framework for the implementation of a virtual design studio model in ...

the UAEU for the purpose of collecting information about the use of
technology, learning methods, and teaching methods. The researcher
notes that there are five design courses and one graduation project in
the department of architecture in the UAEU. In other words, the students
study a design course in each semester of their study period in the
university.
The researcher observed there is a considerable amount of interest in
the use of technology in teaching revealed by the availability of several
computer labs in both men's and women‟s campuses – see appendix C
– with the ratio of students to computers being approximately 4:1.
Both men‟s and women‟s campuses contain what is called a Model-
Making lab. The lab supports all design courses and an elective course
of Model-Making. It is a very useful facility that has enabled students to
produce more accurate models of challenging architectural designs.
The university also houses nine traditional design studios, three at the
women‟s campus and six at the men‟s campus. These labs are
equipped with Pentium 4 processors and enabled with advanced
software such as ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max and FormZ,
which are all the latest products as far as drawing technologies, are
concerned.
The researcher also observed the existence of the CAVE technology. In
CAVE, the student feels the experience – not just sees it. CAVE allows
the student to visualise the 2D drawings in a 3D walk-through immersive
environment. An instructor walks through a design with his student and
critiques the design, discusses modifications, and leaves behind
markers with annotations to record specific suggestions for later design
modification. CAVE also allows experimenting with new instructional
concepts that are not currently possible with either traditional or CAD-
based computer graphics techniques. CAVE technology is an advanced
technological tool that is developed for the UAEU. 271 The CAVE is built
of white wooden walls by several projectors to imitate the technology of
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