Caad influences in web-based teaching

A recent restructuring of the CAAD department at the Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, was based on the principle of coupling technological and methodical development to application areas. This resulted into decentralization of CAAD and the positioning of computerization groups in other departments. The task of these groups is to stimulate broad integration of ICT and initiate the development of computational applications relating to specific tasks and areas. The paper is a description of a channel for such integration and applications: a Web site intended as a support to the research and educational activities of a whole department. In addition to its conventional role in presenting the department, the site accommodates the majority of learning aids for the students (lecture notes and presentations, readers, syllabi, audiovisual material) and a comprehensive database of completed and ongoing research output (online publications for internal use). The design of the site was based on earlier experiences with Web-based teaching and collaborative design environments, which were projected on the processes and products of the new context.