An Investigation on the Effect of Drawing Techniques towards Students’ Performance and Perception in Architectural Education

ABSTRACT Emerging technologies allow digital production to be used within the initial stages of architectural design. The design process, in which drawing is the main tool, is affected with the rapid increase of digital production in the building sector and increasing awareness on digital drawing and production/fabrication is an undeniable fact of 21st century. In this context, the article investigates the status of hand (manual) and computer (digital) based drawings in architectural education; the students' perceptions and its effects on their performances. A case study -within the context of the Construction Systems II course given at the Architecture Department of Çankaya University-has been conducted to evaluate/quantify the students’ perceptions in order to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of hand and computer based drawings. Positive correlations of the familiarity to the drawing tool with easy correction of mistakes and relation of familiarity to the drawing tool with time management is observed. Based on the research; there is not a significant difference between hand based or computer based tools regarding spent time for the work in student practices; however, the process regarding revision, correction, or composition of drawing decreases time spent in computer aided drawing. Consequentlyit has been noticed that as the capability in drawing tool increased, the class performance of students increased too. The outcomes of the case study based on observations, evaluation, questionnaires and analysis covering an academicterm, are discussed in detail within the scope of the article.