Spatial thinking is paramount in engineering education, however there is a lack of reliable data on instructional strategies for developing and improving these skills. In this pilot study, we investigate the feasibility of using students’ freehand sectional view drawings to measure their initial and developing spatial skills in a semester-long engineering design graphics course. Participants included 121 junior-level students (M = 98, F = 23). Preliminary results show moderate-to-strong positive correlations between drawing accuracy and performance on two spatial thinking tests: the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT:R), and Santa Barbara Solids Test (SBST).
An Engineering Education doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech, Jeremy has both a bachelors and masters degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Oklahoma. He was heavily involved in extracurricular activities there including SAE Baja, Pi Tau Sigma, and other clubs. Through these numerous experiences, he learned to appreciate different ways of learning and knowing, and decided to pursue a philosophy degree in the education of engineering content.
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