Empowering early mastery of spatial visualization skills in under represented minority engineering students

Adebayo, Olufunmilayo O.; Farrar, Emily; Evans, Richard; McCray, Tyi Lindsey; Nathans-Kelly, Traci

doi:10.1109/fie.2014.7044161

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Various studies have reported that engaging students in authentic spatial visualization projects can enhance deeper learning [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Deeper learning has been defined in terms of key competencies, including the ability to think critically and solve complex problems [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is therefore essential to design and implement innovative curricula that will effectively foster transferable spatial visualization skills, particularly during the first year of college. Spatial visualization tutorials and workshops have been shown to generate overall improvements in spatial ability for first-year engineering students [ 13 , 14 , 19 ]. Furthermore, studies have reported that those students who can increase their spatial visualization skills demonstrate greater self-efficacy, which, in turn, appears to positively affect retention in engineering [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An Examination of the Effects of Virtual Reality Training on Spatial Visualization and Transfer of Learning

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatial visualization ability (SVA) has been identified as a potential key factor for academic achievement and student retention in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in higher education, especially for engineering and related disciplines. Prior studies have shown that training using virtual reality (VR) has the potential to enhance learning through the use of more realistic and/or immersive experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of VR-based training using spatial visualization tasks on participant performance and mental workload using behavioral (i.e., time spent) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) brain-imaging-technology-derived measures. Data were collected from 10 first-year biomedical engineering students, who engaged with a custom-designed spatial visualization gaming application over a six-week training protocol consisting of tasks and procedures that varied in task load and spatial characteristics. Findings revealed significant small (Cohen’s d: 0.10) to large (Cohen’s d: 2.40) effects of task load and changes in the spatial characteristics of the task, such as orientation or position changes, on time spent and oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) measures from all the prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas. Transfer had a large (d = 1.37) significant effect on time spent and HbO measures from right anterior medial PFC (AMPFC); while training had a moderate (d = 0.48) significant effect on time spent and HbR measures from left AMPFC. The findings from this study have important implications for VR training, research, and instructional design focusing on enhancing the learning, retention, and transfer of spatial skills within and across various VR-based training scenarios.

show abstract

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Examination of the Effects of Virtual Reality Training on Spatial Visualization and Transfer of Learning

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Spatial visualization ability, which is the ability to mentally operate (e.g., rotate, mirror) on 3D shapes, has been found to be correlated to success in 2D engineering graphics courses and can also impact success in 3D CAD courses [9], [10]. Students from different race and ethnic backgrounds and different socioeconomic status have, on average, differing levels of spatial visualization ability [11], [12], [13], [14], [15]. To promote equitable outcomes for a diverse student population, it is therefore necessary to support students by helping them raise their spatial visualization ability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering Graphics in a Community College Setting: Challenges and Opportunities

Budinoff

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This evidence-based practice paper describes a study of the efficacy of several engineering education pedagogy practices in an engineering graphics course at a large community college in the southwestern US. The student population at community colleges is typically diverse and has a larger proportion of non-traditional students relative to four-year institutions. Most studies of engineering graphics research are conducted at four-year institutions, but results derived from the more diverse student populations at community colleges could help develop more general strategies to improve retention of underrepresented groups in engineering. In this paper, we survey some of the unique demographic and social challenges of community college students and assess the following pedagogical strategies derived from previous literature: lab activities, active learning, and improving spatial visualization ability. Lab activities and content that encourage active learning have been previously cited as effective strategies for engaging nontraditional students. Spatial visualization ability has been shown to impact learning outcomes in engineering graphics courses, and activities like sketching have been shown to help students with low spatial visualization. This study focuses on an introductory engineering graphics course that teaches modeling and assembly and drawing creation in SolidWorks, a 3D computer-aideddesign software. We discuss the impact of lab time, active learning activities, and sketching activities on student's self-efficacy and perceived learning, as well as connections between spatial visualization ability and learning outcomes. Students reported a large increase in their 3Dmodeling self-efficacy over the semester and agreed that working on CAD during lab time and following along with instructor demos were helpful to their learning. In an attempt to improve spatial visualization ability of the students, sketching components were included during the course. The average spatial visualization skills of the students improved over the semester, but students had mixed agreement about whether the sketching activities were helpful for learning course material. Our results are compared to previously reported findings from four-year institutions and other community colleges, when available. We highlight promising strategies to promote learning and confidence for diverse student populations learning engineering graphics, which could potentially improve retention at other community colleges and four-year institutions.

show abstract

Empowering early mastery of spatial visualization skills in under represented minority engineering students

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

An Examination of the Effects of Virtual Reality Training on Spatial Visualization and Transfer of Learning

An Examination of the Effects of Virtual Reality Training on Spatial Visualization and Transfer of Learning

Engineering Graphics in a Community College Setting: Challenges and Opportunities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About