Lesson 1: Welcome to Spatial Reasoning!

August 29, 2018 Rohit and Isabel

Welcome to Spatial Reasoning! Today we will go over the syllabus. This will include an overview of course topics and the general structure of the class.

Lesson 2: Assessment and Sketching I

September 5, 2018 Isabel

Today we will take an initial spatial skills assessment, this will serve as a baseline for your progress throughout the class. We will also begin to cover sketching. Sketching, in the context of spatial reasoning, is a tool for communicating our mental models of ideas and the world that surrounds us. Aside from helping build spatial skills, it is an excellent skill that will serve you well throughout your coursework.

Lesson 3: Sketching II

September 12, 2018 Isabel

Today we will continue learning about sketching. We will go into more detail regarding the techniques and concepts we learned last class. There will also be an in-class activity.

HINT: this will be a good reference for the first homework assignment.

Lesson 4: Reflections and Symmetry

September 19, 2018 Rohit

Today we will learn to reflect 3D objects across a plane. This lesson will draw on the sketching skills learned in previous lessons. During the second part of the class, we will cover symmetry and how to identify planes of symmetry in a given 3D object.

Lesson 5: Rotations

September 26, 2018 Rohit

Mental rotations are an important dimension of spatial reasoning. Today we will learn how to identify and apply rotations. We will be working with various materials to grasp the concept and return to sketching in order to apply it.

Lesson 6: Cross Sections

October 3, 2018 Isabel

Visualizing and sketching cross sections of objects is an important skill to have in any engineering field, it also happens to help improve our spatial reasoning skills. Today we will learn techniques that will help us visualize the cross section of a solid given a certain cutting plane. There will also be a fun, play-dough based in class activity.

Lesson 7: Game Day!

October 10, 2018 Rohit and Isabel

Believe it or not, some video games help improve spatial reasoning skills. Today, we take a break from our busy midterm schedules to explore the positive effects of some of these video games, and even play a few (or a lot)! We have a feeling you are going to enjoy homework this week.

Lesson 8: Combining Solids

October 17, 2018 Rohit

So far we have been interacting with one object in space at a time. Now, we will explore what happens when two objects interact with each other. Today we will study the shapes created by two overlapping solids, and, as usual, we will sketch the results.

Lesson 9: Spatial Relations

October 24, 2018 Isabel

Continuing our study on how objects interact with each other, we will work on visualizing the relationship between two objects in space. We will determine if the objects overlap or not, and what their position and orientations are with respect to each other and to different frames of reference.

Lesson 10: Spatial Orientation

October 31, 2018 Rohit

Today we will work to improve our ability to determine our own position and orientation within a given environment. This class will be devoted to an interactive activity that will help you to directly apply your skills in this area to solve a problem.

Lesson 11: Review

November 7, 2018 Rohit and Isabel

Today we will summarize all that we have learned during the course, and discuss any topic that may need to be covered in more detail.

Lesson 12: Survey of Spatial Topics I

November 12, 2018 Rohit and Isabel

We have spent all semester improving our spatial reasoning skills. Now, we will look at real-world applications of the subjects we have covered. We will also use our skills to “read” several images and diagrams directly related to engineering fields.

Lesson 13: Survey of Spatial Topics II

November 19, 2018 Rohit and Isabel

We will continue to explore the real-world applications of the topics we have covered this semester.

Lesson 14: Assessment and Conclusion

November 26, 2018 Rohit and Isabel

The semester has come to an end, but before we say goodbye, you will be asked to take a final spatial skills assessment. We will also ask that you complete a course evaluation in order to improve the class in the future. Your performance on the assessment will not affect your grade, but it will help the instructors determine how much the class has helped you better your skills.