Comparison between Visual Thinking using Computer and Conventional Essay

Comparison between Visual Thinking using Computer and Conventional Media - Essay Example This research states that the utilisation of three-dimensional computer-aided design has developed into a routine practice in most design fields including architecture, engineering, archaeology and conservation. Besides these professions, computer aided design has also found much use in science, technology and medical studies. A comparison of the concept generation stage of design between computer-aided design and traditional design is a particularly interesting field of study. Research has been done into computer-aided conceptual design which has been undertaken with quite successful results adoptable to industrial design but the visual thinking undertaken when sketching has not been investigated to significant detail. A critical analysis of a study into the cognition and visual thinking of designers in computer-aided design and how this compares to conventional media concept generation is useful in development of headways in the design of online learning environments. The study ana lysed here-in compares and contrasts computer-aided and conventional media in concept generation in design and whether there are any performance differences when using the two. Narayan et al. defines computer-aided design as any type of design activity that makes use of a computer to develop, analyse or modify an engineering system. The designer creates an image on the computer using geometric elements including lines and circles. Manipulations on the image can then be undertaken through magnification, reduction in size and rotation or other methods until the desired modification is achieved. The impact of computer-aided design on traditional design has been grand with new areas being opened up including shape grammars, database system design, expert systems and knowledge-based systems (Won 2001, p. 320). The traditional theoretical design models can be applied in computer-aided design, for example the Pahl and Beitz model in which the steps involved are clarification of the task, c onceptual design, embodiment of the design and finally detailing of the design (Jaquero 2009, pp. 1-3). Much of the research that has been undertaken has focused on the application of computer-aided design on later stages of the entire design process. There is however need for study into the concept generation stage of computer-aided design. The work of Won and fellow researchers was based on computer-aided design and visual thinking with concept generation as the problem statement. A critical analysis of this study in terms of the statement of the problem, research questions, hypothesis, methodology, results and data analyses and finally the conclusion will be undertaken with an aim to obtain information that is important in the development and design of online learning environments. Statement of the Problem in the Study Won’s study identifies the lack of research into cognitive thinking of designers in computer-aided design as a major source of the problem statement for his study. The fact that computer-aided design is flourishing while research in sketching through conventional media-pen and paper is largely deficient is also identified as another major source of the problem statement (320). Research Questions A review of the study reveals that the major research question that guided the work was â€Å"when designers use the computer as sketching media in the step of concept generation, will cognition and thinking be the same as when using conventional media? If there are differences between the two kinds of media, what kind of differences will there be?† The authors also formulated a minor question for the study; â€Å"if designers use these two kinds of sketching media in the conception generation stage, will there be design performance differences?† (Won et al. 2008, p. 320). Study Objective and Hypothesis The authors identify their main objective as a research into the

Leadership and Mentorship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Leadership and Mentorship - Essay Example On the other hand, a leader is not necessarily a mentor. Although the leader has the decision-making authority yet the subordinates may not necessarily consider him competent enough to make the right decisions. Leadership may not always be like mentorship, which means that the leader may not always have a responsibility of the development of the mentees like a mentor has. For example, servant leadership is a kind of leadership in which the leader works among the followers. Followers and students comply with the instructions of leaders and mentors respectively because they know that doing so would benefit them in some way. In the workplace, workers follow their managers in order to have increments of salary and addition of benefits or to be in a superior position. In the school, students listen to the mentors because they know that their mentors control their academic career, and not complying with the instructions of the mentor might have an adverse effect on their grades. On the oth er hand, leaders and mentors may or may not have personal interest in leading the followers. It really depends upon the circumstances that vary from one case to another. For the leader of a political party, the motivation to lead is intrinsic since the leader’s personal interests are associated with that. ... Likewise, a mentor teaching in a school is just another employee who is assigned the task of teaching a certain subject to certain classes, and the performance of his students depict the effectiveness of the individual as a teacher. Hence, the goal of a leader or a mentor may or may not be of his/her personal interest. An individual can be a leader without being a mentor, but he/she cannot be a good or effective leader until he/she is also a mentor. Not many leaders are able to successfully transfer their knowledge to their followers or let them benefit from their experiences. Leadership is more about the people who are being led than the leader himself. The success of a leader is fundamentally depicted by the level of satisfaction of the followers. The privileges one gets as a leader are obtained not without one’s obligation of service. The leader assumes the prime responsibility of providing the followers with care and stewardship and assuring their well-being. This may be p erceived as the liabilities of being in the position of a leader, but this is all what leadership is about. Had the objective of safeguarding the rights and interests of the followers not been there, there would not have been any need of a leader in the first place. Mentoring is one of the job responsibilities of a leader. One’s obligation as a leader is the development of the followers’ skills and competencies so that they may optimize on their potential to play a constructive role for the progress of the organization they are working for. Without being a mentor, one cannot do justice to one’s responsibilities as a leader. Similarities between Mentorship and Leadership There are many things that a leader and a mentor have in common. The first and the most