Web-based CAAD instruction: the Delft experience

In the early 1990s, the introduction of an extensive CAAD component in the compulsory curriculum of the Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, stimulated experimentation with computer-based instruction systems. The emergence of the World Wide Web presented new possibilities. Nevertheless, the reasons for investing in Web-based CAAD instruction were mostly pragmatic, i.e. a reaction to necessity, rather than an intention to explore, experiment and revolutionize. One of the problems addressed in our Web-based CAAD instruction is CAAD literacy. Help files and manuals that accompany software have proven to be unsuitable for introductory courses in design computing. This led to the development of a series of dynamic Web-based tutorials, in the form of interactive slide shows. The implementation of the tutorials is based on a cooperative framework that allows teachers and students to contribute at different levels of technical and methodical complexity. The use of the Web in CAAD education also stimulated a more active attitude among students. Despite the limited support and incentives offered by the Faculty, the Web-based CAAD courses became an invitation to intelligent and meaningful use of Web technologies by students for design presentation and communication. This is not only a useful addition to the opportunities offered by CAAD systems but also a prerequisite to new design communities.