Engineering Design Graphic Journal (ASEE - American Society for Engineering Education)
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Industry Supplied CAD Curriculum Case Study on Passing Certification Exams
Get PDFStudents who successfully pass professional certification exams while in school are often targeted first by industry for internships and entry level positions. Over the last decade, leading industry suppliers of computer-aided design (CAD) software have developed and launched certification exams for many of their product offerings. Some have also created educational curriculum and resources for educators, such as sample exams and training guides. This case study investigates students’ passing rates of two SOLIDWORKS certification exams after utilizing free and openly available educator instructional material in the classroom. The engineering technology students were from Mechanical Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology degree programs. The Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) exam was administered at the end of a freshman level introduction to graphics course. The Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional Academic (CSWP-Academic) exam was administered at the end of a junior level advanced CAD course. This paper presents a brief description of the curriculum for both courses, including the instructional material and exams. Quantitative and observational outcomes from both courses will also be presented.Keywords: CAD, SOLIDWORKS, certification, engineering technolog
Coordinating Mind and Hand: The Importance of Manual Drawing and Descriptive Geometry Instruction in a CAD-Oriented Engineering Design Graphics Class
Get PDFThe ability to graphically depict objects in two- and three-dimensional space is fundamental to engineering design practice. Historically, engineers have used pencil, paper, and erasers to draft preliminary sketches and to transform initial drafts into precise production drawings. With the proliferation of computer-aided design (CAD) software programs, instruction in descriptive geometry, and manual drawing has largely vanished from engineering education programs. This article describes the history of instruction in descriptive geometry and manual drawing. It also presents a case study that investigates the contribution of CAD instruction with and without supplemental instruction in descriptive geometry and drawing to the development of students’ spatial abilities in an engineering design graphics class
Factors of Spatial Visualization: An Analysis of the PSVT:R
Get PDFThe Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (PVST:R) is among the most commonly used measurement instruments to assess spatial ability among engineering students. Previous analysis that explores the factor structure of the PSVT:R indicates a single-factor measure of the instrument. With this as a basis, this research seeks to examine the psychometric properties of the test. This paper presents the findings of single and multi-factor analyses of the PSVT:R given to 335 students enrolled in an introductory engineering design graphics course. Initial analysis did not support a single factor solution. Further examination of pattern analyses and communalities are suggestive of the possibility that the PSVT:R may load on multiple factors. The magnitude of the variance is not explained by a single factor and whether the PSVT:R can be considered a single construct measure of mental rotation ability is not supported by this study. This represents a potential divergence from the current literature and may call into question the replicability of the test’s psychometric properties. 
Use of Virtual Reality head-mounted displays for Engineering Technology Students and Implications on Spatial Visualization ability as measured through rotational view drawings.
No full textVirtual reality (VR) dates back to the 1960’s and can be defined as the “computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015). Since the 1960’s VR has evolved in business and industry as well as in the classroom. One of the first authors relating to issues in the teaching of virtual reality, Burdea, 2004, expressed concern for the lack of faculty experts, textbooks, dedicated laboratories and curriculum content in (VR). Brudea, 2008 found through an informal survey that only 3% (148) of universities offered VR, however, by 2008 this number increased to 273 universities.A quasi-experimental study was selected as a means to perform the comparative analysis of spatial visualization ability during the Spring of 2015. The study was conducted in an engineering graphics course, MET 120 (Computer Aided Drafting), offered as part of the Engineering Technology program. Using a convenience sample, there was a near equal distribution of the participants between the three groups. The engineering graphics course emphasized hands on practice using 3D AutoCAD software in the computer lab, along with the various methods of editing, manipulation, visualization, and presentation of technical drawings. In addition, the course included the basic principles of engineering drawing/hand sketching, dimensions. and tolerance principles.To enhance the body of knowledge the following study was conducted: The following was the primary research question: Is there a difference in spatial visualization ability, as measured through rotational view drawings, among the impacts of head-mounted displays on dynamic visualizations for engineering technology students 
Impacts of Music on Sectional View Drawing Ability for Engineering Technology Students as measured through Technical Drawings.
Get PDFResearch indicates that performance of verbal, mathematical, or visuospatial tasks can increase in students who received music lessons before the tests, in comparison with students who followed nonmusical courses (Bilhartz, Bruhn, & Olson, 2000; Costa-Giomi, 1999; Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Wright, Dennis, & Newcomb, 1997).However, the issue remains controversial as some studies show that such benefits tend to disappear after a few years in comparing musical students with students who have not received music lessons (Costa-Giomi, 1999). In addition, most of the observed differences rely on top–down cognitive abilities, such as spatial memory, rather than on lower-level processes (Brochard, Dufour, & Despres, 2004).The purpose of the current study is to identify whether listening to different kinds of music can increase or decrease spatial ability performance for engineering technology students.  
Evaluation of Static Vs. Dynamic Visualizations for Engineering Technology Students and Implications on Spatial Visualization Ability: A Quasi-Experimental Study
No full textThe benefit of using static versus dynamic visualizations is a controversial one. Few studies have explored the effectiveness of static visualizations to those of dynamic visualizations, and the current state of the literature remains somewhat unclear. During the last decade there has been a lengthy debate about the opportunities for using animation in learning and instruction. More specifically it has been shown that dynamic visualizations often provide no advantages over static visualizations. If they had shown advantages, it was due to the fact that more information was available in the animated than in the static version. Given this result, the focus turned to the question of when dynamic displays are more effective in learning than static ones. For this study, the following was the primary research question: Is there a difference in spatial visualization ability, as measured through technical drawings, among the impacts of static vs. dynamic visualizations for engineering technology students
