2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Eye-Tracking Analysis of Problem-Solving Behavior in Design Tasks in Undergraduate Engineering: A Comparison of High and Low Spatial Visualizers

Presented at Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 25

This research paper describes work performed at a large midwestern university in the U.S. examining the link between spatial skills and design performance. Spatial skills are vital to success in engineering education and their relation to efficient problem-solving is well-researched.
This study is part of a larger project focusing on understanding the link between spatial visualization skills and solving engineering design problems. In the current study, we made use of an eye-tracking device to determine the visual focus of participants while they solved an assigned design task. High and low spatial visualizers in undergraduate engineering were identified through Phase I testing. In Phase 1, students completed four widely accepted spatial ability tests. Subsequently, some students were invited to participate in a Phase 2 design problem-solving activity wearing the Tobii Pro Glasses 3 to collect eye tracking data to gain insight into the design problem-solving behaviors based on information collected about participants’ eye movement fixations (i.e. duration and location). In this paper, we report on the analysis conducted through Tobii Pro Lab research software involving 13 study participants of whom 7 (1 female, 6 male: 3 first-year, 4 senior-year) were high spatial visualizers while 6 (3 female, 3 male; 4 first-year, 2 senior-year) were low spatial visualizers.
Findings from the study suggest that the solutions produced by the high visualizers were more graphical compared to low visualizers. Low visualizers focused more on the problem statement, spending more time reading it and coming back to it compared to high visualizers who remained in the problem solution area for most of the problem-solving session.
Recognizing the importance of spatial abilities in design problem-solving, educators can incorporate activities and exercises aimed at developing spatial skills among students which could include spatial reasoning tasks, visualization exercises, and hands-on design projects.

Keywords: Spatial skills, design thinking, eye tracking

Authors

Dr. Muhammad Asghar http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-2811-9172 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Muhammad Asghar is a Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Before coming to UC, he earned a Ph.D. in engineering education, a master's degree in clinical psychology, a master's degree in educational psychology, and a bachelor's degree in computer information systems engineering. Muhammad’s research interests currently focus on students' mental health and wellbeing in engineering education and their behavioral and cognitive problem-solving capabilities. He is actively involved in research related to the integration of positive psychological tools and methods in engineering education practice and research.

Muhammad is also interested in the development and use of new technological and non-technological methods to enhance the learning processes of undergraduate engineering students. He is currently leading a second research project related to use of mobile learning technologies in undergraduate engineering education. This research is exploring available empirical evidence about the role mobile learning technologies may play in improving student accessibility to knowledge, academic engagement and motivation, and self-regulation.
Dr. Sheryl A. Sorby University of Cincinnati [biography]

Dr. Sheryl Sorby is currently a Professor of STEM Education at the University of Cincinnati and was recently a Fulbright Scholar at the Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin, Ireland. She is a professor emerita of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mec
Dr. Clodagh Reid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8593-1730 Technological University of the Shannon [biography]

PhD in spatial ability and problem solving in engineering education from Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest. Graduated in 2017 from the University of Limerick with a B. Tech (Ed.). Member of Technology Education Research Group (TERG).
Dr. Gibin Raju http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-2559-6931 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Gibin Raju has a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His research interests are focused on spatial skills, cognitive stress, cognitive load, STEM accessibility issues, workforce development, engineering pathways, STEM education, ID/ODD, and education practices.

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