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Abstract Perceiving experiences can be achieved through various channels of reception, where learners receive information in diverse styles, e.g., visualizing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, and memorizing. Among all these perceiving ways, visualization has been receiving significant attention in STEM learning due to its ability to support learners in constructing large and intricate information structures, making them more comprehensible. One form of visualization, spatial visualization or spatial-visual ability, is a compound operation that integrates visual perception and mental imagery. Spatial visualization skills involve the ability to mentally maneuver two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects. These skills are crucial for learners in STEM disciplines in general, with a particular emphasis on their significance for engineering students. Research studies reveal that the lack of spatial visualization skills negatively impacts engineering students' educational and psychological performance. Thus, this work aims to explore how Mixed Reality (MR) can be used as a pedagogic tool to develop students' spatial visualization skills. Throughout this work, an interactive MR module on hydraulic gripper designs is developed and tested in undergraduate courses. The MR module comprises a 10-minute tutorial session and a 20-minute interactive simulation lab on hydraulic grippers. It exposes students to virtual object manipulation and spatial interactions in MR settings, allowing them to visualize and interact with the internal structure of hydraulic grippers to help improve their spatial visualization skills. A research study is then conducted by incorporating the module into an undergraduate course to examine the effectiveness of MR as a teaching tool for developing students' spatial visualization skills. The Revised PSVT:R, a psychometric tool used to assess the level of improvement in the students' spatial skills, is utilized. Besides inspecting the effectiveness of MR in enhancing students' spatial visualization skills, the study also aims to investigate the impact of MR modules on students' motivation levels toward learning fluid power concepts. Therefore, self-reflection surveys consisting of Likert scale and semantic differential questions are designed to study students' learning experiences. The study findings showed that MR has the potential to improve students' spatial abilities, where the class average ability increased from 74% to 80%. This result can be further enhanced by exposing students to other MR labs, giving them more time to visualize 3D shapes in MR settings. The results also revealed a positive impact of MR on students' learning experience, as more than 94% showed interest in learning through MR modules.
Azzam et al. (Sun,) studied this question.