VIRTUAL: Applying Education

Abstract

The move to online design studio education during the COVID-19 pandemic raised questions; about whether design studio education will move online in the future. Researchers state that design education will transition totally virtual in the future, while others reject this possibility. This debate is of particular interest given the experiences of design students and educators during the pandemic and the impact it had on these stakeholders and their institutions. Current proposals show that post-pandemic design studio pedagogy remains a subject poorly understood. There is a gap in the literature related to post-COVID design education and an exciting opportunity to better understand the potential for digital tools and information communication technology in the future of design studios. Exploring students’ and educators’ experiences during the pandemic offers the opportunity to learn from unique circumstances regarding aspects of the online/blended experience that could be retained and allow participants to reflect on the practices that require change. This study asks, how has the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated digitalisation of design studio education changed how design education is practised, experienced, and planned? To achieve the research purposes and obtain the primary data, this research will be done through mixed-methods empirical studies with instructors and students. Starting with focus groups discussion with design students, I will then deploy a questionnaire with a larger sample of students, following this with interviews with design educators. The contribution of this study will be a fuller understanding of the potential for digital and communications technologies within future design education pedagogy.