[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-290560-105":59,"doc-detail-290560-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","the-development-and-assessment-of-a-course-for-enhancing-the-3-d-spatial-visualization-skills-of-first-year-engineering-students","The Development and Assessment of a Course for Enhancing the 3-D Spatial Visualization Skills of First Year Engineering Students","","A pre-graphics course was developed for freshman engineering majors in response to weak 3-D spatial visualization skills. Funded by NSF in January 1993, the course used a purpose-built text and computer lab exercises based on I-DEAS software. Offered at Michigan Technological University beginning in Fall 1993, it ran as a 3-credit quarter course with weekly lecture and lab hours. Continuous assessment culminated in a six-year longitudinal study describing outcomes and overall success.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-development-and-assessment-of-a-course-for-enhancing-the-3-d-spatial-visualization-skills-of-first-year-engineering-students/290560/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-development-and-assessment-of-a-course-for-enhancing-the-3-d-spatial-visualization-skills-of-first-year-engineering-students/290560.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Dozel","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-05","2026-09-17",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",16,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What problem the course targets for first-year engineering students?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"It targets students who are weak in 3-D spatial visualization skills, aiming to provide the prerequisite spatial ability needed for later engineering graphics success.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How was the course developed and delivered?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"NSF funding supported development of a pre-graphics course with a dedicated text and computer lab exercises using I-DEAS. It was structured as a 3-credit quarter course with weekly lecture and lab time.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"How was the course assessed over time?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Assessment was continuous, and a six-year longitudinal study was conducted to determine the overall success of the project, with findings described in the paper.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},290560,1789642078,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},962085662650,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","The Development and Assessment of a Course for Enhancing the 3-D Spatial Visualization Skills of First Year Engineering Students  \nSHERYL A. SORBY  \nDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Michigan Technological University  \nBEVERLYJ. BAARTMANS Department of Mathematical Sciences Michigan Technological University  \nABSTRACT  \nIn January 1993, we received NSF funding to develop a pre-graphics course for freshman engineering majors who are weak in 3-D spatial visualization skills. A text and computer lab exercises utilizingI-DEAS software were written specifically for this course. The course is 3-credits (quarter system) with two hours of lecture and two hours of computer labeach week. It was offered at Michigan Technological University (MTU) for the first time during the 1993 Fall term and has been offered each fall since that time. The objective of the course is to provide the prerequisite spatial skills needed by students to succeed in their subsequent engineering graphics courses. Assessment for the course has been continuous. Recently, a six-year longitudinal study was conducted to determine the overall success of this project. This paper will describe the project and the assessment findings from the longitudinal study.  \nI. INTRODUCTION  \nVisualization of problems is critical for success in engineering education. In most cases, it is an essential ingredient for student understanding. It is recognized that the ability to visualize is an important tool required of engineers in order to function effectively.1–4 In addition to the traditional visualization tasks associated with engineering design, enhanced visualization skills are necessary to function in this new age of Computer Aided Design. In fact, Norman5 found that a person’s spatial ability is the primary factor that explains differences in performance in fully utilizing computer-based technology. Unfortunately, at a time when visualization skills are increasingly important to students, engineering graphics (the primary course where students first learn visualization concepts) has been de-emphasized, and in many cases, dropped from engineering curricula altogether.6  \nA. The Development of 3-DSpatial Ability  \nAccording to Piagetian theory, an individual acquires spatial visualization ability through three distinct stages of development.7 In the first stage, children learn topological spatial visualization where they are able to discern an object’s topological relationship with other objects—i.e. how close the objects are to one another, an object’s location within a group of objects, the object’s isolation, etc. In the second stage of development, projective representation is acquired. At this stage, people are able to conceive what an object will look like from different perspectives. In the final stage of spatial visualization development, a person learns to combine projective abilities with the concept of measurement.  \nThere are several standardized tests available to measure a person’s ability across the first two stages of spatial development. For example, the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R) was devised to test a person’s ability at the second stage of spatial development.8 A sample problem from the PSVT:R is shown in figure 1. This testing instrument was used throughout this project to identify students who have weaknesses in spatial visualization skills and partially to assess the impact of the experimental course.  \nThe Mental Rotation Test (MRT)9 is another test designed to assess a person’s ability to visualize rotated solids. It consists of 20 items where students are shown a criterion figure on the left and asked to identify which two of four given choices represent the same object after rotation in space. There are 40 points possible on the MRT and a sample problem is shown in figure 2. The Mental Cutting Test (MCT)10 was first developed as part of a university entrance examination in the USA and consists of 25 items. For e","cbCaiotjEXgTrETL","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiotjEXgTrETL","pdf",262678,"English","# Introduction\n## The Development of 3-D Spatial Ability\n## Background Research at MTU","[{\"question\":\"What problem the course targets for first-year engineering students?\",\"answer\":\"It targets students who are weak in 3-D spatial visualization skills, aiming to provide the prerequisite spatial ability needed for later engineering graphics success.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the course developed and delivered?\",\"answer\":\"NSF funding supported development of a pre-graphics course with a dedicated text and computer lab exercises using I-DEAS. It was structured as a 3-credit quarter course with weekly lecture and lab time.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the course assessed over time?\",\"answer\":\"Assessment was continuous, and a six-year longitudinal study was conducted to determine the overall success of the project, with findings described in the paper.\"}]","The Development and Assessment of a Course for Enhancing the 3-D Spatial Visualization Skills of First Year Engineering Students | PDF",18]