For the success of an educational institution the approval of changes in the ways of teaching and learning is essential. At the heart is the use of virtual environments and mobile devices. The project 3D-virtual combine harvester was launched at HAMK University of Applied Sciences Natural Resources and the Environment in Mobiilisti-project 2012. The construction of the environment was carried out as part of this thesis work. The aim was to produce and test a virtual 3D-learning environment in connection to the agricultural combine harvester education as well as produce appropriate material for the agricultural combine harvester education.

The functional design of the 3D-enviroment was made by HAMK Mustiala and the virtual 3D-environment modeling was carried out by an external company which is specialized on realXtend software. The trial of the 3Denvironment was carried out in autumn 2012 by the incoming student group. Feedback of the environment operation functionality and the suitability to learning were collected from students by query.

On the basis of the results students are interested in importing various kinds of information technology solutions to education. The demonstration version of 3D-environment did not work technically perfectly, which was seen in the answers. The answers show that by using virtual worlds in combination with practical training it is possible to increase the number of learning occasions and training. By using information technology solutions we can group learning issues in a meaningful way. The game aspect increases interest in studying things.

The results of this thesis show that more virtual aspects should be added into education. We were able to find a diverse range of operating opportunities in education for 3D-environments. The further development of the virtual combine harvester will include cleaning, adjustment and driving practice. The next step in the virtual aspect is to bring the augmented reality into the teaching process.