A paradigm shift in studio pedagogy during pandemic times: An international perspective on challenges and opportunities teaching design online

Abstract

This study advances the debate over the role of technology-enhanced teaching in the practice-based design studio. Framed by the exigencies of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a detailed survey and follow-up interviews illuminate the transformative experiences among 90 experienced design educators from seven countries. At the heart of this study is the question: where did design educators succeed in trying to approximate a physical studio using online technologies and where did technology-enhanced teaching fall short? Content analysis of qualitative data and reflective remarks provide a window into what educators see as the concrete pedagogical challenges and opportunities they have encountered. Their responses are analysed using the four major characteristics of the practice-based design studio: dialogical learning, the critique, studio culture and studio class size. The results clearly demonstrate that the social aspects of the physical studio with its informal learning opportunities are difficult to replicate online and dialogical learning could not be effectively established online unless classes were smaller. There were also positive responses, particularly using online collaboration platforms for online critiques. Design educators can now prototype a new studio pedagogy that incorporates online elements that potentially enhance the learning and teaching experience in the physical design studio, while rejecting those that do not work for their domain.