1

CHALLENGES OF TEACHING COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN AND COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURING IN BOTSWANA’S SENIOR SECONDARY

SCHOOLS

Patrick Tlalelo Mmokele, University of Botswana, BotswanaRichie Moalosi, University of Botswana, Botswana

ABSTRACTThe aim of the study was to investigate challenges of teaching Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools. The idea of introducing CAD/CAM in Schools came about in 1992, when a National Commission of Education which was set up to assess the country’s education system and advice on ways of improving it such that it could meet the country’s changing socio-economic demands. As part of the recommendation of the Commission, a programme for Senior Schools was developed for Design and Technology that was to prepare students for the demands of the technological world of the 21st century which included CAD/CAM. The programme was supposed to expose learners to a range of manufacturing knowledge, skills and processes. Thereafter, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development supplied CAD/CAM equipment to all the Senior Secondary Schools and to this end the learning area has not been taught. This study was undertaken in two Southern Botswana regions due to their proximity to the researcher. Data was collected through a cross-sectional survey which involved all the Design and Technology teachers. Interviews were conducted with CAD/CAM specialists at the University of Botswana, Botswana University of Science and Technology and Principal Education Officers responsible for Design and Technology in the selected regions. The data analysis stage adopted seven steps of mixed method data analysis: data reduction, data display, data transformation, data correlation, data consolidation, data comparison, and data integration. The results identified some of the following challenges which include pedagogy, lack of consultation with relevant stakeholders, negligence on the part of the teachers, and lack of proper training and in-service of teachers. There was also little benchmarking which was conducted prior to introducing the equipment in schools as well as lack of knowledge in the subject area and inadequate monitoring by some Education Officers. This resulted in most equipment supplied being incomplete or not working at all.

Keywords: Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacturing, Design and Technology, Senior Secondary Schools, Botswana

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the study was to investigate the challenges of teaching CAD and CAM in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools. Currently, the learning area in the syllabus is not being taught in schools. In 1992, his Excellency the former President of the Republic of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire set up a Commission of Education to look into the education system and advice on ways of improving it such that it could meet the changing socio-economic demands of the country. This was after the realisation that the education system which was commissioned in 1977 was more agro-based and the country was getting more industrialised (Botswana Government, 1993 or 1992 please verify correct year). It was found that the means of production in Botswana was more labour intensive and the prospect of industrialisation needed skilled manpower.

1

2

The introduction of CAD/CAM into the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) was in a way developing the students to venture into the modern efficient and, more productive capital intensive mode of production from the slow labour intensive mode of production. This mode of production has in it, quality of the goods produced because of its precision. CAD/CAM uses computer generated designs which are more precise and of good quality than those which have been hand crafted. Despite these noble aims of introduction CAD/CAM in school, the learning area has not been fully-taught in schools even though machinery and other related equipment has been supplied to all senior secondary schools. It is against the background that the paper investigates some of the challenges which hinder the teaching of this subject area.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Different sources define CAD and CAM in the context of their use and relationship in the production of artefacts. CAD is defined as the “application of computers and software to aid or enhance the product design from the conceptualisation to documentation.” (Jassi, 2012, n.p.); Grabowski, (2000, n.p.) define it as “the modelling or defining software where engineers produce two or three dimensional drawing of different parts of a product.” The system enables the designers to complete the entire process of modelling, part assembly, drafting, die design, tool design and the analysis to the entire designing process (Jassi, 2012, n.p.). It enables the designers to test the production process, simulate before production which has been viewed as its advantage over other forms of designing. Other advantages include: To1. increase the productivity. This is because of its ability to enable engineers to work faster

and accurately.2. improve the quality of the design which is increased by the accuracy of the software in

measurements. This is sometimes difficult to do with traditional drawing board approach to design.

3. uniform design standards. Since that the one design can be done and used over and over without experiencing changes on the design makes the standards of production high and uniform products.

4. create a manufacturing data base. The data base that is created makes it possible for future reference.

5. eliminate inaccuracies caused by hand-copying of drawings and inconsistency between drawings (www.mapeng.net, 2011).

When the analysis is done and modifications made the design is then transferred to the Computer Numerated Control (CNC) machine for production of the part. The CNC machine produces the part that was designed using CAD, the process is called CAM. CAM is defined by Valentino (2008, n.p.) as “a system of automatically producing finished products by using computer controlled production machines.” The computer is used for the process of manufacturing planning and processes like planning different operations to be done in the product, sequencing all the operations and finally control the machine parameters like feed, speed, depth of cut etcetera (Jassi, 2012, n.p.), According to him, the advantages of CAM are to:1. improve productivity and lead time reduction; 2. reduce engineering personal requirements;

2

3

3. improve accuracy of product; 4. provide the potential of using more existing parts and tooling; 5. helps ensure design is appropriate to existing manufacturing techniques.

The rationale for teaching CAD/CAM in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools is based on the 21st century technological development that emphasises on the integration of computers in the curriculum. In D&T, CAD/CAM was viewed as a way of enhancing technology education to suit modern economic developments. The modern mode of production is focused on innovation, competition and globalisation (Ministry of Education, 2009). CAD/CAM is relatively new and it was brought into the manufacturing world because of the capabilities it has (Jassi, 2012). The other important aspect of the learning area and its relevance to D&T is its ability to develop students’ problem solving skills, and the experience they acquire through the logical sequence of the programming that builds their organisational skills.

Other countries such as Britain and Canada have integrated CAD/CAM into their curriculum for a long time ago. In the British curriculum, the programme is compulsory for all students doing D&T. The GCSE projects have CAD/CAM concepts incorporated into them as it has been viewed as a way of improving performance. The Canadian programme is arranged in stages which are developmental and sequential. The students gain the experience of design before they can do a major CAD/CAM project.

Though CAD/CAM is important, there are some problems that are associated with it. There is a problem of pedagogical approach which makes the programme not to run smoothly in some instances. There are so many software’s available and it is sometimes difficult to choose the right one for students. This is due to the marketing and pricing which play a leading role in purchasing than the capabilities of the software (Sokat et al., 2011; James, 2011).

Other problems include lack of resources, readiness of the teachers to teach CAD/CAM. The fact that CAD/CAM is more command based and it forces the students to learn through memorization and this makes it difficult to apply the skills learnt on one software to the other. Other scholars believe that CAD/CAM has replaced the traditional design technique which kills the designing aspect of D&T (Hatib Musta’amal, Norman & Hodgson 2008; Fraser & Hudson 2007; Hudson & Fraser, 2005). Eggelton (2000) warns that care must be taken not to replace the traditional design techniques with CAD/CAM design techniques as the design is done by the computer with the user just keying in coordinates that are entered using memorised commands.

METHODOLOGY

The study surveyed all D&T teachers in the ten senior secondary schools because of the limited numbers. There were 48 teachers targeted and only 40 responded. Interviews were conducted with CAD/CAM specialists comprising of lecturers at the University of Botswana and technicians who use both EMCO and Boxford software. Principal Education Officers responsible for D&T in the selected regions were interviewed in order to establish the challenges related to the teaching of CAD/CAM at schools. The reason for using interviews for data collection is that “an interview is a particularly effective method for gathering data about individuals. The data gathered through an interview includes subjective thoughts and reasoning, emotions and past

3

4

experiences. Interviews have the advantage of being able to gather first-hand information from a source of interest” (Verial. 2012, n.p.). The data analysis followed the seven steps of mixed method data analysis by Onweuebuzie and Teddlie, (2001) in Ary et al (2010, p. 565). These are: data reduction,data display, data transformation, data correlation, data consolidation, data comparison and data integration. This study integrated data into a coherent whole. These steps enabled the research to answer the research questions

FINDINGS

The challenges of teaching CAD/CAM

Resources

Figure 1 presents the results on the availability of CAD/CAM equipment in schools.

Figure 1: Availability of CAD/CAM equipment

The results show that there is CAD/CAM equipment in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools. The responses from the survey shows that 35% strongly agree and 30% agree that the equipment is there in schools. The total percentage of teachers who agree that the equipment is there is 65%. There is a considerable percentage of teachers (35%) who are either not aware that there is CAD/CAM equipment or the fact that it is not working and they feel it is the same as not been there.

Figure 2 presents the results on the teachers’ views on the number of computers for teaching CAD/CAM and Figure 3 presents the results on the availability of the software.

4

5

Figure 2: Availability of computers Figure 3: Availability of CAD/CAM software

On the number of computers used for teaching CAD/CAM, the respondents expresed that the computers are not enough. The departments were supplied with one server, two CAM computers and ten other computers, a printer and a scanner. Figure 2 shows that 47.5% of the repondents strongly disagree that they are enough and 35% disagree. This bring the total percentage of those who do not agree to 82.5%. A D&T class in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools is made up of students not exeeding 20. If the students can work in pairs on their projects, then the computers are enough.

On the availability of the CAD/CAM software; the results show that 60% of the teachers strongly disagree that there is CAD/CAM software in the computers and 25.7% disagree that it is installed. The total percentage of teachers who believe that the software is not installed in the computers is 85.7%. On the same issue, the PEO II in-service pointed out that he has noted that some teachers have the passion to work with CAD/CAM and the problem they face is that of the software has not been installed. He also acknowledged that there is a confusion of duties within the different departments. He said “there was misunderstanding between Secondary Department and Department of Curriculum on the supply of the software.” The other Department said “...the supplier went away for a long time and upon his return he informed us that the software is “absolute.”

Figure 4 presents results on the commissioning of the machines and Figure 5 presents the availability of the CAD/CAM tools.

Figure 4: Commissioning of Figure 5: Availability CAD/CAMthe equipment tools

The machines were commissioned in only 3 schools, one school in the South region and two in the South Central region. The schools that have the machines commissioned in the South Central are in Gaborone and the one in the South region is a new school which started operations in 2010. The teachers are adamant that the equipment is not commissioned as 65% strongly disagree and 19% disagrees that the equipment is commissioned. The total percentage of teachers who disagree that the machines are commissioned is 84%. The PEO IIs said,

5

6

I once contacted the Department of Electrical, Building and Engineering Services (DEBES) when I was still a teacher to commission the machines but they informed me that the installation of any new equipment must be done by the Supplier.

The other PEO II said, “I would not really be sure because it is entirely upon the schools to follow up whether their machines are commissioned because commissioning involves making sure that the machines can run, whether they have been licensed and the documents are in place.”

With regards to the availability of CAD/CAM tools, 48.4% of the teachers strongly disagree that the CAM tools are available and 32.3% disagreeing. This brings the total percentage of teachers who disagree that the tools are not available to 80.7%. The PEO II in-service went on to explain that he contacted the Rural Industries Innovation Centre to commission the machines “...but when they moved around to make an audit of the machines, in some schools the parts of the machines were missing.”

The other PEO II said “...some of the tools that were supplied were too big, some were long and the supplier went away for a long time to get the correct sizes.... Some tools were never replaced.”

Figure 6 present the results on the software constant update

Figure 1: Software constant update

The results show that 95% strongly disagree that the software is constantly updated and 5% disagree. All the respondants revealed that the software has never been updated. This shows that the software never gets any updates. This is because there is no internet connectivity in the Design and Technology departments.

Training and intervention

Figure 7 presents the results on teachers’ knowledge of CAD/CAM.

6

7

Figure 2: Training on CAD/CAM

The results show that 15% of the respondents strongly agree that they have been trained to teach CAD/CAM and 20% agree. This brings the total percentage of teachers who have been trained to teach CAD/CAM to 35%. The lecturer concurred with the 35% responses that the teachers have been trained to teach the learning area. He said “when teachers are introduced to one CAD/CAM package, they should be able to explore other related packages in industry or in schools.” The Technician also concurred with the lecturer that “the programme offered to teachers during training is enough for them to handle the learning area in schools...” The PEOs agreed with the 65% of the teachers that training is not adequate for the teachers to handle the learning area in schools. One of them said “teachers are not properly resourced in the area which makes it difficult for them to teach the learning area.”

Figure 8 presents results on the confidence of the teachers in teaching CAD/CAM and Figure 9 presents the results on teachers’ confidence on working with EMCO machines

Figure 8. Teachers’ confidence Figure 9. Teachers’ confidence on

on teaching CAD/CAM EMCO machines

The results show that 5% of the respondents strongly agree that they can teach the learning area comfortably and 5% agree. This shows that 10% of the teachers can teach CAD/CAM comfortably to students. The results on confidence of using EMCO machines show that 68% of the teachers strongly disagree that they can use EMCO comfortably while 25% disagree. This brings the total percentage of the teachers who do not have confidence in using EMCO machines to 93%. There are teachers who agree (7%) though with no confidence that they can use EMCO machines. The PEOs concurred saying “some teachers were not acquainted with

7

8

the model that was supplied to schools, EMCO.” “...there was no one to take the teachers on-board to use EMCO.”

Figure 10 presents the results on teachers’ request for training by schools.

Figure 3. Request for training by schools

The results show that 50% of the teachers strongly disagree that they have or requested in-service from Regional Education Offices as schools and 18% disagree. The total percentage of the respondents who disagree that they have requested for in-service is 68%.

The results presented by Figure 11 are on the assistance given by Principal Education Officers II when teachers request for help on the teaching of CAD/CAM. Figure 12 shows the response of the teachers on in-service training workshops held in their areas.

Figure 11. PEOs’ assistance Figure 12: In-service workshops held

The results show that 77.5% of the respondents strongly disagree that the PEOs do not offer assistance and 22.5% disagree. The total percentage of the respondents who disagree that the PEOs assist them is 100%. When asked about in-service on CAD/CAM, the respondents expressed that they have not been in-serviced on CAD/CAM, 80% strongly disagree that they have been in-serviced and 12.5% disagree. The total percentage of the respondents who disagree that they have been in-serviced is 91.43%. PEO II in-service agrees that there is no adequate in-service done for teachers. He further said that, “I have in a number of occasions tried to mount a longer training programme but the government could not afford the expenditure.”...because one or two weeks workshops are not

8

9

adequate for equipping teachers with the necessary skills. “...the problems in junior secondary schools are so many that I have diverted my attention to helping them.”

Figure 13 presents the response of the teachers on the issue of training

Figure 13: Teachers should be trained to teach CAD/CAM

The results indicate that 92.5% strongly agree that teachers need to be trained on CAD/CAM while 5% strongly disagree that teachers should be trained to teach CAD/CAM. PEO IIs and the Technician mentioned that teachers have not been trained to use EMCO system. This according to them led to the teachers ignoring the learning area in the syllabus. The Technician said “...the teachers need to be trained on the learning area.” One PEO II said “there is need for more training.” The other one said “I tried requesting the Ministry to send some people for training on EMCO to Austria but the problem was finance.”The lecturer argues that “there is no continuity in order to enhance what is learnt at the University.” He mentioned that CAD/CAM needs practicing so that the teachers can discover new things and develop skills in the learning area. Usually when teachers get back to schools they do not continue with CAD/CAM and this results in them losing touch and forgetting what they have learnt.The Technician said, “the course needs hands on experience citing that if the teacher trainees do not use it more frequently ... they are bound to forget.”

DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONDiscussions

The importance of teaching CAD/CAM in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools was drawn from its economic importance of transforming the country from the agro-based mode of production to industrial based mode of production. The 1994 Education Policy was meant to prepare Batswana for the world of work and the skills of production that are found in CAD/CAM are relevant to produce modernised manpower; manpower that can address the technological demands of the modern economy.

The National Strategy of Botswana (2009) acknowledged that the economy emphases on factor-driven mode of development which is characterised by unskilled manpower and natural resource exploration. It called for more focus on efficiency driven-mode of production which emphasises on higher education and training, market efficiency and technological readiness. The education system that is required must instil into the students the ability to be innovative, productive and competitive. CAD/CAM with its ability to train students’ technological awareness, instil the

9

10

essence of innovativeness, productiveness and globally competitive manpower once they join the world of work, as enshrined by Vision 2016 and help the students to improve the products of Small, Medium Micro Enterprises (SMME).

CAD/CAM system develops students’ problem solving and teamwork skills which are necessary in the engineering and technology industries. It instils into the students the ability to generalise, apply and synthesis the concept learned. It is essential in the education system because students are taught what is essential for the outside world.

Problems encountered when teaching CAD/CAM?The following challenges have been identified as contributory factors to CAD/CAM not being taught in Botswana’s Senior Secondary Schools.

a. The initial procurement of the package for schools was not properly done. This led to the Suppliers taking advantage and supplying incomplete packages.

b. The machines are not commissioned in most schools which makes teaching CAD/CAM very difficult. This has also hindered the continuity in practicing CAD/CAM by teachers who complete from various universities so that they can learn more and stay on track.

c. Monitoring is not adequately done. D&T is a specialised subject that needs officers whose background is in the subject area. The current set up of grouping subjects and allocating none D&T officers to monitor the subject makes it difficult for officers to provide concrete advice and feedback.

d. The duties of different officers concerning the implementation of policies seem confusing. The role of the Department of Inspectorate which is basically to identify the grey areas on the syllabus seems to misplace the D&T officers in the department. The officers seem to be fault finders and not capacity builders.

e. There are presently many CAD/CAM softwares’ in the market. Some software’s are complex for students use (James, 2011). Care must be taken when purchasing software’s’ to avert some of the experiences currently facing Botswana’s schools. EMCO system is not appropriate for students at senior secondary schools level. Its programming which is manual is not appropriate for students who are beginners in the field.

f. There is no collaboration between the stakeholders. The Ministry, the teachers and the University of Botswana have not collaborated to see to it that the learning area is started despite the expenditure incurred.

Conclusion An office at Ministry Management level must be created and occupied by an officer with knowledge about D&T in order to link the regions and deal with issues of procurement. The officer in-charge should identify a company that can audit the machines in all the schools and then compare the cost of upgrading or repairing the machines against auctioning all machines and buying new user friendly machines.

PEOs and a selected number of teachers who will be from different regions must be trained as specialists who will be used to train other teachers. These officers with the knowledge of the learning area can be used for benchmarking in countries that have already been teaching the programme. The most important aspect of benchmarking must be to identify the country’s best

10

11

practices and make them relevant to the curriculum of Botswana. Besides, a policy must be developed with a time-frame in order to have a systematic implementation strategy which will guide the teachers. This will enable proper monitoring and follow-up support by the PEOs.

Finally, D&T is a highly specialised subject and the teachers remain generalists. This has not disadvantaged CAD/CAM alone. The Ministry’s vision of creating schools of excellence will require teachers who are experts in the different technology fields. The other point that makes D&T a peculiar subject is the restructuring of the syllabus which will be introduced in 2014. It has been divided into three areas, resistant materials, graphical communications and controlled technology. This set up is going to require teachers who are specialised in different areas. The study recommends that teachers should choose one or two areas to specialise in when they go for their Bachelor degree courses. Though trained as D&T teachers they should specialise in one of the technology fields which include electronics, pneumatics, structures, mechanisms, CAD/CAM, etcetera.

REFERENCES

Ary, D., Jacobs, L. & Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to research in education (8th Ed). New York: Wardsworth.Botswana Government. (1977). Report on the national commission of education. Gaborone, Botswana: Government Printers.Botswana Government. (1993). Reports of the national commission on education. Gaborone, Botswana: Government Printers.Botswana Government. (1994). Revised national policy on education. Gaborone Botswana: Governmant Printers.Education, Research Center (2007). Technology implementation in schools: Key Factors to consider. Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=187.EMCO Group. (1996). EMCO Win NC EMCO TRONIC T2 manual. Austria: Hallien. Retrieved from http://www.emco-world.com/uploads/tx.../emcotronic_Turn_En_F.p.EMCO Group. (1998). EMCO Win NC EMCO TRONIC M2 manual. Austria: Hallien. Retrieved from http://www.emco-world.com/uploads/tx.../emcotronic_Mill_En_G.p.Family Health International. (2005). Qualitative research methods: A data collector’s field guide. Retrieved from http://www.parkdatabase.org/files/documents/Qualitative-Research-Methods_A-Data-Collectors-Field-Guide.pdf.Fraser, A. & Hodgson, T. 2007. Computer aided design : Implications for pupil attainment and assessment. IN: Norman, E.W.L. & Spendlove, D. (eds.). The Design and Technology Association International Research Conference 2007, University of Wolverhampton, Telford Campus, 4,5,6 July. Wellesbourne : The Design and Technology Association, pp. 21-26. Retrieved from http://www.iteea.org/Conference/pattproceedings.htm.Fullwood, J. (2003). CAD/CAM in schools. The Journal of Design and Technology Education. 7(1). pp 46-53. Retrieved from http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JDTE/article/view/450.Grabowski, R. (2000). Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Retrieved from http://autocww.colorado.edu/~toldy2/E64ContentFiles/ComputersElectronics/ComputerAidedDesignCAD,CAM.html.Hodgson T & Fraser A ( 2005) The impact of computer aided design and manufacture

11

12

(CAD/CAM) on school-based design work. In E W L Norman, D Spendlove and P Grover (Eds). Inspire and educate, D&T Association International Research Conference 2005, The Design & Technology Association: Wellesbourne, UK, 95-106. Retrieved from http://www.iteea.org/Conference/pattproceedings.htm.Intellecta.net. (2012). CAD/CAM in schools. Retrieved from http://www.intellecta.net/CAD_CAM_in_schools.pdf. James, T. (2012). The advantsges and disadvantages of CAD.CAM. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_10002481_advantages-disadvantages-cadcam.html.Jassi, N. (2012, August 25). Computer aided designing. Retrieved from http://cadcamfunda.com/cad_computer_aided_design.Whose time has come. Educational Researcher October 2004 (33)7. Pp.14-26. Doi: 10.3102/0013189x033007014.Lin, T., Sharif Ullah, .A. & . Harib, H. (2006). On the effective teaching of CAD/CAM at the undergraduate level. Journal of Computer-Aided Design & Applications, 3(1-4), 331-339. Retrieved from http://cadanda.homestead.com/CAD_A_3_1-4_36.PDF.Limpanitgul, T. (2009). Methodological considerations in a quantitative study examining the relationship between job attitudes and citizen behaviours. Retrieved from http://www.edamba.eu/userfiles/file/Limpanitgul%20Thanawut.pdf.Ministry of Education and Skills Development (1996). Botswana general certificate of secondary education: teaching syllabus, design and technology. Gaborone, Botswana: Government Printers.Ministry of Education and Skills Development (2009, September). National human resource development strategy. Gaborone Botswana: Ministry on Education.Newfoundland and Labrador Education Department (2009, September). Design and fabrication: curriculum guide (interim). Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/skilledtrades/DesignFab2202_fullsept09.pdf.Rutland, M. (2003). The inclusion of food technology as an aspect of technology education inthe English school curriculum: A critical review. Retrieved from http://www.iteaconnect.org/Conference/PATT/PATT15/Rutland.pdf.Sotak, V., Kunik, M. & Sotak, R (2011). How to teach CAD system? Journal of Technology and Information Education, 3(2), 22- 27. Retrieved from http://www.jtie.upol.cz/clanky_2_2011/sotak.pdf.Tongco, M. (2007). Purposive sampling as a tool for informant selection. Ethnobotany Research and Application, 5, 147-158. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10125/227.Valentino, J. (2008). What is CAD/CAM. Retrieved from http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/techascend/techascend_sourcebook_cad-cam.pdf.Verial, D. (2012). Research methods in qualitative research. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com.Watson, L., Wadsworth, A., Daniels, R. & Wonnacott. G. (2004). Design and technology accommodation in secondary schools. London: TSO. Retrieved from http://www.bexley.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=5087&p=0.www.cadazz.com. (2004a). CAD software history, 1960s. Retrieved from http://www.cadazz.com/cad-software-history.htm.www.mapeng.net. (2011). Introduction to CAD/CAM. Retrieved from http://www.mapeng.net/Files/paper/Introduction_to_CAD.pdf.

12