Use of Immersive Virtual Environment in the Design Studio - An Assessment Model

Abstract

The Architectural Studio is dedicated to teaching students the design process. Students learn by developing an architectural artefact in increasing complexity. They do so through three phases: structuring the problem, developing design proposals and converging decisions into a detailed solution state. This process has been taking place mostly in traditional physical settings. The advent of new technologies, most notably Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs), introduces a new kind of setting that holds promise to influence the architectural learning process. This paper describes a model we have developed to assess the impact of IVE on this learning process. To do so, we have developed a method for coding learners' design decisions and the way they are developed, accounting for their educational settings - whether a traditional studio classroom or an IVE. The method consists of units we term Knowledge Construction Activities (KCAs) and reveals the relationship between the learning process and the educational setting in which it takes place, through time. The results revealed that the IVE supported extensive design development, especially during the second and third learning phases, calling for an informed integration of IVEs in future Studio syllabi.