In the summer of 2009, a professional development partnership was established between the Peoria Public School District (PPSD), a local education agency (LEA), and Illinois State University (ISU) to improve geometric and trigonometric knowledge and skill for high school mathematics teachers as part of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) grant, which was funded by the Federal Department of Education. The MSP is aimed at improving the content knowledge of mathematics teachers regarding the implementation of threedimensional (3-D) solid modeling in the mathematics classroom; the ultimate goal is to improve students' learning in mathematics. The premise for this professional development grant can be found in the literature that suggests that there is a significant positive relationship between spatial visualization abilities and mathematical performance. Also, the literature implies that spatial ability and visual imagery play vital roles in mathematical thinking. Further, the professional development program maintains that spatial visualization and reasoning are core skills that all students should develop. Eight mathematics teachers from the PPSD and the LEA's Mathematics Coordinator completed over 80 hours of professional development geared toward the improvement of teaching mathematics; they used 3-D solid modeling software (SolidWorks, 2009) during the summer and fall semesters of 2009 and during the spring 2010 semester, these teachers conducted action research projects based on their professional development. Formative and summative evaluation techniques were developed and implemented.

A study was conducted during the Fall 2013 semester to examine the effectiveness of a rubric for evaluating constraint-based solid models. The rubric was created after studying conceptual frameworks and other research related to evaluating constraint-based CAD models. Since only one researcher evaluated the models in the 2013 study, it was recommended that a study be conducted where multiple experts evaluated the same models using this original rubric.During the Fall 2015 semester, three faculty experts in constraint-based modeling used the same rubric to evaluate a representative sample of models created by students in an introductory engineering graphics course. This paper presents literature related to evaluating constraint-based solid models and inter-rater reliability, describes the methodology and results of the study, and provides recommendations for further research related to evaluating constraint-based solid models.

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Zimmerman's research focuses on the development of scientific reasoning skills and scientific literacy.

He received a MSME degree from Carnegie Mellon University, a MSIE degree and a PhD degree in Technology, both from Purdue University. Dr. Chang has worked with several international corporations including Boeing, DaimlerChrysler, and Dassualt Systemes, as well as multiple small to medium size companies in both US and Asia. His current field of focus is in product innovation, process improvement, and technology diffusion.