Neo-Pedagogical Style for Acculturating the Beginners in Architecture Schools; Psycho-social Issues

Amidst the charades of events taking place in the landscape of educational training, the search for pedagogical style for beginners to make a choice, kick start and pursue a career and practice in architecture, have been major neglected areas in most schools around the world today. The consequential effect of these have in one way or the other, endangered the vocation of many and misdirected the potentials i.e. skills, gifts, talents, and intelligences of many candidates-students along stream. These pedagogic obstacles have been linked to psycho-social forces: lack of proper guidance and counselling ethos from the early schools, unchecked infiltration of admission process, selfish-ambitious interests, misplaced priorities and assumptions by the candidate-students, parents and guardians. The National education policy (NPE) stakeholders’ i.e. National University Commission (NUC), their subsidiaries, government agencies, and other interested stakeholders need to focus on pragmatic strategies capable of salvaging the victims of these pedagogic traps. This study performed a critical observation and survey on the new entrants of 2012/2013 admitted architecture students of Covenant University as a pretested model. The analysis showed that the status quo of architectural educators, professional and other regulatory bodies of Architecture in Nigeria are yet to develop a pedagogical Style (framework) for procuring and igniting beginning students to kick start, pursue, scaffold and run their career-practice in architecture. The results showed that some parameters are missing out of place, hence, these pedagogical obstacles and traps. Further to this, some hindrances impinging on the beginners’ learning and attitudes were identified and discussed along with suggestions and pedagogic proposals which may aid the Acculturating Processe

A Framework for Sustainable Education in Nigeria: Strategies of Re-integrating Vocational Skills into Educational Curriculum

The Curriculum of education in Nigeria and some other developing countries has been based partly on the theory and in another view as virtually on academic certification. Prior to this basis, the national policy on education originally had its cardinal objective to promote the acquisition of appropriate creative skills, abilities and competence both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society. Up till now, there seemed to be no established institutional Apparatus nor did it seem likely that a sustainable curriculum would appear in the nearest future. What is emergent now, is a dynamic pedagogy that can serve the society with required diets needed for early discoveries of potentials and acquisition of ‘employable’ skills from school. In this way the ‘unemployment and ‘unemployable’ issues will be resolved within the training periods and productive professional contributions to the society can be procured after school. This study devised that a ‘dynamic mechanism’ can be strategize within the existing curriculum for schools by pragmatic approach. The existing syllabus or curriculum can be redesigned, monitored, controlled and implemented with vocational genres, capable of engendering sustainable development across all fields of human endeavour, including all civic engagements in the society. This paper, therefore, examined and drew heavily on the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the existing fundamentals of the historic-Bauhaus curriculum which form the modus operandi of most architecture schools all over the world, including Nigeria context. The results were ‘the therapeutic approach of redesigning curriculum in content and form of vocationalism, yielded strengths from the synergy of the monitored and controlled programme and feasible implementation culture by concerned stakeholders. It also generated a reasonable style of independent life in knowledge and skill acquisition required for best professional practice and right attitude to community project participation

Building Leadership Capacity for sustainable Governance in Nigeria: Lessons from Architectural Design Studio Culture

The national policy on education in Nigeria has its cardinal objective to promote the acquisition of appropriate creative skills, abilities and competence both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society. In most recent times the Nigeria educational system and governance are both at cross-road by contrast to what are obtained in developed nations of the world. Predicated on this basis that, leadership potentials can be activated and built through a systematic-induction process inherent in architectural design studio culture model (learning-by-doing, LBDM), and capable of engendering sustainable development across all fields of human endeavour, including governance. It employed mainly a feedback-mechanism based on the design studio process instruction model. The study drew heavily on the ethical values of this model to justify its potentials in enhancing leadership capacity building in Nigeria. The results revealed the values of optimism, respect, sharing, engagement, and innovation while hinged on core factors of dynamism, teamwork, specification, creativity, intelligence and innovation that are at the heart of sustainable development

Nigeria’s Education Policy: Issues of Sustainable Curriculum Development

The concerns for education sustainability have prompted debates, brainstorming, dialogues and legislations world over. The outcome of these endeavors has, in a way, favored the reduction of ‘unemployment and unemployables’ syndromes and engendered sustainability in the face of economic development forces. These syndromes have been linked to curriculum issues and educational pedagogic processes. The Nigerian education policy (NPE) stakeholders need to consider the upsurge of some other policy statements and intentions by other interest groups; which include the education strategic Plan for tertiary institution in Nigeria (ESP), ‘education for all’ (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Vision 20:2020, and Decades on Education for Sustainable Development (DESD2005-2014). This study performed critical evaluation and appraisal of development issues as highlighted in the policy statements. The analysis showed that the status quo of education curriculum is yet to have an ideology of its own when compared to the index of educational sustainability globally. Further to this, some hindrances impinging on the policy-curriculum’s realization were identified.These were identified and discussed along with suggestions and legal proposals which may aid the Vocational and Technical Education (VTE)-Dieted Policy-curriculum implementation and development

Navigating Metaphorical Expressions through Design Problem Solving: A Perspective of Design Critic in a Creative Economy

In the school of creativity, Metaphors are tools and weapons that designers employs during intellectual navigation to understand unfamiliar design problems and are as useful as criticism to an art-teacher in portfolio grading, assessment and examination. A connecting thread is found by juxtaposing metaphor and criticism in which a creative end is reached for both the Art-teachers and students in academe and practice. Thus in a developing economy where design endeavor gains nobility, a creative product emerges and retrieving concepts from metaphors necessitates creative thinking. While the importance of these creative tools has been acknowledged in design, more research work is needed to appreciate its contribution to design practice. This investigation is aimed at building a connecting thread resilient enough to create a synergy between the uses of metaphor in design criticism and meaningful design problem solving with a particular focus on design creativity. Overt meaning of metaphorical expressions, factors of creativity and constructive criticism were interpolated into a holistic value. Critical evaluation showed that the connection of metaphor and criticism is the most significant factor characterizing design evolution and creativity. On the other hand, the synthesis of design solutions is the stronger factor of the use of metaphors. Evaluation in this paper demonstrates that correct use of metaphorical expressions play an important role in design creativity. Theoretical discourse analysis of metaphorical expressions in design problems was the screen that showed unique contributions of criticism to individual potential discoveries and general creativity by design problem solving in a dynamic econom

Curriculum Issues on Sustainable Development: Dynamics for Nigeria’s Education Policy

The concerns for education sustainability have prompted debates, brainstorming, dialogues and legislations world over. The outcome of these endeavors has, in a way, favored the reduction of ‘unemployment and unemployables’ syndromes and engendered sustainability in the face of economic development forces. These syndromes have been linked to curriculum issues and educational pedagogic processes. The Nigerian education policy (NPE) stakeholders need to consider the upsurge of some other policy statements and intentions by other interest groups; which include the education strategic Plan for tertiary institution in Nigeria (ESP), ‘education for all’ (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Vision 20:2020, and Decades on Education for Sustainable Development (DESD2005-2014). This study performed critical evaluation and appraisal of development issues as highlighted in the policy statements. The analysis showed that the status quo of education curriculum is yet to have an ideology of its own when compared to the index of educational sustainability globally. Further to this, some hindrances impinging on the policy-curriculum’s realization were identified.These were identified and discussed along with suggestions and legal proposals which may aid the Vocational and Technical Education (VTE)-Dieted Policy-curriculum implementation and developmen

Assessment of the Impact of Circulation Design on Guests’ Satisfaction with Hotel facilities in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

As is true for all service industries, achieving customer satisfaction is a critical component of the success of hotel business. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of guests’ satisfaction with circulation design overall satisfaction with hotel facilities in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It was motivated by the dearth of published empirical literature on this subject from the Nigerian perspective. A questionnaire survey involving 103 guests drawn from three hotels was conducted between December 2015 and January 2016 in the study area. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor and categorical regression analyses. The result reveals that the guests were more satisfied with internal circulation than external circulation in the hotels. The main sources of dissatisfaction were poor usage of signage to direct pedestrian and vehicular traffic; the lack of pedestrian walkways; and poor access to outdoor recreational facilities within the premises of the hotels. The respondents understood the 35 variables used in assessing guests’ satisfaction with circulation in the hotels from five different dimensions of satisfaction with the location of circulation elements and ancillary facilities; satisfaction with access to ancillary facilities; satisfaction with access to circulation elements; satisfaction with the size and shape of circulation elements; and satisfaction with the use of signage and landscaping elements. However, satisfaction with the location of circulation elements and ancillary facilities, access to ancillary facilities and circulation elements; and the use of signage and landscaping elements emerged as the strongest predictors of satisfaction with hotel facilities. The study implies that to ensure improved customer satisfaction with hotel facilities, adequate attention should be given to the use of signage to direct human and vehicular traffic, provision of pedestrian walkways, and access to outdoor recreational facilities. Keywords: Customer Satisfaction, Hotel facilities, Circulation design, Survey, Port Harcour

Simulated Combined Earthquake and Dead Load Lateral Resistance Building Systems using Nigeria Seismic Data

This study investigated the effects of combined earthquake and dead load on a simulated lateral load resistance building systems. An eight-floor level steel building was modelled in SAP2000, and analysed using seismic information obtained from an earthquake which occurred at Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study was based on a selected magnitude of earthquake by considering the highest magnitude ever experienced in Nigeria which was within 4 – 4.9 (light earthquake category).The building was analysed under bracing and shear wall systems, and it was checked for a maximum deflection and inter-storey drift not exceeding 500 mm and 2% respectively. From the analysis conducted, it was inferred that eccentric bracings are better than concentric bracings in dissipating energy under seismic conditions, short link eccentric bracings provide more stiffness than long link eccentric bracings hence in order to quickly achieve the requirements of a maximum deflection of 500 mm or below and a maximum inter-storey drift of two per cent or below, short links bracings were used which require lesser number of elements compared to long link bracing thus leading to a more economical solution

Architecture Students' Perception of their Learning Environment and their Academic Performances

Scholars have agreed that the way students perceive their learning environment influences their academic performances. Empirical studies that focus on architecture students are however very scarce. This is the gap that an attempt has been made to fill in this study. A questionnaire survey of 273 students in a school of architecture in Nigeria provided data for this pilot study. The perceptions of the students were best defined by the involvement of the students in their studies, their perceived support and conduciveness of the learning environment. The students' perceptions of their learning environment varied with their years of study, ages, and gender. Their perceptions of inflexibility of schedule, positive assessment, and fairness influenced the overall grades of the students. The results suggest the aspects of learning environment that can be manipulated by architectural educators to improve performances of their students. The study of the learning environment of architecture students still appears to be relatively unexplored. The value of this study therefore lies in its exploration of the perceptions of the learning environment from the point of view of students