Studio Teaching Without Meeting: Pedagogical Aspects of a Virtual Design Studio

Abstract

Virtual Design Studios are proliferating. Schools of architecture are eagerly experimenting with the technology of the Internet. Discussions about Virtual Design Studios typically focus on technological issues – which hardware, what software – or environments – MOOs, ftp. Recently, some papers have been written on the perceptual issues and the social aspects of remote design collaborations, thus contributing to some of the contextual issues within which virtual studios are conducted. This paper contributes another perspective, presenting a review of the pedagogical issues raised in a VDS. It examines the difficulties and opportunities which present themselves in teaching a Virtual Design Studio. Based on reviews of problem-based learning and examinations of architectural studio learning, including several experiences in conducting virtual studios, the author considers the particularities of conducting a studio in the virtual world, the motivations for these studios, the experiences of students and the results obtained. From this background, the author identifies benefits and drawbacks of teaching in this manner, leading then to guidelines for framing and conducting effective and successful Virtual Design Studios and raises issues for further discussion.