IMPROVING THE ARCHITECT GRADUATE THROUGH COMPUTER
APPLICATION IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION:
A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY
The
major factor responsible for the upsurge in the use of computer in our
education curriculum is the demand by the employers for computer literate
graduates. This has led to the various universities in Nigeria and departments within them
to seek out ways of training their graduates to meet up with the present day
demand of their professions. The use of computers in architectural design has
gained ground in practice in Nigeria ;
virtually every private firm wants a computer literate architect for employment.
This trend has forced the graduate architect to seek out means of acquiring
this training outside since what is obtainable within the university is either
non existent or inadequate where available. This particular trend is what most
universities are seeking to address because it is evident that manual drafting
is no longer the end of architectural design but rather a means to the end. In
the case of Federal University of Technology Minna, there is a conscious effort
by the Department of Architecture to address this problem.
A
look at the demand for the computer literate architect in Nigeria gives one the feeling that
the use of computers in Architecture is a new development; this is however far
from the truth. According to Ralph (2000), American Ivan Sutherland invented
CAD in 1961 when he described a computerized sketch pad in his doctoral thesis.
This date gives us knowledge of how far we have lagged behind and hence the
need for speed in improving and equipping the graduate architect.
Architectural Design as a core course
Architectural
Design is the foundation and live-wire of any architect; if the foundation of any
architect in Architectural Design is faulty then he is bound to have design
problems in his practice. The importance of Architectural Design courses cannot
be over estimated, this is why the level of priority attached to it at Federal
University of Technology Minna is worthy of commendation. The credit units
allotted to Architectural Design courses are the highest at any level of study
and this goes further to show its importance in the training of the graduate architect.
Adeyemi (1990) viewed it otherwise; he noted that design content of the
curricula is far too heavily loaded at the expense of other courses which are
of less but nonetheless important value to the entire concept. This view is
however countered by Nkwogu (2001) that the skill acquired in Architectural Design
module equips the student with the ability to recognize problems, gather
information and carry out analysis, synthesis, evaluations and design. The view
expressed by Nkwogu is good basis upon which the importance attached to Architectural
Design is commendable, architectural design courses are prerequisite courses at
the Federal University of Technology Minna right from first semester of first
year at the university. The importance given architectural design courses
should be encouraged and students should be made to understand this importance.
Computer courses in architecture curriculum
This is one aspect
where the curriculum for the present day training of the graduate architect is
lacking. A study of courses offered at Department of Architecture Minna shows
that only two courses are computer related at the undergraduate level, of which
just one is related to Architecture. It is at the post-graduate level that the
application of computer in design is practiced however several reasons could be
forwarded for this practice. There is a need to address this imbalance in the
number of computer courses in Architecture. According to Adeyemi (1990) there
is continuous controversy to appropriateness of teaching methods and the
relevance of architectural curricula to the needs of today, this view is true
going by the wide gap of computer application courses in our departments of Architecture
and practice of Architecture. In view of this, computer application should be
tailored along with the architectural design. It could be done in such a way
that it forms a part of the course content for the architectural design course,
where students are taught computer application alongside with the semester
design work.
Computer and Architectural design
Computers,
being dummies by definition and mode of action, cannot perform the job of architects.
A computer cannot carry out any form of design; it requires the input of the architect
for it to perform any architectural design. The implication of this is that the
designer requires to be trained in the field of Architecture. Omar (2002), stated
that students were apprentices learning from more experienced students and a
master designer, he went further to state that as educational systems became
more formalized the aspect of architectural education became a limited version
of the original set-up. He said that students continued to learn in the context
of design projects issued by the instructor and undertaken by peers in the
studio.
Owing
to the lack of computer education in architecture in our departments of
architecture, students are reversing back to the earlier form of learning of
architectural designs as mentioned by Omar (2002), they are learning from
experienced students. There is a need to correct this problem if the practice of
Architecture is to be unified within a framework. Omar stated that instructors
(educators) who are the only conduit to the world of practice are often removed
from practice due to academic responsibilities. This view should not be an
excuse for the educators, because today’s student architect is becoming more
knowledgeable than the instructors in the field of computer application in architecture.
There is a strong need for the educators to channel these students in computer usage
in architectural design in order to maintain standards and orderliness in
design process and design education, so as not to have chaotic approaches to
designs, all in the name of architectural design using computers
Training of Educator in Computer Application in Architecture
In
the education of the graduate architect a lot of factors come into play,
according to Omar (2002) the faculty play the role of coach or critic while the
students learn by applying principle to designs and inferring principle from
designs. It could be deduced from this statement that the architectural
educator must strive and always be more knowledgeable than the students. When the
curriculum of Department of Architecture Minna was restructured to accommodate
a six months industrial training period, returning students come back more sound
in the use of computer application software in architecture than the educators.
The question therefore is how the educator can remain on top. Chris (2002)
viewed older age as an obstacle to adopting new technology by educators in
service who could not be prepared in their initial education for an Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) which did not exist then. He went further to
state that all new educators emerge from an initial education or training well
equipped to use new technology. The view failed to address the training of the
educator who were not ICT equipped, in view of this an in-house training could
be organized for such educators whereby the new educators are made to organize
training for the older educators so as to learn and be at par. In addition
incentives should be granted so as to encourage them.
Architectural
educators should not just see computer application in Architecture as just the
use AutoCAD, the field is wide and design software is just one of the many. They
must understand that the advantages offered by computer usage are numerous and
never limited. It will above all improve the manner by which they deliver their
lectures and it will offer them the opportunity to compete favorably with their
colleagues in private practice
Design studio and students attitude
In
stressing the important role of design studio in the education of an architect
Omar (2002) stated that there is a significant feature of mechanics of
instruction in the design studio which is the constant interplay of skill and
knowledge or theory and practice. In his view he felt the studio offers a way of
discovering how principles affect the solution to a specific problem and how
specific solutions may illustrate larger principles. Olotuah (2000) views the
role of the design studio as the architecture programme culminating in the
design studio since all learning in Architecture are geared towards imparting
such skills in the students as will make them competent in effecting reshaping,
reordering and articulation of the built environment in its entirety. There is
however a need to always check if the aims of the design studio are achieved.
An examination of Minna case shows that design studio is missing its aim. The
simple reason is that less than 15% of the students make use of design studio, the
students have basically converted the design studio to what could be called a
consultation studio. What has become a trend in most Nigerian universities is
the setting-up of personal studios at home by students of Architecture. This
practice gives rise to what could be regarded as isolated design because often
times there are no inputs from outsiders in the persons of educators and
colleagues.
According
to Oluigbo (2005) emphasis laid on the architectural design studio at the
expense of other technical and behavioral studies is a perceived weakness of
the curricula of most Nigerian schools of Architecture. This view is however
not shared here, because Architecture is all about communicating graphically
and if there is no proper medium to monitor the works being carried out by the
students, then Architecture would be like any other theoretical course. It is
only in the design studio that students work could be monitored properly and ensured
that it is carried out by them. The skill acquired in architectural design
module equips the student with the ability to recognize problems, gather
information, analyze, evaluation and design (Nkwogu 2001). The quest for space
in the studio in the Minna case is a major factor responsible for the poor
attitude of students to design studio. This is why the principle of rotation
adopted by the Department of Architecture Minna is a good model, where students
do not have personal drawing boards in the studio rather anybody could make use
of any drawing board so long as it is vacant.
Funding and Setting up Computer Studio
The
United Kingdom recognized from the early days of computers, the need to develop
a national strategy for the use of IT in education, this foresight saw to the
establishment of national council for educational technology, (Lynn 1988).The
new demands of the Labour market have played a much more decisive role in
integrating the new technology into education than the pedagogical aspects of
using ICT in the teaching process, Eva (2002). This goes to show that there is
need for concerted effort in setting up a computer studio in any school of Architecture Nigeria .
Historically, the financing of education in Nigeria has been accomplished
through school fees; grant-in-aid from the government; levies by cultural
unions and various forms of voluntary contribution by parents and guardians (Silas
2006). The funds for setting up a computer studio can therefore be sourced
using the historical means described by Silas.
A computer studio
is meant to basically serve the same function as that of the traditional design
studio. The difference between the two forms of studios is that while drawing
boards are used for drafting in the traditional studio, computers would be used
in the computer studio for designing and drafting. The major hindrance to the
computer studio is the cost of acquiring and maintaining of the computer
systems and how to allocate them amongst the students. In the case of funding
of the computer studio the department could draw up a programme of how many
computer systems are needed, then draw up a time frame for acquiring them using
part of the fund meant for the running of he department. In addition the Department
of Architecture could seek donation from the private sector, during exhibitions
of their students work. In the aspect of use of the computer studio, the computers
could be networked and the principle of rotation as practiced by Department of Architecture
Minna be adopted. The student would be allocated time for use in the computer
studio, this way everyone gets to make use of the limited number of computers
systems.
Effects of Computer Application in Architecture Design
The
influx of smart students who may have spent their twelve years in an IT
based-learning will force the university to prepare themselves, (Lynn1988).
This means that the current pattern of Architectural Design as being taught
will have to change, because the students will most likely be conversant with
the software already and be used to the IT based medium of teaching. The major
effect of computer on architectural design is the available software and how
properly they are applied. All the various software used in architectural
design come under what could be referred to as COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD).
The
software if not properly applied often times gives a bad representation of
architectural design. The graphics of the software must be understood before
its usage in designing. Computer could aid in making the work of a lazy student
look beautiful, it could be used to mislead the jury by a smart student. Hence
a failed design might never be discovered since most projects in architectural
design in our Schools of Architecture are not life projects. On a positive note,
computers aid in making presentations a lot easier and faster. The computer
could be used to simulate a close to real life situation.
Computer aided design
CAD was designed to replace
the traditional drafting board and other board end electric tools drafters
used, such as ink pen, plastic stencil and electric eraser. Early CAD software runs
on large, expensive computers. Today’s engineers can run CAD software on
personal computers or UNIX workstations, Ralph (2000). The purpose of CAD gives
one the idea of the function this software performs, by implication the input
of the architect. Computer aided design should not be misconstrued as the act
of the design in its self; rather it is a medium of communicating technically
going by its purpose. Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) applications
have been introduced into the traditional environment on drafting boards, in
parallel lines and tack boards appear to emulate those manual forms, Omar (2002).
This gives a further insight into CAD in the sense that design using CAD should
be better and faster than manual drafting not vice versa.
The function of
CAD gives rise to what could be referred to as Computer Aided Drafting.
Drafting is the process of representing topography, engineering works, building
and pieces of machinery by means of conventionalized drawings. The technique of
drafting is an important part of all types of engineering and manufacturing and
are also used in architecture and geology, (Encarta, 2004).The art of drafting
is often a key factor in choice of designs, hence computer aided design which
is affected by the quality of drafting would also affect the choice of designs.
This is why it is important that CAD be given the required attention needed in
teaching the graduate architect in order to help make him relevant in today’s
practice.
The Student Architect and Computer Application
The
approach of the student architect to computer application is an aspect that is
of major concern to the architectural educator, it is a common thing to find
student architects contracting their assignments in computer applications to
fellow students. This is a serious problem because the students most times end
up not learning it and hence the aim of the course is defeated. According to
Adeyemi (1990) most well conceived programmes have suffered as a result of
inadequate staffing and facilities. This view is shared in the teaching of computer
application because the student understands the lack of adequate facilities and
exploits it at the detriment of the objectives of the course.
Computer
application as a course is not just limited to practicals, there is need for
the student to understand the theory of the application. According to Oluigbo (2005),
there is scarcity of current literature on Architecture in most schools of
architecture and even facilities such as slide projectors are not available
either. This view is supported by Adeyemi when he stated that many schools
teach technical subject in the classroom rather than in the workshops,
laboratories or through direct experience on the construction sites. Computer
application practical class should not be taught outside the computer studio,
this will make the students practice under the supervision of the educator.
The Student
Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) aimed at exposing students to the
industry and practical work has now been reinvigorated. However most students
return back to school proficient in computer aided design and feeling ahead of
the educators. The feeling of knowing it all is often displayed by some of these
students and this could be detrimental for the teaching of this course. The
solution is for the educators to brace up and acquire the required knowledge in
this field; this should not just be limited to the educator in charge of the
computer application course.
Recommendation
(1) Reduction
in the work load allocated to an educator so as to enable him have time for
personal development.
(2) Provision
of incentives such as organizing computer seminars and workshops for them.
(3) Restructuring
of computer application courses to be taught like architectural design courses.
(4) Provision
of computer for each of the educator to work with.
Students should be encouraged to
seek every available opportunity to learn computer application and set out
personal time to practice on their own. Computer application courses within the
present curriculum should be increased and students should be made to produce
part of their semester design using specified computer aided design software.
Schools
of Architecture should draw up programmes of how they intend to set up their
computer studio, and then seek for fund or equipment from donors. They could
also set aside money from the funds available to run the school and channel it into
equipping their computer studio. These steps if followed could help in
equipping the graduate architect while in school, to face the challenge of the
practice, rather than leaving them to learn it outside the school.
Conclusion
The
problem of teaching computer application in schools of Architecture in Nigeria is
quite enormous and requires sustained interest by educators to achieve it. The
majority of architectural educators today studied when the influence of
computer in architecture was still low and now cannot create the time to learn
it. Several reasons could be found for that lack of interest and time by the
educators. There are solutions to improving the quality of computer application
knowledge amongst these educators these include, all it takes is for the
educators to see and accept the need for retraining.
References
Adeyemi, E.A. (1990). “Course programmes and resources development: A
review of ptions and priorities.” Journal
of the Association of Architectural Educators in Nigeria
Chris, D. (2002). “Teachers and new ICT in Teaching and Learning, Modes
of Introduction and Implementation.” Working
paper (WP190) International Labour office Geneva
Encarta. (2004). Drafting. Microsoft
Encarta premium suite
Eva, T. (2002). “Teaching and the
use of ICT in Hungary .”
Working paper (WP 199) International
Labour office Geneva
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Lynn, E.D. (1988). “Facilitating Adult Learning Through Computer-Mediated
Distance Education.” Online planning
journal-integrating information technology into teaching and learning of city
and regional planning, 1-3.
Nkwogu, U.O. (2001). “Understanding History, Education and Practice of
Architecture.” Journal of the Association
of Architectural Educators in Nigeria
Omar, A. (2002). Case based instruction strategies in architecture.
Olotuah, A.O. (2000). “Architecture
By
Adedayo, O. F.
Department
of Architecture,
Being Paper Presented
AT AARCHES NATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON
THE CHALLENGES OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY
AT
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
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