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1. Learning Spatial Transformations and their Math Representations through Embodied Learning in Augmented Reality

   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05675-8_10  

   Shaghaghian, Z. ; Burte, H. ; Song, D. ; Yan, W. ( June 2022 , Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Novel Technological Environments. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science.)

   Zaphiris, P. ; Ioannou, A. (Ed.)

   In Computer Aided Design, Computer Graphics, Robotics, etc., students suffer from inefficient and non-proficient use of the 3D modeling software due to a lack of mathematical knowledge. Deficient knowledge and skills may lead students to use the modeling software through trial-and-error without understanding the algorithms and mathematics. Spatial/geometric transformation is recognized as one of the key factors in learning 3D modeling software. This paper presents a newly developed educational Augmented Reality (AR) mobile application to help students intuitively learn the geometric reasoning of transformation matrices and the corresponding trigonometric equations through play. The application, developed in primary and advanced levels, intends to facilitate the understanding of fundamentals of spatial transformations and their mathematical representations in a self-learning approach. The results of a pilot user study conducted on 7 undergraduate students for the primary level reveal that students’ math scores improved after playing with the application. 

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2. Spatial Visualization Skills Training at Texas State University to Enhance STEM Students' Academic Success

   Novoa, C. ; Spencer, B. ; Hazlewood, L. ; Martinez, Ortiz A. ( June 2020 , 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference)

   A diagnostic of thirty questions administered to incoming STEM students in Fall 2013 and Fall 2015 - Fall 2018 reflects that their spatial visualization skills (SVS) need to be improved. Previous studies in the SVS subject [1], [2], [3] report that well-developed SVS skills lead to students’ success in Engineering and Technology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Computer Aided Design and Mathematics. Authors [4], [5] mention that aptitude in spatial skills is gradually becoming a standard assessment of an individual’s likelihood to succeed as an engineer. This research reports the qualitative and quantitative results of a project designed to improve SVS’s for STEM students managed under two strategies. The first strategy utilized was a series of face-to-face (FtF), two-hour training sessions taught over six weeks to all majors in STEM. This strategy was offered in Spring 2014 and every semester from Fall 2015 - Spring 2018. The second strategy was an embedded training (ET) implemented by one faculty from Fall 2017- Fall 2018. The faculty embedded the training in the US 1100 freshman seminar and was highly motivated to increase awareness of students on the importance and applicability of SVS in their fields of study. As reported by Swail et al. [6], cognitive, social, and institutional factors are key elements to best support students’ persistence and achievement. Both interventions used in this project encompassed all these factors and were supported by an NSF IUSE grant (2015-2019) to improve STEM retention. The FtF training was taken by 34 students majoring in diverse STEM fields. Its effectiveness was statistically assessed through a t-test to compare the results in the Purdue Spatial Visualization Skills Test - Rotations before and after the training and through analysis of surveys. Results were very positive; 85.29% of the participants improved their scores. The average change in scores was 5.29 (from 16.85 to 22.15; 17.65% improvement) and it was statistically significant (p-value 3.9E-8). On the surveys, 90% of students answered that they were satisfied with the training. Several students reported that they appreciated a connection between SVS, Calculus II and Engineering Graphics classes while others based the satisfaction on perceiving the critical role SVS will play in their careers. Results from the ET strategy were also encouraging. Teaching methods, curriculum and results are discussed in this paper. Adjustments to the teaching methods were done over 3 semesters. In the last semester, the faculty found that covering the modules at a slower pace than in the FtF training, asking the students to complete the pre-and post-diagnostic in class, and introducing the Spatial VisTM app to provide students with additional practice were key elements to assure students success and satisfaction. In conclusion, both strategies were demonstrated to be powerful interventions to increase students’ success because they not only offer students, particularly freshman, a way to refine SVS but also increase motivation in STEM while creating a community among students and faculty. The ET is effective and apt to be institutionalized. Lastly, this experimental research strengthens the literature on SVS. 

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3. WIP Toward a Free-Body Diagram Mobile Application

   Sloboda, A. R. ; Wodin-Schwartz, S. ; Lechasseur, K. ; deWinter, J. ( June 2023 , ASEE annual conference exposition proceedings)

   No skill is more important for a student of mechanics than the ability to draw a complete and accurate free-body diagram (FBD). A good FBD facilitates proper accounting of forces when writing the balances that lead to governing equations in statics, solid mechanics, and dynamics. Because this skill is essential, educational approaches that improve the ability of students to draw correct FBDs are critical for maximizing the potential of the next generation of engineers. Traditionally, learning to draw FBDs involves classroom instruction followed by homework practice consisting of problems drawn from a textbook. Homework as practice does not serve all students well, because it does not scaffold the process of drawing FBDs in terms of distinct tasks (e.g., isolating the body, considering support reactions) nor does it offer immediate feedback, which students often need to avoid falling into the same error repeatedly. To address these shortcomings, we embarked on the design, implementation, and testing of a mobile application (app) that offers an alternative venue for FBD practice. The app provides students with asynchronous opportunities for training, varied tasks that target specific FBD issues, and several levels of immediate feedback. We hypothesize that the gamified environment and puzzle-based gameplay will improve student skill and self-efficacy in drawing FBDs, particularly for women, who may feel less confident in their spatial skills. Data collected to describe student experiences may also provide additional insight into how to improve FBD instruction generally. In this paper, we detail the process for designing and implementing the app and provide initial data regarding student impressions and use. The app was piloted in Fall 2022 in a large Introduction to Statics course as a non-graded study activity; all students except one (n=97) participated in an evaluation of its design features and user experiences. Approximately half (54%) of students indicated they had played half or more of the available games. When commenting about how the FBD app did, or did not, help their learning, 49% of respondents appreciated that the app allowed additional opportunities for practice. Students used these opportunities to further develop several skills, such as visualizing the system and setting up accurate diagrams, which strengthened their confidence and reviewed key concepts. While describing the value of practicing through the app, 21% of students called out how the app provided feedback. They specifically mentioned the positive experiences of receiving feedback that is immediate, that explains boundary connections, and that deepens learning after mistakes are made. These and other findings from the pilot study are discussed with corresponding next steps for development. 

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4. WIP Toward a Free-Body Diagram Mobile Application

   Sloboda, A. R. ; & Wodin-Schwartz, S. ; & Lechasseur, K. ; deWinter, J. ( June 2023 , ASEE annual conference exposition proceedings)

   No skill is more important for a student of mechanics than the ability to draw a complete and accurate free-body diagram (FBD). A good FBD facilitates proper accounting of forces when writing the balances that lead to governing equations in statics, solid mechanics, and dynamics. Because this skill is essential, educational approaches that improve the ability of students to draw correct FBDs are critical for maximizing the potential of the next generation of engineers. Traditionally, learning to draw FBDs involves classroom instruction followed by homework practice consisting of problems drawn from a textbook. Homework as practice does not serve all students well, because it does not scaffold the process of drawing FBDs in terms of distinct tasks (e.g., isolating the body, considering support reactions) nor does it offer immediate feedback, which students often need to avoid falling into the same error repeatedly. To address these shortcomings, we embarked on the design, implementation, and testing of a mobile application (app) that offers an alternative venue for FBD practice. The app provides students with asynchronous opportunities for training, varied tasks that target specific FBD issues, and several levels of immediate feedback. We hypothesize that the gamified environment and puzzle-based gameplay will improve student skill and self-efficacy in drawing FBDs, particularly for women, who may feel less confident in their spatial skills. Data collected to describe student experiences may also provide additional insight into how to improve FBD instruction generally. In this paper, we detail the process for designing and implementing the app and provide initial data regarding student impressions and use. The app was piloted in Fall 2022 in a large Introduction to Statics course as a non-graded study activity; all students except one (n=97) participated in an evaluation of its design features and user experiences. Approximately half (54%) of students indicated they had played half or more of the available games. When commenting about how the FBD app did, or did not, help their learning, 49% of respondents appreciated that the app allowed additional opportunities for practice. Students used these opportunities to further develop several skills, such as visualizing the system and setting up accurate diagrams, which strengthened their confidence and reviewed key concepts. While describing the value of practicing through the app, 21% of students called out how the app provided feedback. They specifically mentioned the positive experiences of receiving feedback that is immediate, that explains boundary connections, and that deepens learning after mistakes are made. These and other findings from the pilot study are discussed with corresponding next steps for development.   

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5. Engaging preschoolers in data collection and analysis with manipulatives, body movement, and digital technology

   Lewis Presser, A. E. ( February 2021 , Early Childhood STEM Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   This workshop will focus on how to teach data collection and analysis to preschoolers. Our project aims to promote preschoolers’ engagement with, and learning of, mathematics and computational thinking (CT) with a set of classroom activities that engage preschoolers in a data collection and analysis (DCA) process. To do this, the project team is engaging in an iterative cycle of development and testing of hands-on, play-based, curricular investigations with feedback from teachers. A key component of the intervention is a teacher-facing digital app (for teachers to use with students on touch-screen tablets) to support the collaboration of preschool teachers and children in collecting data, creating simple graphs, and using the graphs to answer real-world questions. The curricular investigations offer an applied context for using mathematical knowledge (i.e., counting, sorting, classifying, comparing, contrasting) to engage with real-world investigations and lay the foundation for developing flexible problem-solving skills. Each investigation follows a series of instructional tasks that scaffold the problem-solving process and includes (a) nine hands-on and play-based problem-solving investigations where children answer real-world questions by collecting data, creating simple graphs, and interpreting the graphs and. (b) a teacher- facing digital app to support specific data collection and organization steps (i.e., collecting, recording, visualizing). This workshop will describe: (1) the rationale and prior research conducted in this domain, (2) describe an intervention in development focused on data collection and analysis content for preschoolers that develop mathematical (common core standards) and computational thinking skills (K-12 Computational Thinking Framework Standards), (3) demonstrates an app in development that guides teacher and preschoolers through the investigation process and generates graphs to answer questions (NGSS practice standards), (4) report on feedback from a pilot study conducted virtually in preschool classrooms; and (5) describe developmentally appropriate practices for engaging young children in investigations, data collection, and data analysis. 

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