Estimates calling for 1.2 million computer-assisted design (CAD) operator positions to be available by 1990 have prompted educational institutions throughout the country to incorporate instruction in CAD into their industrial arts curricula. Therefore, the question for schools is not whether to buy but rather what to buy. An effective strategy for purchasing CAD software should include the following steps: formation of a selection committee, comprehensive research on the concepts of CAD, formulation of a rationale for purchase, consideration of at least 15 points before selecting a CAD system, and negotiation with several vendors once a CAD system has been chosen. There are three approaches to establishing CAD competencies in any drafting setting. Instruction in CAD can be introduced (1) after students have developed proficiency in manual skills and a drafting discipline, (2) by establishing competency in a drafting discipline using computers instead of drawing boards, or (3) by first establishing an elementary competency in a drafting discipline using freehand sketching and then using CAD and manual skills together for industrial-quality work. Regardless of the integration method chosen, students working with CAD software need to develop prerequisite competencies in basic programming, trigonometry and analytical geometry, and a drafting discipline. (Appendixes to this report include lists of publishers of recommended course materials and microcomputer CAD software vendors, a form for evaluating CAD systems, and a directory of microcomputer CAD systems for education.) (MN)