EFFECTS OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) ON THE CREATIVITY OF DESIGN STUDENTS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OFTECHNOLOGY, AKURE. NIGERIA.

Abstract

As a result of the advancement of digital technologies, intellectual discourse on the role of innovations in design and what value Computer Aided Design (CAD) brings into the equation has been on the increase. This research sought to evaluate the effect of CAD on the creative abilities of design students in Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. From the literatures reviewed, Creative Behaviours Model (CBM) was adopted. This model characterised creativity into seven sub categories namely: novelty, appropriateness, motivation, fluency, flexibility, sensitivity, and insightfulness and served as a framework for capturing the creative behaviour of the target population. The research employs a survey-based method through the use of well-structured online questionnaires. The study draws on both Students and CAD Instructors’ perceptions to help clarify the impact that the use of CAD software bears on the level of creativity in school based design work. From the data collected and analysed, some CAD software are more relevant to the respondents’ field of study than others. This could be partly because of the nature of their design work and the introduction of new software. Students offering design related courses in FUTA also agreed that CAD software are not necessarily difficult and mastery of these software is a gradual process as they progress to higher levels. The Instructors of CAD foresee an improvement in the performance of students in the CAD related courses they registered. This study projects that CAD could have a tremendous significance on student’s creative performance and more integration of CAD related courses into the curriculum of design schools in Nigeria will lead to higher competency and global competitiveness rating of future professional designers.