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Implementing Student-Built Physical Models: Advanced Framing and 3" Cube to Improve Spatial Reasoning Ability Among Freshmen Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Students

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Conference

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Vancouver, BC

Publication Date

June 26, 2011

Start Date

June 26, 2011

End Date

June 29, 2011

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Structural Education Applications in Architectural Engineering

Tagged Division

Architectural

Page Count

12

Page Numbers

22.823.1 - 22.823.12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--18104

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/18104

Download Count

449

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Paper Authors

biography

Orla Smyth LoPiccolo State University of New York, Farmingdale State College

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Orla Smyth LoPiccolo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and Construction Management at State University of New York, Farmingdale State College and a licensed architect. She is currently the Secretary and Treasurer of ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section. She received her undergraduate and professional degree from Dublin Institute of Technology - Bolton Street College of Technology and Trinity College, Dublin Ireland and her post-professional degree in Architecture Urban Regional Design from New York Institute of Technology. In addition, Professor LoPiccolo has worked in both the private and public sectors, and she has received a Diploma in Construction Management from New York University.

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Abstract

Implementing Physical Model Building Projects to Improve Spatial Reasoning Ability Among Freshmen Architectural Engineering and Construction Management StudentsTo design, architecture and engineering students need spatial reasoning ability to visualize andmanipulate two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects. At our institution, architecturalengineering and construction management students collectively attend Graphics I (manualdrafting) and Materials and Methods of Construction I courses in their freshmen year. Otherthan the incorporation of a field trip to a construction site, a soil sieve test lab, and provision ofmaterial samples and construction videos in the classroom, both of these courses are heavilydependent on two and three-dimensional graphics to depict how buildings are drafted andassembled. Physical model building is not part of the current curriculum for either of these twocourses. This study provides quantitative results from a spatial reasoning ability test andqualitative results from student surveys given to four separate sections of freshmen – Graphics Itest and control groups and Materials and Methods of Construction I test and control groups.The test group in each course had built a simple physical model as part of their course prior tothe spatial test and survey, while the control group in each course had not produced a physicalmodel as part of their course. The implication of these findings is for faculty to use physicalmodel building as a tool to improve students’ spatial reasoning ability.

LoPiccolo, O. S. (2011, June), Implementing Student-Built Physical Models: Advanced Framing and 3" Cube to Improve Spatial Reasoning Ability Among Freshmen Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Students Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18104

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