Board 103: Spatial Skills Training Impacts Retention of Engineering Students – Does This Success Translate to Community College Students in Technical Education?

Susan Staffin Metz is the Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Senior Research Associate at Stevens Institute of Technology. She is a long time member of the Stevens community serving as executive director of the Lore-El Center for Women in Engineering and Science and in 1990 launching WEPAN (Women in Engineering Proactive Network), a national organization catalyzing change in the academic climate for women in STEM fields. Under Susan’s leadership, both Stevens and WEPAN were recognized by the White House with the prestigious President’s Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. She has substantially contributed to the national STEM diversity policy agenda through participation on boards including the National Academy of Engineering Diversity Task Force, National Science Foundation Engineering Directorate and consultant to the National Academy of Engineering’s Center for Advancement of Scholarship in Engineering Education.

[1]  Lawerence H. Talley The use of three‐dimensional visualization as a moderator in the higher cognitive learning of concepts in college level chemistry , 1973 .

[2]  I. Macfarlane Smith,et al.  Spatial ability : its educational and social significance , 1965 .

[3]  H. Barke Chemical education and spatial ability , 1993 .

[4]  Susan D. Voyer,et al.  Magnitude of sex differences in spatial abilities: a meta-analysis and consideration of critical variables. , 1995, Psychological bulletin.

[5]  Sheryl A. Sorby,et al.  A Course for the Development of 3-D Spatial Visualization Skills. , 1996 .

[6]  H. O'Neil,et al.  Effect of type of practice in a computer-aided design environment in visualizing three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional orthographic projections. , 1996, The Journal of applied psychology.

[7]  Stella F. Lourenco,et al.  Socioeconomic Status Modifies the Sex Difference in Spatial Skill , 2005, Psychological science.

[8]  S. Sorby Educational Research in Developing 3‐D Spatial Skills for Engineering Students , 2009 .

[9]  Mary Hegarty,et al.  Spatial Visualization in Physics Problem Solving , 2007, Cogn. Sci..

[10]  Kent L. Norman Spatial Visualization—A Gateway to Computer-Based Technology , 1994 .

[11]  Yael Kali,et al.  Relationship Between Earth-Science Education and Spatial Visualization , 1997 .

[12]  Elizabeth Fennema,et al.  Sexual Stereotyping and Mathematics Learning. , 1977 .

[13]  Richard A. Lippa,et al.  Sex Differences in Mental Rotation and Line Angle Judgments Are Positively Associated with Gender Equality and Economic Development Across 53 Nations , 2010, Archives of sexual behavior.

[14]  Diane F. Halpern,et al.  Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities. Third Edition. , 2000 .

[15]  D. Lubinski,et al.  Spatial ability for STEM domains: Aligning over 50 years of cumulative psychological knowledge solidifies its importance. , 2009 .

[16]  Sheryl A. Sorby Developing Spatial Thinking , 2011 .

[17]  Sheryl A. Sorby Impact of Changes in Course Methodologies on Improving Spatial Skills , 2005 .

[18]  Ronald L. Nuttall,et al.  Spatial ability as a predictor of math achievement: The importance of sex and handedness patterns , 1992, Neuropsychologia.

[19]  Yael Kali,et al.  Spatial abilities of high‐school students in the perception of geologic structures , 1996 .

[20]  M. Linn,et al.  Emergence and characterization of sex differences in spatial ability: a meta-analysis. , 1985, Child development.

[21]  Sheryl A. Sorby,et al.  The development and assessment of multimedia software for improving 3‐D spatial visualization skills , 2001, Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ..

[22]  R Eyal,et al.  Spatial ability and learning the use of an angled laparoscope in a virtual environment. , 2001, Studies in health technology and informatics.

[23]  Norma L. Veurink,et al.  Raising the Bar? Longitudinal Study to Determine which Students Would Benefit Most from Spatial Training , 2011 .

[24]  Gary E. Burnett,et al.  Spatial Ability and Learning to Program , 2007, PPIG.

[25]  Nancy E. Study Assessing and Improving the Below Average Visualization Abilities of a Group of Minority Engineering and Technology Students , 2006 .

[26]  P. Shah,et al.  Exploring visuospatial thinking in chemistry learning , 2004 .

[27]  J. H. Steiger,et al.  Creativity and Technical Innovation , 2013, Psychological science.

[28]  Nathan Delson,et al.  Tracking Student Engagement with a Touchscreen App for Spatial Visualization Training and Freehand Sketching , 2015 .