Improving the Spatial Ability of First Year Civil Engineering Students by Using Interactive Geometry and Models from 3D Printer

Abstract

There has been a lot of research on what is needed to prepare students for careers in engineering and technology. The basic skill they need to have is a critical skill known as spatial ability. The education in Descriptive Geometry is a training of the students' intellectual capability of space perception. But the question is: How to teach the students to reach this goal? Modern technologies have been a great help in the teaching process in the recent years. This paper reports on one possibility how you can use software applications and 3D visualisation to improve teaching and increase students' understanding.