IN-PERSON New Schools of Thought

Abstract

This session presents a new, experiential learning model that rethinks traditional ‘practical experience’ in the current context of virtual learning. The unique Design Research Internship Project (DRIP) is a curricular initiative designed to model a new, high-impact teaching practice for senior undergraduate students in the design disciplines. Rooted in the rich history of practical internships in architectural education, DRIP depends on critical participation by partnering design practitioners; at the same time, it sets itself apart from customary internships by specifically engaging design research in the professional milieu. It looks to bridge academic knowledge with professional practice, and in turn defines for students models of applied research that advance lessons from design studios into multivalent design research problems in live projects. At the conclusion of its first three years, with the support of a University of Toronto LEAF Impact Grant by the Vice Provost for Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching, DRIP has grown to be a far-reaching curricular enrichment unique across North America. Designed to provide students with a critical, hands-on educational experience almost entirely outside the classroom, DRIP calls on their developed skills and knowledge to undertake design research projects defined by host firms and informed by realities of professional practice. As an academic internship, by definition, DRIP exposes BAAS students to architectural design as a form of scholarly research, positions this work in the larger discipline, and in turn provides the rich community of design professionals resources to linger on research questions that can elevate their current, past, and future work.