While the changing nature of design activity is a topic supported by a range of popular and academic publications, the role that design tools have taken in that change is less well studied. The tools used in the trade, both by industrial designers and mechanical engineers, have undergone a rapid transformation in the last fifty years. The research…

Design and drafting are subjects long taught in technology education, and subjects that retain high status in the profession. Admittedly, since the initial publication of Standards for Technological Literacy in 2000, design has taken on a larger role and meaning in the technology education profession. However, design continues to be delivered…

Drafters must be detail-oriented people. The objects they draw are interpreted and then built with the extreme precision required by today's manufacturers. Now that computer-aided drafting (CAD) has taken over the drafting profession, anything less than exact precision is unacceptable. In her drafting classes, the author expects her students to…

A Delphi panel of 15 experts determined that (1) computer-assisted drafting (CAD) and traditional drafting are complementary; (2) differences in teaching strategies related to use of computers versus traditional drafting instruments; and (3) traditional drafting knowledge and skills are very important for CAD. (SK)

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of teaching multiview and pictorial drawing using traditional methods and using computer-aided drafting (CAD). Research used a quasi-experimental design; subjects were 37 full- and part-time undergraduate students in industrial technology or technology education courses. The students were…

Engineering design graphics education has come a long way in the past two decades. The emergence of solid geometric modeling technology has become the focal point for the graphical development of engineering design ideas. The main attraction of this 3-D modeling approach is the downstream application of the data base to analysis and…

This paper outlines the work in progress undertaken by the School of Engineering Technology faculty to identify, assess, and develop a course to address the depth and breadth of drafting/plan preparation and plan reading skills required by the various engineering technology programs offered at Youngstown State University. The methodology used to…

Graphical plans for construction of machinery and architecture have evolved over the last 6,000 years beginning from hieroglyphics to drawings on printable media, from the "Golden Age" of engineering graphics to the innovation of computer graphics and prototyping. The evolution of engineering design graphics as a profession has also evolved. Years…

This article describes the AutoCAD Laboratory at Hawaii's Kamehameha Secondary Schools, offering the perspective of the AutoCAD instructor and Technology Department Head, looking at a day in the AutoCAD Laboratory, and explaining how teaching students about computer-assisted design and drafting can prepare them for college or careers. (SM)

This teacher's guide contains 11 units of instruction for a course on computer electronics and computer-assisted drafting (CAD) using a personal computer (PC). The course covers the following topics: introduction to electronic drafting with CAD; CAD system and software; basic electronic theory; component identification; basic integrated circuit…

This teacher's guide contains nine units of instruction for a course on computer-assisted pipe drafting. The course covers the following topics: introduction to pipe drafting with CAD (computer-assisted design); flow diagrams; pipe and pipe components; valves; piping plans and elevations; isometrics; equipment fabrication drawings; piping design…

This document is intended to help education and training institutions deliver the Machine Tool Advanced Skills Technology (MAST) curriculum to a variety of individuals and organizations. MAST consists of industry-specific skill standards and model curricula for 15 occupational specialty areas within the U.S. machine tool and metals-related…

This instructor's manual contains 13 units of instruction for a course on mechanical drafting with options for using computer-aided drafting (CAD). Each unit includes some or all of the following basic components of a unit of instruction: objective sheet, suggested activities for the teacher, assignment sheets and answers to assignment sheets,…

This teaching guide was developed to help technical education teachers present courses on computer-assisted drafting (CAD). The guide is aimed at helping students learn to use computers and work with disk operating systems and files at a faster pace. The eight units of instruction include some or all of the following basic components of a unit of…

The Technology Edu-Camp described in this report was held in July of 1988 at Arkansas State Technical Institute. Purposes were: to provide vocational instructors an opportunity to expand their knowledge and understanding of the needs of technical occupations; to upgrade their technical skills; and to develop lesson materials for courses in…