Graphical Representation of Parametric Feature-Based MCAD Model Characteristics

Educational reforms and recent trends have pushed CAD education further into the mainstream of higher education. This has resulted in a rapidly increasing number of students enrolling in introductory level CAD courses, producing a flood of digital assignment submissions that need to be evaluated in a timely manner. This overwhelming situation has led to accelerated work on software tools for autonomous analysis and grading. However, the type and complexity of CAD model that can be analyzed, and the quality of the feedback that is generated, are still quite limited. In response to this predicament, and also efforts to reform an actual mechanical engineering CAD (MCAD) course, a new approach, framework, and software tool have been developed, based on visual representation and analysis of metrics. These novel instruments are aimed at supporting a more diverse and inclusive analysis and assessment of MCAD models, with a focus on the overall outcome a student produces, which includes model structure, history of model creation, and modeling strategy. The first part of this paper presents the novel approach and instruments for enhanced feature-based MCAD model analysis in the educational context. The second part of this paper reports on their development and implementation, and on the empirical results obtained during testing and evaluation.