Assessing Engineering Education with the Eye Tracking Technology-Videonystagmography

Videonystagmography (VNG) is a diagnostic technique that utilizes infrared video goggles to record eye movements and assess the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) by tracking involuntary eye movements such as nystagmus and saccades. In recent years, eye-tracking technologies have gained attention in educational research for understanding learner engagement and cognitive processing. The novelty of this study lies in the application of clinical-grade VNG technology to quantitatively correlate saccadic eye movement parameters with academic performance in engineering students, an area that remains largely unexplored. An investigation was carried out to analyze the relationship between VNG parameters and the academic performance of undergraduate engineering students. A total of 36 students (18 males and 18 females), aged 19–20 years, participated in the study. Performance scores were computed as the average of six theory subjects. The VNG parameters analyzed included velocity, precision, and latency of horizontal and vertical saccades for both eyes. Statistical analysis revealed that saccadic velocity, precision, and latency are mutually independent parameters, while strong correlations exist between the left and right eyes. Regression analysis showed that vertical saccadic latencies of both eyes significantly predict academic performance, while horizontal latency of the right eye also showed statistical significance. Gender was found to significantly influence most eye-tracking parameters. Although conducted in a controlled laboratory environment with a limited sample size, this study demonstrates the potential of VNG-based eye-tracking metrics as objective indicators of cognitive processing in engineering education, offering new directions for technology-enabled educational assessment.