2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Improving Spatial Visualization Training through Personalized Emails and Assignment Scaffolding

Presented at Engineering Design Graphics Division (EDGD) Technical Session 3

Spatial visualization, the ability to mentally rotate and manipulate 2D and 3D objects, is a critical skill for engineering and STEM majors. While the use of digital sketching tools, such as Spatial Vis, can help students develop spatial visualization skills, some students still show limited learning gains. Because these tools record detailed clickstream and performance data, they provide an opportunity to provide targeted support based on each student’s behavior. This paper explores how assignment modifications and semi-automated personalized emails based on the clickstream data can impact student outcomes and motivation in a first-year engineering graphics course.

The following study was conducted with 286 students enrolled in a first-year Structural Engineering graphics course at UCSD. These students were divided into a control group (n = 137) and an intervention group (n = 135). The intervention group received an assignment set with additional questions and semi-personalized email messages encouraging persistence. Both the control and intervention assignment sets were selected so that students spent a similar amount of time completing them based on expected completion rates. Student outcomes were measured using clickstream data from the Spatial Vis software, pre- and post-spatial visualization tests (PSVT:R), and post-survey data on student engagement and motivation.

Results showed greater mean PSVT:R gains in the intervention group (25%) than in the control group (16%), although this difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, survey results showed that personalized emails improved student motivation and engagement. Specifically, 40% of students rated the emails as moderately improving their motivation, while 35% said emails greatly improved it. Finally, assignment difficulty, a metric derived from the number of hints, peeks, and attempts on an assignment, showed that intervention students experienced a decrease in overall assignment difficulty. These results showed that persistence was higher in the intervention group, meaning that students persisted through the assignment without relying as much on hints and peeks. Overall, the study shows that emails based on data from a digital platform and a modified assignment set can increase student motivation and decrease assignment difficulty. Additional research is needed to determine whether the results in this study are statistically significant and whether they are due more to the semi-personalized emails or more to the assignment scaffolding.

Authors

Anthony Gwun Hynn Chin University of California, San Diego [biography]

Anthony Chin is a master's student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego. Their Research focuses on utilizing education technology and data analysis to improve student learning outcomes in spatial visualization and engineering classes. They have worked on projects involving large scale educational feedback and analysis and are interested in applying AI tools for instructional support and student success.
Dr. Nathan Delson University of California, San Diego [biography]

Nathan Delson, Ph.D. is a Senior Teaching Professor at the University of California at San Diego. He received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and his interests include robotics, biomedical devices, product design, engineering education, and maker spaces. In 1999 he co-founded Coactive Drive Corporation (currently General Vibration), a company that provides force feedback solutions. In 2016 Nate co-founded eGrove Education an educational software company focused on teaching sketching and spatial visualization skills.
Dr. Lelli Van Den Einde University of California, San Diego & eGrove Education Inc. [biography]

Dr. Van Den Einde serves as Teaching Professor in Structural Engineering and Associate Dean for Success and Engagement at UC San Diego. A specialist in engineering education, her research addresses the critical challenge of student engagement in large-scale environments. By developing scaffolded, hands-on curricula, ranging from K-12 outreach to advanced undergraduate design, she equips students with essential competencies in communication, ethics, and project management. As the leader of eGrove Education, Inc., she is a vocal advocate for the role of spatial visualization in STEM retention. Her mission is to foster a inclusive and representative community by creating practical, multidisciplinary learning experiences that empower students to become confident, ethical engineers.
Jishan Kharbanda University of California, Los Angeles
Hollis Voinov University of California, San Diego [biography]

Hollis Voinov is an undergraduate student in Structural Engineering at the University of California San Diego. He joined the research team with an interest in analyzing how software can train spatial visualization, after taking a first year engineering course that utilized it. He has worked primarily with a focus on how assignments within the program can build on each other to improve skills.
Andrea Tueanh Huynh University of California, San Diego [biography]

Undergraduate Structural Engineering student at University of California, San Diego.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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