Assessing and Enhancing Visualization Skills of Engineering Students in Africa: A Comparative Study

Visualization skills are believed to be a strong indicator of success in engineering, science, and a variety of other careers. Previous studies have compared the visualization skills of first year engineering students in the US with their cohorts in Europe and Brazil, but to date there have been no data reported for developing countries in Africa. Studies have shown that training can enhance visualization skills in a relatively short time. This paper will report on the results of a study of first year engineering students at the Polytechnic of Namibia that have been exposed to a short course to improve visualization skills.