Studio Course Research Articles

Learning-by-Doing using 3D printers: Digital fabrication studio experience in architectural education

With transition to Industry 4.0, the usage area of Three-Dimensional (3D) printing technology has shown a rapid increase recently. Apart from scientific fields such as engineering, architecture and medicine, it has expanded its scope in many other fields. The aim of the study is to provide pedagogical guidance to educators and students by presenting a three-dimensional printing education as a case study in the digital design studio course as well as to make the students experience the Learning-by-Doing processes. This case study focuses on the importance and integration of 3D printing technology into undergraduate architecture education and seeks to strategically integrate this technology into the curriculum. The results of the study showed positive student responses to the inclusion of 3D printing and the use of 3D modeling techniques, which increased students' interest and participation in their projects and improved their understanding and visualization of design concepts. According to the results, 76% of the students, who took the course, were observed to make significant progress in the use of 3D modeling tools, 75% of them found solutions to the problems related to making 3D models printable and 69% of them made progress in converting their designed models into 3D.

Reimagining access: Improving access to digital archives through participatory design

From 2020 to 2023, ArtCenter College of Design developed research, prototypes and protocols on digital accessibility related to archives and special collections. This paper discusses how design faculty, students, archivists and disability advocates worked together through a human-centred, participatory design methodology to facilitate a symposium and two studio courses. Student-conducted interviews with communities of people with self-identified disabilities were crucial to project development that led to multiple outcomes. Additionally, research insights generated creative prompts for archivists, educators and designers to use as a tool to help make digital archives more accessible. Taken together, this paper presents a multi-year case study in institutional access that highlights potential opportunities and unforeseen barriers that, if unconsidered, pose issues of ethical and technical import.

Quality Assessment of Online Design Studio Courses

A design school's core curriculum includes a physical design studio class in all design disciplines. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a switch from physical to online education. Students and instructors had no prior experience with online courses when the shift occurred in February 2020. There have been concerns raised about the quality of online education. Students' evaluations of online design studios were used as a basis for assessing their efficiency, and then factors affecting their satisfaction were examined. An online survey was filled out by 228 students in four academic institutions in the kingdom of Bahrain via Google Forms for different interior and architectural schools using MS Teams and Zoom platforms in the academic year 2021/2022. There were significant influences on respondents' satisfaction with the online design studio course by online learning systems, classroom presence, stability of the online learning system, feedback from studio instructors, demonstrations, and course content designed for online delivery. Based on the findings, developing a replacement design studio model that enhances learning and supports design practice is recommended.

A blended model of interior design studio practice due to COVID-19

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upended the educational system around the globe. During this challenging period, universities and colleges looked for other effective alternative methods of learning, such as Virtual Learning Environments (VL). Besides, Ahlia University has implemented E-learning in response to COVID-19. There needs to be more attention given to the challenges associated with technology adoption facing interior design and architecture programs, where over 60% of courses are practical, especially design studios, which form the core of the curriculum. According to a review of the relevant literature, there needs to be more research on blended learning in interior design and architecture. In order to enhance the teaching and learning of interior design and architecture, further research is required to combine cutting-edge techniques and technology. The aim of this study was to review the classroom materials for Ahlia University's interior design studio. Methods: After completing the INTD 212, INTD 216, INTD 311, and INTD 404 studios in mid-March 2022, a short Qualtrics poll was done to assess the difficulties of e-learning and offer potential consequences. Results: Though students were conveniently attending courses online, there was not much discussion and interaction like in the face-to-face model. Blended teaching in design studio courses offered many benefits. The results showed that blended design studios achieved pedagogical results as students developed their knowledge. Conclusions: Based on the findings, this research concludes that teaching and learning should be shifted from face-to-face and online learning to the best practice of a blended format.

Regeneration and 'Placemaking' without Governance in a Grey field Context: The Transformation of Salisbury, Queensland, Australia

This paper examines how the concept of 'place' could be integrated in the regeneration process for the industrial suburb of Salisbury in Queensland, Australia and how the three Bs can be used as a framework to study the evolution and the possible futures of the suburb. The paper draws on data collected from interviews with stakeholders as well as the outcomes of a Design Studio course as well as a panel organized for a University of Queensland event on placemaking in 2018 as a practical way of exploring potential scenarios for place-based regeneration of the suburb. The aim of the paper is both to understand the current transformation process of this suburb and to develop recommendations for a regeneration process integrating the concept of 'place' in the South East Queensland (SEQ) context where regeneration principles are not well integrated into local plans for the suburb of Salisbury. The paper highlights two conflicting views about the regeneration process and placemaking. The conclusion outlines recommendations to promote a regeneration process that could be adapted for both the Salisbury and the grey fields context for South East Queensland and would reconcile the two visions of what the regeneration of Salisbury should be.

How does digital reflective practice in textile design education relate to creativity?

ABSTRACT This article reports the results of a multiple case study that sought to understand how textile design students engaged in digital reflective practice (DRP) and how such engagement related to creativity. Theoretically informed by symbolic interactionism and constructivism, the study incorporated the views of textile design teachers, heads of departments and students in four different higher education institutions in Pakistan. The findings suggest that the use of digital tools for reflection in textile design studio courses can enhance students’ creativity, self-consciousness or awareness, and understanding of tasks and concept development. The creative process also entailed new possibilities of expression, presentation and meaning making by revisiting their work.

Studio-centred coursework as a model for hybridized design education

Studio coursework that focuses on real-world problems and stakeholder collaboration is an integral component of interdisciplinary design education. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased interest in flexible models of content delivery, we conceptualize the studio course as central to interdisciplinary undergraduate education. Leveraging the pandemic as an opportunity, we argue that changes to studio coursework have created new modalities for design education. By focusing on adaptive, iterative studio coursework during each year of the undergraduate degree, we allow for hybridization of undergraduate design coursework. We present an example of the studio-centred model in action at a large polytechnic university in the United States. Our results may be beneficial to educators and practitioners interested in anchoring undergraduate curricula within interdisciplinary studio work, and for ensuring that interdisciplinary studios are able to respond to the twenty-first-century life skills essential for producing competitive graduates on the global market. We present studio-centred coursework as a model for hybridizing design education. We emphasize collaboration and discovery as key skills to develop in undergraduates. We develop this model through: (1) collaborating with industry partners to determine problem spaces and mentor students; (2) building interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty and (3) hybridizing lecture-based disciplinary coursework. We anchor our results with three years of programme assessment data. By integrating faculty, students and industry partners within the studio-centred model, this study demonstrates how hybridized design-led education can equip students for interdisciplinary collaboration as they progress towards their career goals. Furthermore, we provide discussion on how these competencies are evaluated by stakeholders as desirable skills. Students’ overall positive responses to the studio-centred coursework are captured in our quantitative data. Stakeholder responses come via focus groups held once per semester. Using studio coursework to centre design curricula allows for increased hybridization of the curriculum, as students use studio courses and capstones to apply knowledge, develop projects and attain professional mentorship. Emphasis on societal impact guides students to emphasize the broader impacts of their designs. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we provide a model that integrates research and education in undergrad curricula using a studio-centred model.

Collaborative online international learning for design education: A framework for studio-based learning

The ability to think beyond disciplinary and geographical boundaries is essential for future designers to approach complex challenges and make a meaningful impact. Traditionally, these skills are developed in a studio environment where students can participate in mobility programmes and connect with peers from other disciplines; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited these opportunities due to social distance requirements. This article presents a framework for collaborative online international learning (COIL) for studio-based courses as an alternative for educators who want to foster interdisciplinary and intercultural learning in online and hybrid environments. The framework emerged from the development and delivery of a COIL initiative for an experience design studio course offered at an Australian University, in partnership with consumer behaviour and intercultural communication courses at a Brazilian University. The collaboration involved peer-to-peer online interactions between 43 undergraduate students enrolled in the three courses. Despite the renewed popularity of implementing COIL in higher education to overcome pandemic barriers, there is little documentation of applying the method in design disciplines and less evidence on how it corresponds to studio pedagogy. This type of computer-mediated collaboration offers an accessible and more inclusive alternative to mobility programmes and can continue to expand the opportunities for students to experience the world during and after the pandemic. The article focuses on the perspective of design education, reflecting on the benefits and challenges of online international collaboration, and provides new insights into the adaptations required to integrate the COIL and studio models.

A guide for a guide: using UIA publications for an SDG-focused studio

PurposeThis paper aims to present a data mapping analysis that can be used for aligning the studio course with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by teaching professionals.Design/methodology/approachThe UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), released in 2015, has received global attention from various disciplines and sectors. Professional organizations in architecture have accelerated the engagement between their members and SDGs. This paper analyzes the two volumes of the Architecture Guide to the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals prepared by the efforts of professional organizations or consortiums and published by the UIA between 2018 and 2020. The buildings presented as best practices in these guidebooks were analyzed to demonstrate various ways of capturing the SDGs in the architectural studio when designing the course content, process and teaching materials.FindingsThe analysis presents the kinship among the SDGs and architectural concepts, which are retrieved from the sample buildings in the guidebooks. The findings also refer to the targets for each goal to generate an easily applicable pedagogical path in architectural education. The results are presented as a model approach for SDG-focused studio teaching.Originality/valueAn in-depth review of the literature reveals the need for research based on SDG-focused pedagogies and the UN Architecture Guide.

Student Perceptions Regarding the Blackboard Learning System Applied in Interior Architecture Project Courses During Covid-19

This article describes students' perceptions and satisfaction levels towards the Blackboard application, which they experienced as a learning tool throughout the design studio course they took during the Covid-19 pandemic. By making sketches, transferring ideas, sharing clear images, and accepting criticism in terms of satisfaction with the Blackboard system of instruction, it is attempted to understand the effects of features such as internet connection, technical infrastructure, and trainer. It has been observed that the lower grades of interior architecture students have a higher level of satisfaction with learning interior design through blackboard than the upper grade students.

Creative Thinking Strategies on Fashion Design Programme for Undergraduate Students in Post Covid-19

The adoption of online learning can be challenging to increase students’ creative thinking skills. This scenario post Covid-19 creates challenges for fashion design programme in China to implement the online learning especially for design studio course. Growing for creativity and innovation is crucial for the students to produce work that is original and uniqueness. This research aims to examine the changes that occurred in undergraduate students of fashion design programme in the post Covid-19 pandemic through online learning. This research used qualitative research methods and twelve students participated sharing experience about new environment and style of learning after pandemic Covid-19. Data were collected through focus groups that included questions on challenges regarding student motivation and discipline, the interaction between student and teacher, the benefits from online learning, student’s approach to convey knowledge and information. There was a significant shift from traditional learning (face-to-face) to online learning. Prior is given to advantage on online learning that cultivates student's independent skills carrying out their activities as well as technical issues, followed by teachers' lack of technical abilities and their inability to adapt their teaching style to the online setting. The findings of this research further into adaptability of learning could inform post-pandemic planning and policymaking in the area of education programs. For instance, governments could use such information to prepare strategically by understanding fashion students' creativity. The implications of these findings for future academic studies are discussed.

Decolonising the design curriculum: making “sustainability” accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year undergraduate architecture students

PurposeThis paper describes the curriculum design of an architectural studio course aimed at making concepts of sustainability accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year undergraduate students. Architectural education and design pedagogy is shaped and interrogated in the Global North or Western Europe and North America and influences various pedagogical approaches in the Global South. By including exemplars, voices and practices from global, historical, vernacular and contemporary contexts, understanding of sustainability is enriched.Design/methodology/approachThe approach to course design included decolonising the curriculum and making it relevant for globally diverse future professionals. The studio theme of “memory and history” was framed as responsiveness to context and experiencing the site. Students were required to define place, and articulate form and space with sensitivity towards social, cultural, environmental and ecological aspects. The lectures, exercises and interactive activities emphasised design process, in-progress work, and experimentation through sketching, diagramming, drawing, and making study models which scaffolded student learning under the guidance of tutors.FindingsThe findings show that to make the process of learning to design in an environmentally responsive manner explicit for students, approaches to curriculum design must have a global and inclusive curriculum, engage students in experiential learning through doing/making to develop critical thinking skills, encourage students to synthesise and transfer learning to and from other settings and contexts, and interpret knowledge-power relationships and co-construction processes embedded in studio-based teaching and learning.Originality/valueThe original contribution of the course is that it creates an inclusive, experimental and decolonised space for co-construction of knowledge about designing sustainable environments.

Desain Taman dan Ruang Baca Anak di Komplek Timah Timur, Cimanggis - Depok

The housing complex, which was built in 1976 for Timah District Court employees, is located in the Depok city area, named Komplek Timah, which is the earliest housing in the Depok city area. The housing complex is divided into two, namely the West Tin Complex and the East Tin Complex. In PKM activities by designing a children's garden and reading room located in the East Timah Complex. The age of the housing which is more than 45 years old has resulted in the neglect of several existing social and public facilities, such as the East Tin Complex in Block EE which is the location of PKM this semester. The purpose of this PKM is to redesign the function of the social and public facilities in the East Timah complex area, which is currently not being used for anything and is left neglected. The design method used is to go directly to the field and ask local administrators so that factual data can be obtained in the field, then students and lecturers begin to define functions and design the social and public facilities. The Matana Architecture Study Program is trying to carry out PKM activities in the form of consulting and designing one of the social and public facilities in this housing area which is often used by the local community every day. This activity involves students of classes 2019 at Matana University as well as a place for them to apply the knowledge they have gained from the Site Design Studio course.

Learning in metaverse: the immersive atelier model of the architecture studio

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the immersive atelier model (IAM), a pedagogical model for remote inter-university studios that promotes quality education. The IAM uses multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) in two atelier types: A predefined MUVE and a student-shaped one. The study questions how the IAM, using MUVEs, meets the needs of remote inter-university studios. The research explores how MUVE types are used and experienced by students.Design/methodology/approachForty-six students that participated in a remote studio course involving three universities were monitored through observations and a post-course questionnaire, responded to by twenty-five students.FindingsFindings provide insights into the learners’ experience and a rich description of the teaching and learning acts that emerged while using the MUVEs types. Student-shaped MUVEs were found particularly supportive of acts associated with indirect learning and conceptualization. The study identifies subtypes of student-shaped MUVEs that support these desired educational acts.Research limitations/implicationsFindings provide encouraging insights for expanding the traditional atelier beyond its physical constraints and supporting sustainable quality education in remote inter-university studios.Practical implicationsThe IAM can assist tutors in designing future virtual design studios to achieve diverse knowledge and learning progress.Social implicationsThis paper fulfills an identified need to update the atelier pedagogical model to support sustainable quality education in remote inter-university studios. Based on the affordances of MUVEs, the IAM expands the traditional atelier with types of virtual ateliers to support the learners’ sense of belongingness and engagement.Originality/valueInnovatively, the IAM simultaneously uses MUVEs as educational and design spaces that enhance learning.

Nature-based extended reality for inclusive learning in environmental design

As inclusive learning gains importance in higher education, can online education help make the virtual experience of nature and design in nature available to all? Too often, outdoor experiences such as field trips require resources beyond the reach of some students. But through the use of virtual reality headsets and related technologies, extended reality (XR) can create virtual nature-based educational experiences for all students. This is particularly important in environmental education, which centres on design for and understanding of natural environments. This paper proposes innovative online learning strategies and technologies in nature-based extended reality (NXR) courses for inclusive learning in environmental design. It describes the author’s planning of a NXR graduate architectural design course. It also offers a framework for structuring the ideas, activities and resources required to offer such NXR courses in an environmental design curriculum. A pilot NXR course has taken place in autumn 2022. Later publications will discuss the results of this experiment and evaluate its success. The pilot course is a graduate seminar in the author’s College of Design that has been taught for eight semesters. The pilot course can provide valuable lessons transferable to all of the design studio courses that form the backbone of a learner’s educational experience in the college. The pilot project is intended to create interactive, immersive, virtual experiences to all students on the course. NXR will allow the students to not only visit the site of a building design project and interact with design clients virtually, but also enable the students to design the project collaboratively in a virtual reality environment. This can be achieved without requiring students to buy or rent expensive equipment. More importantly, NXR learning makes these experiences available to all students regardless of ability and resources.

The Effect of Housing Problems Experienced by Bursa Technical University City and Regional Planning Students during the Pandemic Period on the Planning Studio Course Process

Covid-19 pandemisi sağlık sektörü başta olmak üzere birçok sistemi derinden etkiledi. Eğitim sisteminde yüz yüze eğitim modelinin pandemi sebebiyle kesintiye uğramasıyla birlikte öğrenciler başta barınma sorunu olmak üzere birçok sorunla karşı karşıya kaldı. Öğrencilerin konakladığı yurtların karantina yurtlarına dönüştürülmesi, yaşadıkları evlerde kira ödeme yükümlülüklerinin devam etmesi ve bu evlerde eğitim faaliyetlerine devam edecek yeterli alan ile çevrimiçi eğitim için gerekli cihazlara/donanıma sahip olmamaları karşılaşılan barınma sorunları içinde ön planda yer aldı. Bu doğrultuda araştırmada “Covid-19 pandemi döneminde Şehir ve Bölge Planlama Bölümü öğrencilerinin yaşadıkları barınma sorunları Planlama Stüdyosu dersi eğitim sürecini nasıl etkilemiştir?” sorusunun cevaplanması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırma sorusunun çözümlenmesi için nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden derinlemesine görüşme yöntemi tercih edilmiştir. Bursa Teknik Üniversitesi’nde Şehir ve Bölge Planlama eğitimi gören öğrenciler arasından kartopu örnekleme yöntemiyle ulaşılan örnek grupla yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Gerçekleştirilen görüşmelerden elde edilen metinler nitel araştırma yazılımları kullanılarak derinlemesine analiz edilerek araştırmacılar tarafından belirlenen kodlar arası kavramsal ilişkiler kurularak yorumlanmıştır. Bu kapsamda dersin kazanımlarının gerekli sonuç ürünlerinden olan çizim, maket ve raporlama için ihtiyaç duyulan ekipmana ve teknolojik cihazlara erişimin her öğrenci için barınma alanlarında yeteri kadar sağlanamadığı tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak uzaktan eğitim sürecinde ders kapsamında çevrimiçi platformlar kullanılarak belirlenen zamanlarda görüşmeler sağlanarak dersin yürütücüleri ve öğrenciler arasında etkili iletişim sağlansa da barınma sorununun da etkisiyle ortaya çıkan kısıtların ders sürecinin öğrenme çıktılarına tam olarak aksettirilemediği ortaya çıkmıştır.

An Online Basic Design Studio Experience: From Point to Space

This article tries to set an example and explore the potential and limitations of the online learning environment for the first-year Basic Design Studio course based on abstract architectural design thinking. The course is constructed on a connected yet independent series of practices on basic design principles starting from the point to the void space. The course was divided into parts to achieve continuity in design thinking, and instructions and critics were given via distant online theoretic implications. The final course focused on improving students' design skills on a small-scale project. Within each practice, students could experience the abstract way of thinking of design to achieve complex parameters of design problems. Overall evaluation for each study depended on the necessities of the work and participation of the students. The paper sets an example of an online architectural studio format and discusses the advantages and shortcomings of online courses for first-year architectural education.

The Analysis of the School Factor in Industrial Design Competitions: 2015-2020 İMMİB Competition Student Category Winners

Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association (İMMİB) Industrial Design Competition is important both for professionals and students among Turkish designer community for many reasons. In addition to its nationwide recognition, the winners are awarded with many monetary and non-monetary benefits. Particularly the international scholarship for graduate education is a major motivating factor for students for participating to the competition. The main objective of this study is to reveal school related factors that affect İMMİB Industrial Design Competition student category results. For this reason, data on 2015-2020 İMMİB Industrial Design Competition winners have been analysed. The analysis has been carried out by doing document analysis from secondary sources and applying an on-line survey to the winners. A total of 92 prizes have been distributed between 2015-2020 to 84 students. Out of 84 students, 42 participated to the survey and 40 valid responses were obtained. Results reveal that i) the older the department, the higher the frequency of winners coming from that particular university, ii) for students coming from universities adopting the central examination system, the majority of students have relatively high entrance exam scores, iii) the majority of the projects are done during course hours at school, particularly in the case of privately owned universities. This paper discusses the reasons and the outcomes of working competition projects during course hours particularly design studio courses. Ethics and privacy are revealed as potential problem areas as an outcome of carrying out the competition preparation during course hours.

Teaching Ergonomics in the Online Studio

Human factors and ergonomics are very important considerations for the built environment. Usually, such issues are taught in the design studio courses in architecture education. Traditional design studio in architecture program follows the ideology of learning by doing. Design studio is more than a physical space, it is a culture with particular focus on one-to-one interaction and lateral learning. This learning program had to be suddenly switched to distant learning mode during the COVID-19 outbreak. Teaching human factors in design studio usually takes thorough exercise for both the instructors and learners, unsurprisingly in the online studio this exercise gets even more challenging. This article portrays the experience of such a challenging task and responses to the emergency situation of online learning. This article is based on participant observation and qualitative analysis of the observation protocols. The experiences can be useful for both designing human factors and distance learning in studio-based programs.

Adaptation of architectural education pedagogy in addressing COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. As a result, it has been mandated that all educational institutions complete the 2019-20 spring semester online. Despite the importance of distance education, it appears that online education has not assisted architecture education adequately. This is due to the fact that it has higher learning objectives, is taught via coaching approaches, and incorporates nonverbal communication. Architects are trained through a method focused on the ‘studio course’. In this environment, students’ decisions are unintentionally affected by the unanticipated backtalk and discussions that arise from the design development process. In other words, criticism, which is a graphic and oral communication between the students and the instructor, is one of the most frequent learning strategies utilized in the design studio. The necessity for new educational frameworks in architecture has been sparked by the pedagogically distinctive consequences of digital design. Thus, the primary aim of this study is to monitor and document current trends, benefits, and limitations of online architectural discourse and learning ecosystems from both students’ and tutors’ perspectives. It also investigates alternative pedagogical agendas in order to address the requirement to integrate different levels of students with online education. In this regard, the effects of the design medium, knowledge-based or theoretical courses, and practical courses are three common types of influences on educational system adaptability and inertia. Finally, in this research, authors attempt to formulate a theoretical framework and didactic principles for the modification of architectural online education by using multiple methods of data collection, primarily based on a systematic observation of the experiments, questioning the participants before and after the experiment, and evaluate of the descriptive results of the experiment.