Insinöörikoulutuksen uusi suunta: Digitaalisen kaksosen ja nousevien teknologioiden rooli

While the technologies used in modern industry have rapidly advanced, engineering education has been much slower to change. Bridging that gap is no longer optional, it is essential. As technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality, become more central to industrial processes, students need new ways to connect theoretical understanding with hands-on problemsolving. This dissertation examines the ways in which digital twins, emerging technologies, and immersive environments can help close that gap. Conventional teaching methods, especially lecture-based instruction, often struggle to prepare students for complex, dynamic systems. In contrast, tools, such as digital twins and VR simulations, offer a more exploratory and interactive way of learning. They allow students to test, visualize, and adapt in ways that mirror professional engineering practice. However, the successful use of such tools in education calls for more than just access to technology, it requires thoughtful integration into the curriculum and pedagogy. This research is built around three case studies. The first looks at the application of digital twins in machine automation education to support deeper understanding and real-time system interaction. The second introduces a maturity assessment tool, OQEM, designed to help institutions and companies evaluate the readiness of emerging technologies to be effectively used. The third case focuses on a virtual reality platform called Holodeck. Results showed that it improved students’ motivation and spatial skills, especially among those who initially struggled with visualizing technical systems. In this research, the TPIK model (Technological, Pedagogical and Industrial Knowledge) was developed and applied which combines technology, pedagogy, and work-life relevance as the starting point for the design and implementation of teaching. Unlike previous models, TPIK places the needs of industry at the heart of the curriculum and provides tools to meaningfully connect learning objectives as well as work-life expectations. The findings suggest that students benefit most when advanced technologies are gradually introduced, in ways that complement rather than replace traditional methods. Blending interactive simulations, real-time data, and structured guidance proved particularly effective. To render this sustainable, institutions should invest in teacher-training, build an adaptable infrastructure, and closely work with industry. The key findings of this dissertation demonstrate that digital technologies can enhance engineering education when their adoption is pedagogically grounded and aligned with technological maturity. In the Digital Twin course (P1), pass rates exceeded 92% with students reporting increased motivation and deeper technical understanding (n=596). In the Digi-Flash project (P2), the OQEM method was applied in 25 experiments to assess the maturity of five emerging technologies across multiple industries. The Holodeck study (P3) showed improved learning outcomes in pneumatic component identification and increased student engagement in the VR group (n=96). These results highlight that the integration of technologies is most effective when these three approaches, interactive simulations, real-time data, and structured pedagogical guidance, are combined.