Solving the problem of interpreting viewsteaching the part visualization process

Resumen

Part visualization is a fundamental skill in engineering. It comprises the reading, interpretation and creation of industrial technicaldrawings, interpreting the different views of a part represented in them. However, engineering students show certain learning difficulties and a high failure rate in subjects such as Technical Drawing and Industrial Design. This paper presents a proposal toprovide a learning method in this specific knowledge. In order to solve visualization problems in any kind of industrial part,comprehension indicators have been defined analizing the student’s difficulties, the expert’s knowledge and literature review. Themain lack founded in the traditional teaching method has been the inexistence of a systematic resolution process and not takinginto account the factor of spatial visualization in learning. An activity programme has been developed to assimilate the processwhich puts these comprehension indicators to work together. With the help of dynamic images as well as physical models the visualfactor was considered. The programme proposes specific tasks which work through the theoretical contents and proceduresinvolved in part visualization as well as taking into account the students’ main difficulties and deficiencies when faced with thiskind of problem. After testing the method in the classroom, the results which have been obtained from experimental and controlgroups have been contrasted, showing a higher improvement in the experimental group. The main conclusion is that it is necessaryto work with the student on the process of solving visualization problems, teaching the specific strategies and forms of reasoningwhich are associated with part visualization, in a continuous feedback.