hodgson2003.pdf (128.37 kB)
Beyond Pro/DESKTOP Computer Aided Design (CAD) : the transfer of CAD-based design modelling skillsfrom schools to Higher Education
online resource
posted on 2007-05-23, 10:38 authored by Tony Hodgson, Clare AllsopMost secondary schools in England and Wales now include
the use of three-dimensional (3D) CAD modelling skills in
their secondary design and technology curriculum and the
majority of those employ PTC Pro/DESKTOP as the
software that is used to develop and implement 3D CAD
modelling skills. The use of CAD, and other digital media,
is a key part of the Industrial Design and Technology
programme at Loughborough University.
This paper reports on investigations into the ways in which
Pro/DESKTOP software has been used in A’ Level work,
from the perception of 120 students in their first year of the
undergraduate Industrial Design and Technology
programme. It draws distinction between being able to use
CAD modelling features and being able to model products
in CAD. The need to move from Pro/DESKTOP to
Pro/ENGINEER is clearly underpinned by the need for
graduates to have capability with a sufficiently complex
and appropriate CAD modelling system that the design
intent is not compromised by their ineffective use of the
software.
A seamless progression from CAD work at A’ Level to that
at undergraduate degree level is unlikely, in part because of
the range of effective CAD capability across A’ Level
students and also because the different CAD software
packages employ some differences in style and approach.
The paper considers some issues concerned with the transfer
of generic CAD skills between school and undergraduate
level at university, and draws conclusions that have
implications for the teaching and learning of CAD.
History
School
- Design
Research Unit
- D&T Association Conference Series
Publisher
© DATAPublication date
2003Notes
This is a conference paperLanguage
- en