ABSTRACT Traditional control‐engineering laboratories face cost, safety, and access constraints. Screen‐based simulations offer limited realism and feedback. This study introduces an immersive Virtual Experimental Teaching Platform for Control Engineering (VETP‐CE). The VETP‐CE enables students to construct circuits, adjust control parameters, and observe real‐time system responses within an interactive three‐dimensional environment. A quasi‐experimental study with 63 undergraduates compared the VR platform with a traditional laboratory. Learning outcomes were measured by pre/post‐tests. Cognitive load was assessed in both groups, and user engagement was surveyed in the VR group. Results show larger post‐test gains for the VR group and lower cognitive load than the control group (t = −2.313, p = 0.026) . Within the VR group, user‐engagement dimensions were negatively correlated with mental load and mental effort (r = −0.75 to − 0.89, p < 0.01) . These findings indicate that well‐designed immersive interaction supports cognitive regulation and improves learning efficiency in control‐engineering laboratories. The work offers a replicable approach and design guidance for deploying VR laboratories in engineering curricula.
Bai et al. (Sun,) studied this question.