During the eleven years that lowa Lakes has offered CADD courses, CADD use has matured. Early CADD courses relied on computer platforms to augment lab work performed on drawing boards. Today, drafting and design is performed almost exclusively on computers, and recently, at several locations, simultaneously. Today's hardware must support today's sophisticated software applications for manufacturing, architecture, civil engineering and geographic information systems (GIS). Early CADD focused on two-dimensional techniques and fledgling applications; today's computer platforms must support three-dimensional techniques, solids modeling, rendering, and animation. The sophistication of software programming and the need to support the explosion in digital communications are driving the demand for newer and faster computers. Educational institutions, especially those in relatively remote areas, are challenged to find adequate resources to update software and hardware that have increasingly shorter shelf lives. This upgrade will provide students an improved vehicle to initiate collaboration with other users on a global basis. Efforts for educational collaboration among institutions are currently being formulated to take advantage of the improved platform. Approval of this project will provide students, employers and communities with access to emerging technology and the potential to make more informed choices. Good decisions are rooted in competent information, whether decisions are personal, or whether decisions are the result of representative deliberation. Helping people synthesize informed choices is the essence of education.
