Developing a Model of First Year Student Satisfaction in a Studio-based Teaching Environment

Abstract

Introduction An innovative teaching and learning environment was established in 2000 in the School of Information Management and Systems at Monash University, Australia. Taking inspiration from the Bauhaus School of Design, a studio model was incorporated into a core subject in all year levels of the Bachelor of Information Management and Systems (BIMS). The studio model is a radical shift from the lecture/tutorial teaching environment typically found in a tertiary institution. It has meant the construction of a new teaching space, provision of a supporting IT infrastructure and the development of a curriculum integrated within and across all year levels. The initial cost of building, furnishing and equipping the studio was funded by a grant (Carbone et al., 1999). The ongoing cost in terms of maintenance and technical support is equivalent to a traditional teaching environment. However, the high staff-student ratio, particularly at the lecturer level, has meant that the cost of running a studio subject is approximately three times more than teaching with the traditional approach. This paper compares first year students' reactions, at mid-year and at the end of the year, in respect to four aspects of the studio model: the layout of the physical teaching space, the integrated curriculum, the IT infrastructure, and use of portfolio assessment. It also reports on students' reactions to the studio in comparison to the traditional teaching environments they experience in their other subjects. Data was obtained through survey questionnaires. Results are used to inform a discussion of the issue of appropriate teaching and learning environments for first year IT students. This paper extends the research that examined the students' reactions to the studio in semester 1 of 2001, (Carbone and Sheard 2002). Other research has compared students' reactions across the three year levels of the undergraduate BIMS degree (Carbone et al., 2002a; Carbone et al., 2002b). Background The studio model has been described in (Arnott & Atchison, 1997; Carbone et al., 2000). Excerpts from the Carbone et al. paper, (2000), that describe the four aspects of the SIMS studio and its foundational influences are included below to enable the reader to gain a full understanding of the context of the research. The BIMS Undergraduate Degree Program The Bachelor of Information Management and Systems (BIMS), at Monash University, Australia, is a three-year IT degree with a strong practical focus. It aims to prepare students for careers in information systems and information management. Central to the BIMS program is a compulsory (core) year long studio subject in each year of the course. Other core subjects include information systems, information management, systems analysis and design, project management, the Internet, and multimedia. In addition to the core subjects, students can select elective subjects from a wide range of disciplines that are usually taught in a traditional setting. The Bauhaus Influence The studio-based teaching and learning approach adopted for use in the BIMS program is based on the Bauhaus School of Design's model for teaching and learning. The Bauhaus, developed in Germany in the early 1900s, was an innovative art school whose basic ideologies started a move towards the better integration of art and technology for the mutual benefit of both (Flores, 2000). The Bauhaus set out to create a consulting art center for industry and the trades (Bayer, 1975). The influences of the Bauhaus are widespread and varied, and the educational concepts upon which the Bauhaus philosophy was based appealed to the BIMS teaching and learning development team. The Bauhaus school had three aims: the first was to rescue all of the arts from the isolation in which each then found itself (Whitford, 1992) in order to encourage the individual artisans and craftsmen to work cooperatively and combine all of their skills. …