Incorporation of 3D ICT elements into class

The fact that there are relatively few job prospects has caused a decline in the vocational profile of students in engineering, while they demand more dynamic and attractive classes. Moreover, the difficulty of the concepts to be transmitted, together with the lack of good spatial visualization abilities of students, makes technical drawing a difficult subject to understand. The present study set out to investigate emerging trends in ICT to find a way to present and manipulate information in class that would serve as both a stimulating element and a tool for performing complex operations, thus improving the teaching methodology of the classes and enhancing students’ motivation. We present the results of an experimental study of the introduction of 3D augmented reality models for practical classes in technical drawing. Several measures are collected for the monitoring of the course by students, and for their motivation, according to the ARCS method. The results indicate a good response to the elements incorporated into first year classes of a university course in Graphic Expression in Engineering. In particular, the experimental group displayed a higher level of motivation, an increased attendance to practical classes, a higher rate of practical work delivered, and a lower percentage of dropouts. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 25:542–549, 2017; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21802