A comparison of spatial ability in first-year and graduating students in a 4-year engineering degree program (WIP)

Spatial ability has been identified as a key indicator of success in an engineering degree program. At our university, we have implemented a first-year program aimed at identifying and helping students with low spatial ability through a spatial skills workshop. Spatial ability of all first-year engineering students is assessed by the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R). Generally students who complete a short 4-week spatial skills workshop see a significant increase in test score, pre- vs. post-workshop. But are these immediate gains in spatial skills retained? Or do spatial skills require constant practice to be maintained? In this study, we are also interested in comparing the PSVT:R scores of first-year and graduating (senior) engineering students in order to determine whether spatial ability improves, remains the same, or worsens over the course of their engineering degree program.