Impact of descriptive geometry's teaching using 3d-pdf files as spatial skill training in civil engineering students in Peru

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to determine de Spatial Skill enhance in engineering students through the teaching of Descriptive Geometry subject supported by 3D-PDF models. This skill is of paramount importance for all people who pretend to study engineering. However, there is not agreement about the best training. In this research, it was assessed the Spatial Skill of 216 students (non-probabilistic sample) from Civil Engineering at the Saint Mary Catholic University and Saint Pablo Catholic University from Arequipa using the Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: rotations, before and after the training, then the t-Student test and the U test of Mann-Whitney were applied. It was found a moderate improvement of the order of 22%. These results suggest that the indirect training of the Spatial Skill through engineering graphics subjects, enhanced and supported with digital technologies, can become efficient teaching tools.