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According to Nico Grobbelaar, lecturer in Civil
Engineering, the incorporation of AllyCAD and Civil
Designer into the current academic curriculum, has
made a big difference in the way that students are
approaching the course.
The software is supplied at a heavily subsidised rate
by local software developer, Knowledge Base. In
addition, the company is responsible for annual prize
sponsorships to top achievers. “They offer
certificates, trophies and cash incentives to the best
design student. For the previous academic year, the
top student was my wife, Elmine Grobbelaar,” says Nico
proudly.
“The University offers B.Tech courses in the Urban,
Transport and Water Engineering fields. Generally,
courses consist of the usual engineering subjects such
as Water Engineering, Surveying, Structural
Engineering, Transportation, Geotechnical and
Management disciplines,” explains Nico as he
summarises the course structure.
“Students work mainly in AllyCAD, the drawing module
of the program and designs are done at second year
level as part of the Drawing II syllabus, a subject
which is also a prerequisite for the course, Surveying
- Civil II.
The reaction of students to AllyCAD and Civil Designer
as part of their course curriculum has been very
positive. “Most of them enjoy the program and only a
small percentage struggle initially. Students receive
good pass marks for their theory portion in
Transportation II and they thoroughly enjoy the
practical element found in Drawing II, where Civil
Designer is incorporated in the Survey - Civil II
course offered at third level.”
Nico himself is a long-standing user of both packages
and is able to assist many of his students with useful
shortcuts in the program.
“During the first two academic years, students mostly
learn the theoretical aspects of the course, while
experiential training becomes a compulsory element in
the third year. The University updates each student’s
progress by means of a written report that has to be
submitted each semester,” says Nico as he illustrates
the University’s method of assessment.
“Jurie Vermaak, a civil engineering lecturer at CUT,
conducts periodic checks on students at least once a
year. He evaluates the company or contractor from
where the student receives his practical tuition, in
order to determine the organisation’s suitability for
co-operative training. This is done in order to
protect students from being exploited in the trade.”
Due to his extensive experience in both AllyCAD and
Civil Designer, Nico finds himself fulfilling the role
of mentor to fellow lecturers. “I have used the
program extensively for a major part of my working
career, and have found it especially useful in my
Masters degree: “A comparison between solids-free and
conventional sewerage systems”. Thanks to this
incredible program, I will be completing my
qualification before the end of 2004 and will continue
my role as a mentor on the product,” says Nico. |
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NICO GROBBELAAR
Nico grew up in Namibia and then relocated to
South Africa in order to continue his career in
the Civil Engineering field.
“My first encounter with CAD was with the
‘SKOK-System’ in 1985 while working for the
Municipality in Windhoek. In 1988, I joined Ninham
Shand Incorporated in the Free State where I was
responsible for conducting most of the project
surveys. At that time, we completed all our
designs with the use of the old Stardust program,”
he says.
At the end of February 1996, Nico left Ninham
Shand Incorporated, to join the Central University
of Technology (then known as the Technikon Free
State), as a lecturer in Civil Engineering.
He is married to Elmine and has one daughter and
two sons who he regards as the passion in his
life. In his leisure time, Nico enjoys angling,
watching TV, fixing things around his home and
cooking.
He is also the chairperson of Bloemfontein Shore
Angling Club, as well as Bloemfontein Light Tackle
Boat Club. He obtained provincial colours in both
facets of angling and South African Inland colours
in rock-and-surf or shore angling. |
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