Solid Modeling Strategies – Analyzing Student Choices

There is an increasing trend in solid modeling instruction to include not only procedural knowledge but also strategic knowledge when teaching students how to build solid models. In order to evaluate the many choices made by students as well as experts in their modeling procedures, and to compare different types of solid models used in these studies, it is necessary to measure various parameters associated with model complexity and “goodness” of the solid model. In this paper we will propose metrics for evaluating solid models such that different modeling strategies can be compared. Furthermore, we will compare the models created by students who are given different strategic instructions for modeling, as well as the results of change exercises implemented in upper division solid modeling courses.