A Theoretical Overview of the Studio as a Learning Environment

Abstract

In this article we describe a holistic, ecological framework that takes into account the surface structures and pedagogical approaches in the studio and how these elements are connected to the construction of design knowledge: epistemology. In our development of this framework, we came to understand how disciplinary underpinnings and academic culture shape the ways that studio is enacted. Using practice theory, we illustrate our framework with two examples—one in Industrial Design and another in Human Computer Interaction—that demonstrate the ways in which the studio can act as a bridge between academic and professional communities. We came to see the studio as a unique practice community that connects academic and professional contexts. We argue that successful implementation of studio-based learning involves an awareness of disci-plinary canons, ontological approaches to knowledge, and the academic constraints on studio-based approaches to learning. More than 20 years ago, Schön (1985, 1987) posed the idea that studio-based design instruction could serve as a way for all students to learn to participate in the cultural practices of a discipline. Other researchers have noted that the traditional teaching pro-cesses of delivering information, demonstrating the technique, and providing opportunities for practice should be transformed in a way that better prepares students for the com-plexities of professional practice (Lave and Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998). Since then, the studio method has been used as a means of teaching a variety of content areas such as mathematics (Shaffer 2005), chemistry (Gottfried et al. 2007), physics (Dori and Belcher 2005), and computer science (Reimer and Douglas 2003). Yet, as we seek to apply the studio method in disciplines lacking a long tradition of design-based instruction, we developed a theoretical framework that can help us focus on the essential features of the studio and how particular features enable learning and expe-rience beyond the kind of instruction afforded in the traditional university classroom. Such a theoretical framework can help us begin to answer the questions such as: Beyond a series of problem-based assignments supplemented by periodical critiques, what is the nature of studio? To what extent are dedicated desk space and long-hours necessary? What sorts of learning experiences do these features enable? The framework presented in this article provides a way of thinking about the studio that begins to illuminate the answers to these questions. As we developed our theoretical framework, we began to look beyond the elements of project-based assignments, critique sessions, and dedicated desk space to better understand the sort of pedagogy and epistemo-logical understanding that these features enable. Furthermore, we began to recognize the way that the academic design studio, in all its complexity, is situated in the contexts of an academic institution, as well as the larger professional community in which students are being prepared. The goal of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for studying the basic elements of the design studio, with a particular emphasis on the ways that socio-cultural practices, tools, and design knowledge are implicated. In this article, we first provide an overview of the design studio and the research methods used in our study. Next we describe a holistic, ecological framework that takes into account the surface structures and pedagogical approaches in the studio and how these are connected to the construction of design knowledge: epistemology. In our development of this framework, we came to understand how disciplinary underpinnings and academic culture shape the ways that studio is enacted. From our own research on applying the studio to the field of human computer interaction (HCI), we offer two examples illustrating the ways in which the studio can act as a bridge between academic and professional communities. We conclude by arguing that successful implementation of studio-based learning involves an awareness of disciplinary canons, ontological approaches to knowledge, and the institutional con-straints of studio-based approaches to learning. Background: the design studio