Using Stereoscopic Visualization to Support and Facilitate Student Spatial Skills in Construction Education

To perform a detailed quantity takeoff for a building project, experience and judgment are required. Hence, it may be difficult for students to learn quantity takeoffs because of this. Typically in performing quantity takeoff, a keen understanding of geometry along with a plan reading ability and fundamental mathematics knowledge is required. Without well-developed spatial skills, construction drawings become abstract, not tangible. The importance of using visualization tools is well recognized by both academia and industry today. In many construction projects, 3D tools are used to effectively communicate with project participants. This paper reports an exploratory effort to measure the potential effect of stereoscopic visualization on student’s educational experience in an entry-level core class. The main objective of this study is to investigate if this type of visualization can be used to support and facilitate student spatial skills in construction engineering and management education. For this, the potential impact of stereoscopic images is gauged in terms of students’ understanding level of course materials. The findings of this exploratory study can be used to direct future research on a visual approach to construction engineering and management education.