The Impact of Freehand Sketch Training on Engineering Students' Communication and Spatial Visualization Skills: A Controlled Trial

Nathan Delson; Huihui Qi; Lelli Van Den Einde

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference
Location: University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
Publication Date: July 30, 2023
Start Date: July 30, 2023
End Date: August 1, 2023
Conference Session: S6C: Full Papers - Cannot Have Too Much Math!
Tagged Topic: Full Papers
Page Count: 8
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44848
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44848
Download Count: 267

Paper Authors

biography

Nathan Delson University of California at San Diego

visit author page

Nathan Delson, Ph.D. is a Senior Teaching Professor at the University of California at San Diego. He received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and his interests include robotics, biomedical devices, product design, engineering education, and maker spaces. In 1999 he co-founded Coactive Drive Corporation (currently General Vibration), a company that provides force feedback solutions. In 2016 Nate co-founded eGrove Education an educational software company focused on teaching sketching and spatial visualization skills.

visit author page

biography

Huihui Qi University of California, San Diego

visit author page

Dr.Huihui Qi is an Associate Teaching Professor in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, at the University of California San Diego.

visit author page

biography

Lelli Van Den Einde University of California, San Diego

visit author page

Van Den Einde is a Teaching Professor in Structural Engineering at UC San Diego and the President of eGrove Education, Inc. She incorporates education innovations into courses (Peer Instruction, Project-based learning), prepares next generation faculty, a

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

Engineers often employ freehand sketching to effectively communicate ideas to their peers. Additionally, research has demonstrated that practicing freehand sketching of orthographic and isometric views enhances spatial visualization skills and subsequently improves GPAs in engineering disciplines. This study aims to determine if adding additional freehand sketching to an introduction to design class is beneficial. A controlled trial was conducted with 85 students in a Control Section that were assigned just 6 freehand sketching assignments on paper. In contrast, an Intervention Section, consisting of 73 students, were assigned 146 sketching assignments using software that automatically graded the sketches. Both sections covered CAD, hands-on tool use, and an open-ended design project. Pre- and post-course assessments of spatial visualization ability were conducted using the PSVT:R standardized test. The results indicated that the average PSVT:R score increased by 1% in the Control Section, while it rose by 10% in the Intervention Section, with statistical significance of p=0.0019. In addition, students' self-assessed abilities were measured through pre- and post- Likert scale surveys. The number of students in the study was not high enough to show statistical significance with the Likert data, yet there were intervention related gains. The survey showed that compared to the Control Section the Intervention Section had a higher percentage of students that rated their ability as higher in areas related to communication. These communication areas included “sketching to communication a design idea” (59% vs. 74%), oral communication (59% vs. 72%), and teamwork effectiveness (71% vs. 77%). Benefits of sketch training was especially high for students who entered the class with low PSVT:R scores. For students who enter the class with high PSVT:R scores there were still increases in areas of oral communication, sketching, and CAD. This study showed that sketch training with a large number of assignments has benefits beyond what is learned in CAD and hands-on design.

Citation
Format

Delson, N., & Qi, H., & Van Den Einde, L. (2023, July), The Impact of Freehand Sketch Training on Engineering Students' Communication and Spatial Visualization Skills: A Controlled Trial Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44848

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Engineers often employ freehand sketching to effectively communicate ideas to their peers. Additionally, research has demonstrated that practicing freehand sketching of orthographic and isometric views enhances spatial visualization skills and subsequently improves GPAs in engineering disciplines. This study aims to determine if adding additional freehand sketching to an introduction to design class is beneficial. A controlled trial was conducted with 85 students in a Control Section that were assigned just 6 freehand sketching assignments on paper. In contrast, an Intervention Section, consisting of 73 students, were assigned 146 sketching assignments using software that automatically graded the sketches. Both sections covered CAD, hands-on tool use, and an open-ended design project. Pre- and post-course assessments of spatial visualization ability were conducted using the PSVT:R standardized test. The results indicated that the average PSVT:R score increased by 1% in the Control Section, while it rose by 10% in the Intervention Section, with statistical significance of p=0.0019. In addition, students&#39; self-assessed abilities were measured through pre- and post- Likert scale surveys. The number of students in the study was not high enough to show statistical significance with the Likert data, yet there were intervention related gains.  The survey showed that compared to the Control Section the Intervention Section had a higher percentage of students that rated their ability as higher in areas related to communication. These communication areas included “sketching to communication a design idea” (59% vs. 74%), oral communication (59% vs. 72%), and teamwork effectiveness (71% vs. 77%). Benefits of sketch training was especially high for students who entered the class with low PSVT:R scores. For students who enter the class with high PSVT:R scores there were still increases in areas of oral communication, sketching, and CAD. This study showed that sketch training with a large number of assignments has benefits beyond what is learned in CAD and hands-on design. 
AU  - Nathan Delson
AU  - Huihui Qi
AU  - Lelli Van Den Einde
CY  - University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
DA  - 2023/07/30
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Impact of Freehand Sketch Training on Engineering Students' Communication and Spatial Visualization Skills: A Controlled Trial
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44848
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44848
ER  -