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Abstract This article describes a novel method for quantifying fixation disparity and evaluates its role in visuospatial cognition during an authentic learning task, specifically, the determination of molecule chirality in organic chemistry involving mental rotation and pattern comparison. The first study examined the influence of molecular model dimensionality (2D vs. 3D) on chirality determination performance and visual attention of 55 participants. The second study explored how the sustained playing of the tile‐matching game Mahjong, a pattern comparison game, can affect visual attention and visuospatial performance during the chirality determination task of 59 participants. Fixation disparity was one of the eye tracking variables explored. Both studies revealed that (1) individuals with higher fixation disparity underperformed on the chirality task, which involves mental rotation and pattern comparison, and (2) fixation disparity improved over time in participants who played Mahjong. This work provides important implications for using fixation disparity as a possible biomarker of visuospatial performance. 

This article describes the use of a comic book to anchor a cryptology and cybersecurity curriculum for upper elementary students. Perceptions about the comic book from 138 students across 11 afterschool programs were examined using survey, classroom observation, and interviews. Data analysis revealed that the comic book created a “macrocontext” to situate learners in an exciting adventure about cryptology and cybersecurity. Students found the characters relatable, and their perceptions were tightly tied to other components of the curriculum. Reading the word bubbles was chal- lenging at first, but got easier over time. This study illustrates how comic books can anchor unfamiliar STeM content for younger learners. 

Integrating complex spatio-temporal cognitive tasks such as in-situ planning and trade coordination of job site activities is a continuous challenge to learners in Construction Engineering (CE) courses. Spatial information in this context addresses how physical resources are related to one another at a job site, whereas temporal information defines work sequences and hierarchies that transform physical resources. This paper discusses the impacts of using an innovative learning environment for supporting spatio-temporal cognition in CE education using aerial visualizations from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Learners experience a unique, ‘birds-eye view’ of the spatio-temporal dynamics of a job site. The effects were on improved abilities to apply, analyze, and synthesize any form of design representation to situations and physical contexts. Our findings demonstrate that participants in the intervention group outperformed the control group on measures of learning and motivation, which underscores the potential of UAVs as an educational technology system in CE education.