ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION AND OPPOURTUNIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE ARCHITECT GRADUATE

Abstract

The growing awareness in falling standards of education in Nigeria’ educational system has resulted in many changes within the higher educational systems. These are evident in multiplication of new Universities, the search for competent lecturers with basic educational qualifications and introduction of modern technologies for teaching and learning in higher education. These changes coupled with various internally and externally directed academic audits and quality assessment exercise have led to the competitions to attain academic excellence in all areas of educational training in Nigeria. Architects in higher institutions of learning are not left out in these battles to cope with rapidly of these numerous changes. Likewise, they are faced with the challenges to facilitate rigorous academic development of their students. To attain this, sound academic training must go along with professional training. This paper focused on how this could be achieved, by examining the concept of academic excellence and its implication for architectural education. It highlighted the factors militating against architectural training in Nigeria. It suggested among others reviewing, re-evaluating and reforming of architectural curriculum for all schools of architecture to give and accommodate academic orientation. Recommendations were given on positive steps that could be taken to attain academic excellence in architectural education. It concluded that academic excellence, when attained with professional training will provide both the intellectual foundation and professional development needed by the graduate architect to make future decisions which may not exclusively rest on architectural practice alone.