Proprietors’ Influence on Funding and Content Inclusion for Implementing Computer Aided Design Curriculum in Architecture Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

Proprietors of Universities in Nigeria where the architecture program is offered can be categorised into three groups viz Federal, State and Private. The evolution of architectural education has necessitated curriculum changes to include emergent vital areas such as Computer Aided Design (CAD). Implementing these changes involves deploying additional resources to include new content, employ/retrain staff, build new infrastructure and acquire new equipment. This study sought to evaluate the impact that proprietorship had on inclusion of content and provision of funds for implementing CAD curriculum in universities with a view to developing strategies for encouraging successful implementation by the institutions. Survey research design focused on departments of architecture in National Universities Commission accredited universities in south-east Nigeria was employed. Data were obtained in the areas of content and ICT budgets for CAD implementation. A multi-stage, stratified, random sampling method was adopted. The first stage involved categorization of accredited departments. Sampling size formulae was applied to obtain respondents’ number in the second stage. Analysis of variance tool for testing differences of means was used for data analysis. With ρ<0.5, the study found significant differences between private-funded, state-funded and federal-funded departments of architecture in the provision of content and ICT budget. The implications of these findings were that for effective implementation leading to achievement of CAD proficiency to occur in every institution regardless of proprietorship, guidelines for minimum acceptable attainment levels need to be set. A regular comparison of implementation levels in institutions was recommended as a means of rating performance and encouraging improvement.