Augmented Reality: Bridging the Inclusivity Gap in Engineering Graphics Education through Spatial Skills Enhancement

Engineering graphics course, as a gateway engineering course is normally taken by engineering students in their freshman year. It covers freehand sketching of 2D and 3D representation of objects and basic CAD modeling techniques. Many students, especially females and individuals from lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups struggle in this course because they do not know how to visualize the object spatially using spatial skills, which has been correlated to high-level problem-solving ability and linked to success in STEM. Spatial skills had never been explicitly taught at pre-college and college levels. It also indicated that spatial skills as cognitive skills can be improved if the appropriate constructive exercises as supports are offered. With engineering consistently experiencing low participation from historically minoritized groups, spatial skills provide a crucial opportunity to aid in retention efforts among these students. Past research has shown a sex gap and socioeconomic influence in spatial skills, with evidence pointing to lack of support and exposure to these students before they enter college for engineering. In this NSF funded research project, an augmented reality (AR) application will be developed to enhance students' visualization skills. A colored interactive model along with animation will offer students a step-by-step 3D immersive learning experience. Students can use smart devices to scan a provided image in which the application would augment a 3D render. Students can study how to rotate a 3D object or convert a 3D isometric view to a 2D orthographic projection or vice versa. The developed application will display visual aids like highlighting and shading to guide students in analyzing lines and surfaces and understanding the relationship between the lines and surfaces. Furthermore, the application incorporates gamification elements, turning learning into an engaging and interactive experience. y emphasizing the connections between lines and surfaces through color codes and interactive animations, students can build their spatial skills while solving problems. This innovative approach not only helps students develop effective study strategies but also empowers them to tackle challenges systematically. This innovative application will help students establish good study strategies and will guide students step-by-step to tackle problems. This 3D immersive gamified learning becomes extremely important and may contribute to retaining more females and low-SES students in STEM field.