Creative Connections: Maintaining Studio Culture in an Age of Physical Separation

Transitioning Architectural Pedagogy Into the Virtual Era via Digital Learning Methods

“…Despite the mixed reactions to virtual learning, many online platforms used for student engagement received positive appraisals from students. Digital design platforms became the preferred tools for operations over analog drafting and model making due to the lack of access to resources (Hui et al, 2020). Online visualization and collaboration using software became even more ubiquitous in showcasing design ideas, in which students were required to develop not only their software skills, but their online presentation and organization skills as well (Estrina et al, 2021;Hui et al, 2020).…”

“…The research was comprised primarily of case studies and surveys evaluating student and faculty response to institutions' strategies to virtual delivery. In addition to the literature review, a parallel case study was conducted at Canada's largest architecture program, assessing the successes of the techniques and opportunities for experimental learning in virtual environments (Estrina et al, 2021;Hui et al, 2020). In relation to architectural pedagogy, a collection of software used for design collaboration, discourse, and research are gathered and examined in their effectiveness within virtual architectural curriculums.…”

“…Despite some limitations, virtual juries gave students more control over the content being viewed as any given moment, causing students to prefer virtual over physical reviews (Iranmanesh & Onur, 2021). In addition, the digitally-hosted reviews allow for more diverse jury compositions, with the possibility of participation of professionals and academics from around the world (Hui et al, 2020;Iranmanesh & Onur, 2021). Students also appreciated the ability for reviews to be recorded for re-checking, allowing for deeper learning (Iranmanesh & Onur, 2021).…”

“…This approach allows for a less lengthy and convoluted delivery of the content while also providing increased social connectivity among students, forcing them to engage (Brzezicki, 2020). Furthermore, the incorporation of interactive activities including virtual field trips, proved to increase overall interest and engagement in projects as well as a deeper understanding of context (Hui et al, 2020;Kristianova & Joklova, 2020). Virtual networks can be used to expose students to a variety of different perspectives, both regionally and internationally, thus the invitation of guest lecturers and reviewers aids in diversifying the experience (Hui et al, 2020;Spitz et al, 2020).…”

“…Educators and institutions have begun to seek, develop, and enact strategies for virtual schooling to reduce issues and take advantage of possibilities. Through the research gathered from a keyword search literature review in combination with case studies conducted at the largest architecture school in Canada (Estrina et al, 2021;Hui et al, 2020), this paper provides an in-depth examination of the challenges and opportunities emergent in virtual architectural education.…”