Curriculum And Methods Of Teaching Architectural .
International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2017Curriculum and Methods of Teaching Architectural Technologyin Nigerian Polytechnics: Challenges and Implications on PracticePerformance of GraduatesUdochukwu Obiamaka Marcel-OkaforDepartment of Architectural Technology, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State, NigeriaAbstractThis paper discusses the curriculum content andmethods of teaching in architectural technologyprogrammes in Nigerian polytechnics, and how theseplay out in preparing the polytechnic graduate of theprogramme for the professional practice in Nigeria.Three polytechnics offering architectural technologyprogrammes were purposively selected for the study.The research method involved descriptive andthematic analysis of the curriculum contents andmethods of teaching used in the schools, as well asresponses from the primary data obtained usingstructured interviews administered to the tutorialstaff of the selected polytechnics, and the HNDgraduates from December 2013 to October 2015working in architectural firms or freelancing.Secondary data used were obtained from academiccurriculum for architectural technology programmesof the selected polytechnics, refereed journals, somereports available from reliable internet sources andbooks. Chi square was used to test the significance ofthe teaching methods and courses taught on theeffective performance of the graduates inprofessional practice.The findings of this study revealed that the corecourses have prepared the graduates to the limitedchallenges of designing and drafting. The paperrecommends that a reassessment of the value systemis inevitable if the programme in Nigeria mustremain relevant in the face of global trends inarchitectural technology and the emerging roles ofthe architectural technologist. The paper concludesthat tackling the issues of funding for the programmein the polytechnics and increased productivityincentives for the architectural technologists willabate the major challenges of the programme.1. IntroductionThis paper grows out of a desire to observe ifwhat is being taught and how it is being taught issufficient to prepare the architectural technologygraduate with the necessary cognitive and practicalabilities for the present work demands ofarchitectural practice in Nigeria.Copyright 2017, Infonomics SocietyThis is particularly relevant to the country at a periodwhen graduate unemployment rate is at 25% [1]. TheUnited Nations demographic experts have estimatedthat by 2050 over 70% of the population inNigeria would reside in the urban centres [2].Nigeria, with a population of over 150 millionpeople, 70% of who are classified as being poor and,an estimated annual growth rate of 3.2%, remains thefastest urbanising and most populous country in SubSaharan Africa.Architectural technology programmes suffer thesame prejudice meted out on the entire polytechniceducation in Nigeria which is worrisome; this isbecause of the general preference in Nigeria to papercertification which the university educationfavourably offers against the technical certificationwhich the polytechnic education offers. This sociopolitical bigotry against technical education hasdevalued the entire polytechnic education despite thepractice-based learning style inherent in it, which isgermane to unleashing the technological potentialsand breakthroughs needed for national developmentin the country.Over 4000 architects have been registered and arestatutorily permitted to practice in Nigeria [3]. Thehousing sector in Nigeria, where the services of theseregistered architects and by extension thearchitectural technologists are in high demand, ispredominantly a problem-laden situation presented inqualitative and quantitative forms [4]. The UnitedNations study declares the cumulative housingshortage at 17 million units and, the ratio ofregistered architects to Nigerians reveal the dearth ofqualified architectural manpower.This consequently mounts daunting pressures onthe available ones to handle the housing demands ofthe present and predicted urban population explosionand the attendant needs emanating thereof in thebuilding industry in Nigeria. This is invariably ofconcern to researchers in the field more so in the areaof how the architectural technologists are trained,what quality of training are available and how thetraining acquired facilitates the practice performanceof the trained professionals.The mission of the polytechnic education inNigeria is teaching, research and public service for1410
International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2017the production of quality graduates, innovativeinformation and improvement in technology and theeducational objectives are conceived in the effort byindividual institutions to produce proficient higherand lower technicians that will occupy the middlelevel manpower cadre [5]. Architectural technologyprogrammes offered in Nigerian polytechnics areaccredited by the National Board for TechnicalEducation (NBTE), leading to the award of NationalDiploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND)certificates in Architectural technology. The missionof the programme is the provision of functional,technical, vocational and entrepreneurial educationand training which targets individual and nationaldevelopment. The main objective of the programmeis to provide contemporary and sustainablemanpower nurtured by ICT-driven human resourcesdevelopment which will remain responsive to thedynamism of the practice environment in Nigeria.Today, albeit more than half a century has passedsince the establishment of the pioneer school ofarchitecture in Nigeria, the challenges facing theprogramme are not only shrinking the capabilities ofboth the teachers and students, they also underminethe competitiveness of their graduates in the globalmarket.2. ObjectivesThe following objectives were considered:i. To ascertain if the curriculum in use was relevantto the dynamic demands of architectural practice inNigeria.ii. If the methods of teaching are responsive totechnological advances with the sole aim ofproducing proficient graduates who can effectivelyrespond to the work demands in practice.iii. How the training acquired facilitates the practiceperformance of the graduates.This was with the intent to establish the corechallenges that have affected the programme andcontributed to the present dissatisfaction in thesystem.3. Literature Review3.1. CurriculumThe curriculum of architectural technologyprogramme like other academic curricula ofprofessions is the body of knowledge that houses allthe experiences, skills, creativity and activities goingon in the school environment in order to achieveeducational goals [6]. The current curriculum contentin the Nigerian schools of architecture is structured tohave tutorial courses revolve around studio designwhich is the core course that carries both the highestcontact hours and credit loads [7]. This is also thescenario in the architectural technology departmentsCopyright 2017, Infonomics Societyin polytechnics, where the design studio is both theteaching and learning environment as well as the corecourse of study of architecture students. This impliesthat it is germane to the study of architecturaltechnology and as such dependent on the pedagogyand curriculum of the school [8].[9] asserts that since the central issue inarchitecture is the quality of the human habitat, thegoal of architectural education is generally directedtowards the attainment of a humane and responsiveenvironment. The extent to which this goal issuccessfully attained depends on the curriculumcontent as approved by the regulatory body andvarious polytechnics, and methods of teaching thecourses adopted by the lecturers and technologists.[10] succinctly posits that the structure of thearchitectural curriculum should aim at givingexpressions to and utilizing the factors of socioeconomic and technological transformations inNigeria.The curriculum of the ND and HND ArchitecturalTechnology programmes consists of fourcomponents;1. General Studies: These include courses in art andhumanities, mathematics and sciences, social andentrepreneurship studies. This component accountsfor a maximum of 10% of the total contact hoursfor the programme.2. Foundation Courses: These include courses in puresciences, economics, statistics and account for 1015% of the total contact hours for the programme.3. Professional Courses: These include theoreticaland practical courses in the field of study andprovide the student with cognitive and practicalskills needed to practice. Consequently, theyaccount for 70-80% of the contact hours for theprogramme.4. SIWES for ND programme: the following criteriaare used for assessment of this component; i)punctuality ii) attendance iii) general attitude towork iv) technical competence v) respect forauthority vi) interest in the field [11].The professional courses which make up thecore courses are grouped into six main areas of studyor instruction modules as follows;1. Architectural design courses2. Architectural graphics courses3. Architectural professional administration courses4. Building construction courses5. Computer courses6. Entrepreneurial/ Environmental Courses3.2. Teaching methodsGood teaching is tuition that results in usefulacquisition of knowledge. Good quality teachingrequires a good combination of subject knowledge,teaching methodology, psychology of learning and oflearners as well as astute resourceful attitudinalorientation characteristic of the teacher [12]. The1411
International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2017current teaching method in architectural technologyprogrammes in Nigeria was believed to havedeveloped in Europe and was rooted in two schools:the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Bauhaus [13]. Theformer was based on studio-oriented designeducation while the latter ushered in the lectureformat to studios and played a complimentary role asthe information acquired from the lecture series wereintended to intellectually equip the trainees in theirstudio exercises [7].Pedagogy-based training enables teachersappreciate the role of learning theory in the plan andpurpose of class activities and in the selection anduse of instructional technologies [14]. The learningtheories which represent hypothetical structuresnecessary for the assimilation and effectiveutilisation of acquired knowledge are crucial to boththe application of the teaching methods and theimplementation of the curriculum in architecturaltechnology. This implies that the strategies used toimpart knowledge and the curriculum must reflect inthe output or practice performance of thearchitectural technologist.The polytechnics have also adopted the lecturingstyle of teaching which basically involves passinginformation orally and remains the exclusive of thosein the lecturing cadre while the practical aspects ofillustrations and student physical participation arehandled by the technologists. The methods ofteaching commonly used are lecture methods,discussion methods, and the demonstration methods.The lecture formats commonly used are;1. The participatory/inquiry method2. The problem solving method3. The creative/construction method4. The case study method3.3JobrequirementperformanceandpracticeThe emphasis of this study is on the HNDgraduate of architectural technology, also referred toas the architectural technologist, and plays theprimary role of assisting the architect in renderingservices ranging from the outset to the completionand eventual handing over of all building projects tothe client. Architectural technologists are theproduction workers, converting design purpose intosubstantial information that can be conveyed to theconstruction team, thereby playing a vitalunderground role as detailers and dependable dataproviders crisscrossing design and productionboundaries [15]. [16] posits that the indices forassessing the performance of architects and byextension architectural technologists in professionalpractice refer to those criteria used to measure theextent of services rendered based on review ofliterature on their responsibilities and further statesthat no one set of criteria totally explicates theirperformance. [17] defines performance basically asCopyright 2017, Infonomics Societythe measurement of what is accomplished in reality,against what is the expected work target.The job requirement for the HND graduateentails;1. Abilitytoundertakepreliminarysiteinvestigation in relation to orientation, landscapeamong others.2. Show understanding of basic architectural designprinciples and methods.3. Assist in the design and preparation of spatialrelationship, circulation and area diagrams.4. Prepare space programmes and working drawingsfor architectural projects.5. Detail simple building components in wood,plastic, metal and concrete.6. Make presentation drawings of architecturalworks and draw detailed perspective withnecessary rendering and requisite colour scheme.7. Assist in the supervision of construction worksand make progress reports on building projects.8. Assist in the supervision of maintenance ofbuilding structures, assist with cost projectionsand targets for building projects. The graduatesare expected to exhibit proficiency in the use ofarchitectural software packages in the productionof the architectural drawings.9. Assist with cost projections and targets forbuilding projects [11]The study identified a set of criteria based on therequirements and job expectations of thearchitectural technologists by their superiors in thearchitectural firms surveyed and the following madeup the bulk of work expectations;1. Ability to make sketches based on the brief.2. Ability to effectively incorporate ideas andcomments from superiors in the design stages.3. Effectively produce presentation, perspective anddetailed drawings using appropriate software.4. Ability to produce designs that satisfy thedemands in the brief.5. Ability to produce designs based on standards.6. Ability to produce designs based on budget andcost estimates.7. Complete designs within the target time frame.8. Ability to assist in supervision of constructionworks.9. Ability to relate cordially with other members ofthe construction team.10. Ability to make progress reports.3.4. Challenges of Architectural TechnologyProgrammes in NigeriaStudies have revealed that there are numerousfactors that confront the programme in Nigeria,foremost being the attitude of the Nigerian society tothe entire polytechnic education which has continuedto devalue and relegate the programmes and productsto a pitiable state of redundancy. [18] opined that the1412
International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2017new entrants experienced gratuitous bottlenecks inthe registration and entire course of the programmewhich range from problems of accommodation toschoolwork pressures and having to work under veryinclement conditions chiefly caused by incessant anderratic power supply.The over extended period of tutelage trainingbeing part of the process of preparing and writing theProfessional Practice Examination (PPE), aprerequisite for the professional registration andcertification to practice have also been listed as oneof the challenges. [10] opined on the need for a newdirection in architectural education in Nigeria,emphasizing that the fundamental mission of a neweducational structure is to overthrow the vestiges ofthe Beaux-Arts model which outlives its relevanceafter providing the basic knowledge of architecturalstudy. The need for an educational structure relevantto the concept of architecture as a culturalphenomenon particularly at the second and terminallevel of study became necessary considering thedynamics of the Nigerian milieu.[19] stated the challenge of unemployment aftergraduation and suggested revisiting the curriculumspecifically to integrate self-employment strategies.[20] and [8] succinctly emphasised the need for animprovement in the architecture curriculum toaddress the challenges of housing inadequacies,squatter control and other environmental dilapidationissues as well as a review particularly in the designstudio to inculcate further sustainability studies withthe view to enhance environmentally-consciousdesign techniques. [21] rightly observed that thepresent arrangement has not provided the scope toenable the graduates efficiently discharge theirfunctions and train further to become experts andspecialists without unnecessary obstructions.The current universal change of educationalcurricula in most fields of human endeavour havecompelled stakeholders in the profession to clamourfor a paradigm shift in architectural educationprogramme which included a restructuring of thecurriculum to effectively respond to the challenges ofarchitectural practice in the third millenium [9], [22]and [23].graduates of the programme using the Taro Yamanesample size formula. 41 tutorial staff were surveyedfrom the 3 schools to ascertain the methods ofteaching prevalent in the schools. The interviewsfocused on teaching methods used in all threepolytechnics, assessment of performance of thegraduates in practice on a five-point scale as well aschallenges encountered. Secondary data used wereobtained from academic curriculum for architecturaltechnology programmes of the selected polytechnics,refereed journals, some reports available fromreliable internet sources and books.The data collected was analysed using methodsof frequencies, percentages and Chi square to test thesignificance of the teaching methods and coursestaught on effective performance of the graduates intheir practice.The intention of this study was to analysecourses presented in the curricula with regard to thejob requirements and expectations of the graduates toascertain their relevance to present day architecturalpractice. To effectively measure the practiceperformance of the graduates, the study examinedthe benchmark for ascertaining work expectations asstipulated in the NBTE regulated curriculum forarchitectural technology programme and the actualwork requirements and achievements in theprofessional practice.4. Research MethodologyYear grammesND/HNDofferedAccreditation FullyStatusaccreditedSource: Author, 2017The purposive sampling technique was used inthe selection of three (3) government ownedpolytechnics that offer Architectural Technologyprogramme in Nigeria. The polytechnics are theFederal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Abia StatePolytechnic, Aba, and Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic,Bori Rivers State. Primary data were obtained usingstructured interviews administered to the tutorialstaff of the selected polytechnics, and the HNDgraduates from December 2013 to October 2015working in architectural firms or freelancing. 150graduates were selected out of the 240 HNDCopyright 2017, Infonomics Society5. Findingsi.All the three departments of architecturaltechnology are in government owned polytechnicsand have been fully accredited at both the NationalDiploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND)levels by the National Board for Technical Education(NBTE) (see Table 1).Table 1. Showing background information ofselected institutionsName ofInstitutionFederalPolytechnicNekede,Owerri, ImoState1978Abia StatePolytechnicAba,AbiaState2007Ken SaroWiwaPolytechnicBori, tND/HNDFullyaccreditedFullyaccreditedii. The NBTE minimum standard provides theuniform benchmark for the curriculum contents inthe three schools, all three departments have fullyintegrated the entrepreneurial courses in line withGovernment policy, and slight variations exist withthe inclusion of architectural appreciation and theory1413
International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2017and environmental science in the first semester of theHND I and HND II programmes respectively at theFed
in the Nigerian schools of architecture is structured to have tutorial courses revolve around studio design which is the core course that carries both the highest contact hours and credit loads [7]. This is also the scenario in the architectural technology departments in polytechnics, where the design studio is both the
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