Facilitating the implementation of Computer-Aided Design into the Engineering Graphics Design classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate what the EGD teacher needed in order to facilitate the successful implementation of CAD as an education tool into the EGD classroom. The researcher aimed to understand how teachers perceive CAD with regard to its usefulness and ease of use in an EGD class. The primary research question was as follows: What is needed to facilitate the implementation of CAD into the EGD classroom? The secondary research questions were: ? What are the barriers that prevent teachers from implementing CAD in their EGD classes? ? What lessons can be learnt from those schools where CAD has already been implemented? In the literature, the researcher looked at EGD as a subject presented in high school as well as the early roots of CAD. The external factors influencing the implementation of ICT in the classroom and the importance of CAD as a teaching tool were explored throughout the study. The theoretical framework used to support this study was the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The research approach towards this study was qualitative by nature and followed a multiple-case study design (Yin, 2003). The participants of the study were identified through a convenient-purposive sampling method. The researcher analysed data through an interpretivist point of view. The data analysis was done through the use of thematic analysis methods.