Abstract
Spatial visualization (SV) skills contribute to success in engineering. However, ample research from American university settings indicates that various subsets of engineering students have significantly less-developed SV skills than those demonstrated by the majority male population. A multi-modal SV workshop intervention was provided within a first-year engineering projects design course in order to “close the SV gap” for all students. A nationality gap was identified in which international students scored dramatically lower on the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT) compared to their domestic counterparts. In this paper, an analysis of SV skills segmented by world region is presented. No difference was found between East Asian and domestic students; however, Middle Eastern students scored dramatically lower on the pre-test than East Asian and domestic students across both a performance score (19 out of 30) and passing rate (46%). The Middle Eastern students improved significantly due to the workshop, with median SV gains of 4 points on the performance score and 38% on the passing rate. These results identify first-year Middle Eastern students as being potentially at risk within colleges of engineering due to less developed spatial visualization skills that can be strengthened through targeted, short-duration training and skill development interventions.