Importance and Role of Live Projects in Architectural Education Using a Descriptive and Analytical Approach

Abstract

In view of the knowledge gap between what students learn in a design studio and what they do in their future work in the labor market, this study assumed that live projects supported architectural education, contributed to the development of students' capabilities, prepared them to enter the labor market, and were complementary to their knowledge acquired in traditional design studio. This study aimed to evaluate the importance of live projects and find out the extent to which students benefit from them in overcoming employment difficulties to easily get into the labor market. A descriptive and analytical approach similar to global experiences was used to monitor the progress of senior students in live projects. Measurement mechanism, such as questionnaire and observation, was used to know the skills of students acquired during the experiment. The experiment results showed that most of the students agreed that live projects provided realistic learning experiences different from the traditional design studio. In addition, the results showed that live projects helped students develop many skills, such as negotiation, persuasion, teamwork, etc. which they did not acquire through virtual projects. In the design studio, live projects were considered as a successful educational method that simulated reality and prepared the students for their professional practice.