Peter Aderonmu

ENHANCED STUDENTS LEARNING AND THE NEW GRADUATES EXPERIENCE: A CASE IN ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT, COVENANT UNIVERSITY

All year round in the world, admissions into higher institutions of learning are carried out with most students finding themselves in various disciplines including Architecture. Once on these career paths, students have different learning abilities one differing from the other. Learning enhancement refers to skills acquisition to improving understanding especially in the value and effective use of knowledge acquired. This is normally done through taught courses from departmental faculty members with the aim of enriching the undergraduate for maximum knowledge enhancement. As a result, this research will try and identify the modern and dynamic learning techniques available for knowledge dissemination to undergraduate classes of Architecture at Covenant University. Quantitative research methods was adopted where questionnaires were administered to the fresh classes of the Department of Architecture. This paper aims to enhance learning skills at the undergraduate level and the application towards effective teaching delivery by faculty in Architecture schools. The following questions are to be answered: What are the relevant skills required of undergraduate students in the department of architecture?, What current enhanced learning techniques are used in teaching the students in the fresh classes of Architecture at Covenant University? and In what ways can innovative teaching methods and skills of knowledge transfer be used to enhance effective learning at the undergraduate level? Contributions to knowledge are that new methods of enhanced learning techniques are to be recommended from the study, and also new methods of knowledge transfer will be proffered. Secondly, enhanced learning methods and skills need to be introduced into the curriculum towards effectively equipping the new intake better prepared for the course of study.

RETROFITTING OF LEARNING SPACES: A CASE STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIOS AT COVENANT UNIVERSITY

Studies have revealed that the physical environment of learning spaces exerts commensurate effect on students learning outcomes. Previous researches have posited for classrooms to be decorated with maps, decals, charts, posters and murals as they increase the interest, attentiveness and motivational level of the students. This is also in addition to the need for classroom walls to be well painted. In architectural education, formal learning takes place at the design studios where the students get to engage, collaborate and learn both theoretically and practically. Increasing the interest of students in inculcating the studio culture, working in the design studio has been a continuous goal. The research design made use of structured interviews carried out randomly to selected students in the undergraduate level of the department of Architecture of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria in the first semester of the 2017/2018 academic session following the retrofitting of the design studios. The qualitative research were analyzed and presented in tables and word clouds. Findings reveal the positive influence of the retrofitting to a significant population of the respondents and the simultaneous boost in design thinking and studio culture, while few of the respondents were indifferent as to the influence of the retrofitting on their learning outcomes. The study submits that learning spaces should undergo frequent retrofitting and maintenance to suit timely needs of learners and the learning environment. Adaptability, flexibility and responsiveness are key parameters for retrofitting.

THE NEED FOR NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN THE TEACHING OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN COURSES IN THE DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO: A CASE IN ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT, COVENANT UNIVERSITY

Students of Architecture have as part of their training in order to be relevant in the global terrain the acquisition of Computer Aided Design proficiency in AutoCAD and Revit and other software as the need arises. Currently as captured in the curriculum of the study of Architecture in Covenant University, the students are assembled in the Digital Design Studio with advanced computer graphics suite on each system and guided through by a faculty with requisite knowledge and training. While it is expected that each student will follow through the process as expected, some are often lost and confused as the training session lasts. As in the case of learning technologies, the use of new media is grounded in its value to support sound pedagogical approaches. This paper investigated the current study methods adopted in teaching students of the Department of Architecture in the use of AutoCAD and Revit software in the Digital Design Studio by administering questionnaires to the undergraduate and postgraduate students of the 2016/2017 set. The data collected was statistically analyzed with SPSS software and it showed that there was a marked learning gap as a result of the adopted method of teaching by the faculty. It is expected that with the introduction of new media technologies like Digital Design Studio App and websites for hands-on training, a marked level of improvement would be achieved in knowledge dissemination and acquisition.

IMPACT OF VISUAL ART TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO: STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF LOWER AND UPPER CLASSES

Art history has spanned back to the cave painting age when man had conceived the ability to create imagination, concepts and ideas which are put on mediums. This is termed virtual art. Over the times, the visualization of art had evolved from the traditional art to contemporary art. Virtual art comprises of painting, drawing, sculpture, design, photography, film making, literature, crafts, ceramics and architecture and there has been a direct link between virtual art and architecture, especially in the acquisition of these skills. Training in virtual art has originally been through apprenticeship just as architecture training has originally been by mentorship, both are now been taught at tertiary institutions. Virtual art is being taken as a course or an elective in schools of architecture in Nigeria. This study takes the case study of 100 and 200 level students of Covenant University, Nigeria. It is assumed that the knowledge acquired in virtual art would help students in architectural design. However, how has this translated to students’ scores in design and design output? Also, the study investigates how well the students have been impacted with virtual art knowledge to help them in design. Data for this study is by primary and secondary data. This is done by examining the impact of virtual art as a course on student results in architectural design. This is done by examining students at lower class of 100 levels and the same set of students’ results in 200 levels in design and in virtual art. Questionnaire was administered to students and the results of scores of the student are considered in the study. Finding shows that the skills acquired in virtual art and the knowledge has helped the student in drafting, creativity, which had brought out original design forms. The similarities between virtual art and architecture in terms of background, training and presentation should be explored by schools of architecture to produced better architects.

IMPACT OF HIGH COST OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION ON STUDENTS’ CREATIVE WORKS PRESENTATION IN A TYPICAL NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

Worldwide, substantial part of architectural education expenses revolves around the architectural design studio. It is in this environment that students are trained to master and present creative works required as a licensed architect. However, until creativity is presented in a format that is legible and assessable, it remains a conjecture of the mind. Previous studies identified high cost of architectural education as a barrier to the training of future professionals. This paper investigated the extent to which high cost of architectural education impact on presentation of creative works of students in Covenant University, Nigeria. Questionnaires were administered to collect related information from cross-section of students from the second to the sixth level in the 2014-2015 academic sessions. The study identified parents’ response to students’ architectural budget; high education expenses; cost of software and associated hardware; and students’ tendency to resign to fate when they encounter prohibitive expenses as cost factors that have impact on students’ creative works presentation. However, result revealed that high cost of architectural education does not significantly influence students’ decision to either study or continue the course.