VIRTUAL: Learning. Life. Work.
Abstract
Since architectural education has inhabited academic campuses, the design studio has remained its most prominent pedagogical approach. However, in the last three decades, advanced CAD, CAM, and online communication have paved the way for the development of Virtual Design Studios (VDS), which became a mainstream educational method during the COVID-19 pandemic. VDS and Physical Design Studio (PDS) are characterized by different sociomaterial environments and afford different learning opportunities. This ethnographic study explores how these sociomaterial differences affect collaborative learning processes in VDS and PDS. It employs a sociomaterial approach to analyze two desk-crit sessions of architectural projects developed by teams of students at a Master-level architecture program: The first is within a VDS setting, and the second is within a PDS setting. Our findings offer theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical contributions: Theoretically, they help us comprehend how sociomaterials integrate and contribute to the learning process involved in architectural education. Methodologically, our finding stresses the importance of considering the sociomaterials when attempting to comprehend learning processes in architectural education. Pedagogically, they emphasize the importance of designing the sociomaterial environments to support the intended learning processes.
Barak Pelman is an architect, educator, and researcher in design education. His research explores the influence of material practices on design and learning processes and combines methods and theories from three different areas: human-computer interaction, education, and craft sciences. Barak is also the director of the Hybrid Pedagogy Lab, a new research initiative that aims to develop cutting-edge digital tools and processes to support craft skill development in design.