Visualisation in Design and Technology

PF1102 "Visualisation in Design and Technology" is a compulsory module for first-year students doing two degree programmes at the School of Design and Environment: BSc in Project and Facilities Management; and BSc in Real Estate. This module was introduced in Academic Year 2006/2007 and repeated with minor modifications in the subsequent year. Currently, more than 200 students are taking this module.

The module consists of two parts. The first part has topics related to modelling and visualisation, while the second part introduces students to building elements and construction techniques. Student s would use ArchiCAD sof tware in tutorials to make architectural drawings as well as the detailing of building elements. Since students are new to the topic of buildings and elements, visualisation tools are used to improve their understanding of this subject.

Since its introduction, a large amount of data has been collected to gauge students' perceptions of the module via three channels:

• Discussion forum on IVLE
• Anonymous survey conducted through IVLE
• Formal teacher evaluation feedback

Qualitative Student Feedback

1. Classroom demonstrations

In the first year, classroom demonstrations were given using ArchiCAD software to illustrate theoretical concept s. Students responded negatively to this approach, providing comments such as:

• "Do not go through programmes like ArchiCAD during lectures as not everyone has a laptop."
• "I find the use of the ArchiCAD during lectures confusing."

Such comments disappeared in the second year when the lectures focused entirely on theor ies and the software was introduced only during tutorials. We also realised that when demonstrations were conducted using software wi h a complex user interface, students would concentrate more on how things were done instead of the concept behind the demonstration.

In general, students gave positive feedback about ArchiCAD software. While there were some comments that the software was difficult to use, the proportion of positive and negative feedback was similar for both years.

2. Tutorials

Tutors would introduce the software's features and show students how to use the various functions. Students were then encouraged to explore other features and complete some assignments. While some students liked this approach, many prefer red to be guided, as shown in comments such as:

• "Maybe the lecturer can include step-bystep notes on the use of ArchiCAD at each tutorial, because we are often unable to recall how a certain step is done, especially those taught during previous tutorials."
• "The lecturer should repeat the points and ensure that students are on track before continuing the tutorial, as students sitting at the back sometimes cannot follow the steps." Such comments were surprising because it was assumed that the current generation of students would be comfortable using computers and software tools.

3. Building elements and detailing

Since PF1102 was the first module in their degree programme which was related to buildings, many students had difficulty appreciating the module's technical content. It was worse for students doing BSc in Real Estate, since the main focus of their course is investments and finance. Many students failed to understand that some knowledge of building elements is required for real estate investments and property evaluations. However, most of them understood the impor tance of acquiring such skills to interpret drawings of buildings, a core objective of the module.

4. Interpretation of working drawings

3D visualisation software was introduced to improve students' ability to interpret 2D working drawings. However, some had difficulty reading technical drawings:

• "It is difficult to interpret and understand the technical drawings."
• "The module is diff icult for those who are unable to visualise 3D objects. More examples of diagrams should be shown."

These comments pointed to fundament al problems related to students' visualisation capabilities. The responses were similar to those obtained in a survey conducted by Marshall- Ponting and Aouad (2005) where practitioners commented that "98% of the industry cannot understand drawings" and "IT skills are lacking and so more education and training is required" (p. 317). Some students are unable to imagine the 3D geometry by looking at the projections. Some solutions to tackle this problem would include giving students more exposure to 3D modelling software and exercises to encourage them to make 3D models and inspect projections generated by the software.

Table 1. Questions and responses to the mid-semester online survey

Quantitative Analysis

The online anonymous survey provided a means to quantify student perceptions about the module (see Table 1). The numbers indicate that an overwhelming majority of the class favoured the use of visualisation tools in understanding the concepts. It was also interesting to note that 72% of students thought they would not be able to read and interpret drawings if they had no experience using drafting tools.

Concluding Remarks

The feedback showed that most students appreciated the role of IT tools in PF1102. However, it also indicated that some had fundamental problems using the IT tools and visualising 3D objects. What was more alarming was the fact that many students expected the lecturers to guide them at every step and were unwilling to explore and learn the software for themselves. A key challenge of teaching this module would be getting students to be pro-active in learning these skills.

References

Marshall-Ponting A.J. & Aouad G. (2005). 'An nD Modelling Approach to Improve Communication Processes for Construction'. Automation in Construction, Vol 14, No. 4, pp. 311- 32.