Drawing Skills of Candidates for Architectural Studies vs. Learning Outcomes of Graduates. Comparative Research Based on the Example of the Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology

Major changes in the organisation of the teaching process at universities in Poland had to be introduced in response to the current pandemic situation and threat of further spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus. This article presents the results of the research conducted at the Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology in view of the pilot, experimental entrance exam that excludes the evaluation of drawing skills of candidates for architectural studies in the 2020/21 recruitment process. The purpose of the research was to find a correlation between the quality of candidates accepted for the BSc (engineer) programme studies, evaluated on the basis of their drawing skills demonstrated during the entrance exam and the learning outcomes of graduates. For that purpose, the authors hereof have carried out an analysis with the use of the Spearman Rank Correlation formula. The comparative analysis has shown that candidates whose drawing skills were evaluated highly during the entrance exam did not necessarily rank as the top grade scoring graduates of the first degree study programme, and thus, it has further been shown that good drawing skills at the beginning of the study programme do not guarantee top learning results at the end of the studies. In effect, the research should become a starting point for a discussion in Poland on whether there are any justified grounds for entrance exams in drawing or whether a portfolio of works may replace it and be an effective recruitment criterion.