Development of an online, strategy-based intervention to improve spatial skills

A novel, interactive, targeted training program has been developed to improve spatial skills. The system is based on Gestalt processing and Collaborative Action-based Production System (CAPS) theory. The software was pilot tested in 2015 with first year engineering students and then iteratively refined to improve compliance and performance in 2016. Both interventions resulted in significant improvements in spatial skills as measured by the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R), but the 2016 intervention was more effective than the 2015 intervention. For students with weak spatial skills, the effect size (Cohen's d) for the intervention was 0.735 in 2015 and 0.803 in 2016.