greenhouse VR course suggest that the curriculum was successful in helping students develop key STEAM capabilities. The high satisfaction scores in each dimension indicate that the course was effective in fostering interdisciplinary integration, hands-on skills, daily life application, problem-solving, and sensory learning [6]. These findings are consistent with the practical nature of the course and its focus on applying knowledge to real-world problems. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the STEAM smart greenhouse VR course effectively met the needs and expectations of the students and provided them with valuable learning experiences that could be applied to future endeavors in STEAM fields. These outcomes are positive outcomes for the educational institution and highlight the importance of incorporating practical applications and interdisciplinary integration in STEAM education [12].

4.5. Comprehensive Discussion

This study adopted the fuzzy Delphi method to conduct an expert questionnaire survey for constructing the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum”. Through case studies and questionnaire analysis of students’ learning processes, a mixed research approach was used to comprehensively understand the effectiveness and feasibility of the STEAM smart greenhouse virtual-reality-assisted teaching design. Two major characteristics of the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR curriculum” were identified and are explained in detail below.

4.5.1. Virtual-Reality-Integrated Curriculum Design with High Satisfaction Considering the Importance of STEAM and the Practicability of VR-Assisted Teaching

The VR-assisted teaching design of this “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” program was recognized by most students with high satisfaction, and they believed that this curriculum could provide them with realistic situations for interactive learning. According to the VR-assisted teaching practicability assessment of the expert questionnaire, this curriculum could provide students with an interesting, pleasant, and efficient virtual-reality-integrated learning process. Furthermore, this curriculum was planned based on STEAM learning, and appropriate learning tasks were designed. Most students believed they could maintain their learning motivation and familiarize themselves with the curriculum content, which made them feel a tremendous sense of achievement. According to the STEAM capability indicator importance assessment of the expert questionnaire, this curriculum could help students achieve their learning objectives; most students were willing to recommend this curriculum to other students. Therefore, the STEAM curriculum design is one of the reference methods for future integrated curriculum planning [24].

4.5.2. VR-Assisted Teaching Can Improve Students’ STEAM Learning Effectiveness in Phases

The “STEAM smart greenhouse virtual reality” program, based on STEAM ability development design and VR-assisted teaching, has been positively affirmed by most students for improving their interdisciplinary, hands-on, problem-solving, life-application, and sensory-learning abilities. This is in line with the feedback from the student learning process and analysis of the questionnaire survey. It provides a more diverse learning experience than traditional course designs, with particular emphasis on the enhancement of sensory learning, hands-on activities, and interdisciplinary capabilities.

Through 18 weeks of curriculum implementation and VR-assisted teaching through the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” program, students were trained to learn interdisciplinary knowledge and application and to understand the importance of interdisciplinary-integrated capabilities [25]. In addition, teachers practiced “smart greenhouse VR” teaching to help students cultivate their curiosity about daily life problems, understand the effective designs of a smart greenhouse, and cultivate their capabilities to apply what they have learned to practice [23]. In the curriculum, students were provided with opportunities to practice and exercise repeatedly and to explore knowledge, construct knowledge, and understand principles through practice in order to strengthen their practical capabilities. Finally, student tests regarding “smart greenhouse VR” and students’ division of labor and cooperation were planned. Data were collected, problems were identified, and solutions and verifying solutions were proposed. Students’ practical capabilities in problem-solving were improved through integrated learning [26]. In addition, the diversified virtual-reality-integrated learning simulations, based on STEAM capabilities, strengthened students’ comprehensive learning through their five senses, which stimulated their imagination and creative potential [14,27,28].

5. Conclusions and Suggestions

This study employed the fuzzy Delphi expert questionnaire to evaluate the importance of STEAM capabilities and the practicability of VR-assisted teaching. It found that “hands-on skills” and “problem-solving” were the most important capabilities with the highest practicability in VR-assisted teaching. Based on this, an analysis was conducted on the integrated teaching design, and the smart greenhouse VR teaching materials based on STEAM learning were developed. After 18 weeks of experimental teaching, most students expressed significant positive affirmation of their satisfaction with the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” curriculum. According to the curriculum characteristics of integrating the importance of STEAM and the practicability of VR-assisted teaching, a virtual-reality-integrated curriculum suitable for students to learn STEAM knowledge and capability was designed, which obtained high affirmation from and satisfaction of students.

Furthermore, the qualitative data of students’ learning process were collected, and a hybrid analysis of the case study was implemented. According to the results, the assisted teaching curriculum of the smart greenhouse VR teaching materials based on STEAM learning obtained significantly positive affirmation from most students regarding their STEAM learning effectiveness. In other words, the “STEAM smart greenhouse VR” curriculum, as innovated and designed in this study, could provide students with virtual-reality-integrated learning experiences, such as interdisciplinary-knowledge-integrated learning, real-life application, hands-on practical operation, problem-solving exercises, and comprehensive sensory learning, to enhance their STEAM capability development.

The findings of this study have both theoretical and practical implications. Developing a smart greenhouse virtual reality curriculum based on STEAM education provides a new and innovative approach to teaching and learning. This study highlights the importance of hands-on skills and problem-solving in VR-assisted teaching and the positive impact of multi-sensory experiences on student learning outcomes. These findings can inform the development of future VR-assisted teaching materials and curricula. The curriculum design and planning based on STEAM learning can serve as a reference for teachers and researchers to plan STEAM capability training and interdisciplinary capability learning and development. Additionally, the study suggests that the practicability analysis of VR-assisted teaching should be reviewed according to the curriculum characteristics, and three phases of VR-assisted teaching modes should be planned to guide students to learn step by step.

The effect of VR-assisted teaching is confirmed in this study, which is consistent with many research results. However, replacing entity teaching with virtual reality in an all-around way is not suggested due to its potential risk. This study suggests that the practicability analysis of VR-assisted teaching should be reviewed according to the curriculum characteristics, and three phases of VR-assisted teaching modes, such as teacher operation, student exercises, and student testing, should be planned to guide students to learn step by step. Furthermore, the curriculum design and planning based on STEAM learning in this study could provide a reference for teachers and researchers to plan students’ STEAM capability training and interdisciplinary capability learning and development.