The role of computer-aided design in the learning of practical 3D-descriptive geometry: a case study

There are a number of problems surrounding the teaching of
practical 3-D descriptive geometry to children in secondary
education, notably the difficulty pupils have with visualising
an object's form from orthographic views, and the interpretation
of an object's geometric attributes into the descriptive
geometry representation.
The purpose of the current research is to evaluate the use of
computer-aided design in this area of the curriculum and is
based upon work undertaken in a North London comprehensive school. The school and its context is described and evaluated.
Theories of child development and educational psychology of
relevance to the study are reviewed, notably the work of Piaget, Bryant, Gagne, and Freeman.
The history and nature of 3-D descriptive geometry is reviewed
in practice and in education, with special reference to various
methods employed in instruction.
Dr. J. Vince's PICASO SYSTEM of computer subroutines and
functions written in FORTRAN for graphic applications is
explained as a means of teaching the subject, with special
reference to the researcher's own instructional material and
computer programs. The use and effectiveness of these teaching materials are related and evaluated in the light of students' performance and results.
The research concludes that the special benefits of computer
graphics in this field are: the economic production of
appropriate didactic material under the direct control of the
teacher, increased pupil motivation due to the use of better
illustration and the interest generated by computer-aided design project work. and an opportunity to employ analytic geometry to support learning. Its limitations include: the high cost of the computer and peripheral devices, and the lack of a facility for modelling objects by the removal of solid volumes in the existing software. Further research is recommended in the areas of computer graphics, descriptive geometry, and psychology.