Integration of Student Owned Computers into the Design Curriculum: Policy, Issues, and Experience

ISSUE: Incorporation of computing into design practice increases the need for interior design programs to integrate this technology into their curricula. GOAL: Prepare students to understand the ways in which information technology can be used in design and teach them how to use computers for design problem solving, in the classroom and in professional practice. APPLICATION: This report discusses one program's approach to integrating computers into their curriculum: requiring student purchase of laptop computers upon entering the third year of the curriculum and using computer-aided design (CAD) modeling programs as a central element in upper-level design studios. In adopting this policy, decisions were made about how computers would be integrated into the curriculum, how computing resources were to be funded, and what infrastructure support was required. DESCRIPTION: Three years of experience with this policy by both students and faculty are reviewed. Topics addressed are (1) the original policy and subsequent changes, (2) the computer infrastructure created by the college to support this policy, (3) faculty and student reactions to the policy, and (4) issues and implications of the policy. Surveys of students taken in 1995 and 1997 provide comparative information on changes in student perceptions over time. A survey of recent computer trained graduates provides information on job market experience and reception of these skills in professional practice. CONCLUSION: Recent graduates support the policy and report that it helped in their securing employment. Using CAD modeling programs especially helped the 3D visualization of design problems. Maintaining an adequate infrastructure of support has been a continuing source of frustration for both students and faculty. Summary The decision to require students to purchase laptop computers upon entry into the third year of their program, making computer use a central element of the studio experience, and using modeling programs as the primary CAD software seems to have been a successful means for integrating computers in the design curriculum. Students were able to conceptualize and explore design alternatives on the computer as well as or better than they could have on paper. Size and resolution of laptop computer screens was more than sufficient to allow faculty to provide desk critiques of work in progress. Overhead projections of computer images made for effective group presentations. Choice of modeling software as the CAD medium was found to enhance student awareness of the three-dimensionality of their design problems, resulting in more completely designed projects. Use of personally owned laptops rather than fixed workstations increased available workspace at student desks, allowed flexibility to work outside of studio (a benefit to commuting and nontraditional students), and reduced equipment security issues in the studio. In general, students supported the integration despite some apparent difficulties. Recent graduates entering the market place, especially, valued the way it enhanced their employability. However, difficulties have arisen in the areas of college infrastructure support and are in need of further attention. The Interior Design faculty, aware of these concerns, are making adjustments to help alleviate some of these problems. The college's introductory CAD course has been made a requirement in the first- or second-year curriculum. Use of AutoCAD has been added to the student computing policy and is utilized as part of the program's construction documents class. A proposal for creating a centralized printingkopying center capable of color printing and large-sized plotting has been forwarded to upper administration along with a request for a software consultant. A color printer has been added to the user lab. Despite the emphasis on computers in this curriculum, it should be pointed out that the use of computers has not eliminated the desire or need for traditional means of design exploration and representation. Students are required to use hand-produced modeling and drawing as well as digital media. It is the faculty's intention to maintain the focus on design, rather than technologies used to produce design representation, to enable students to discover the tools most useful for them in the design process.