Approaches to the Integration of CAAD Education in the Electronic Era: Two Value Systems

In recent years the democratization of information and communication technologies (ICT) has become the greatest influence on the structure of CAAD education. While the content of the CAAD courses simply had to absorb the new technological possibilities, the structure of the courses and in particular their relationship to the rest of the curriculum has become the subject of speculation and experimentation. Integration of CAAD education in an architectural curriculum occurs either by (a) placing emphasis on designing in CAAD courses, or by (b) integrating computing in design courses. Both approaches respond to the democratization of ICT by making design computing widely available and acceptable. Further improvement is possible if the student becomes the carrier of integration. This is based on the long-term amplification of two value systems. The first refers to personal cognition: rather than rewarding a student with the teacher's approval, educational goals should be translated into individual skills and knowledge. The second system addresses the values of the peer group: such groups support learning by comparison to other individuals and emerging communal characteristics, either as a result of competition or for reasons of assimilation