Intra-discplinary Pedagogy in Design: A Case Study for Collaboration and Diversity in a Research-based Design Studio

What can 4 architects, 2 engineers, 2 PhDs, 2 practitioners and 4 academics accomplishwhen they all together teach a design studio? This paper presents thepreliminary results of a Collaborative experience in a Graduate Design Studio witha research component, in which experimentation, innovation, design developmentand intra-collaboration where key components in the experience. This designstudio was carried under the premise that pulling together the talents of theparticipants will yield a unique educational experience for both the students andteam of educators. While students worked individually in their projects, the studiosetting was of a continuous collaboration among all students and Faculty.SETTINGA group of 38 students participated in this design experience. The students wererandomly divided into 3 groups and each group was scheduled to spend 3 weekswith one of the professors. Two distinct projects were carried out over the courseof 12 weeks, devoting 3 weeks for schematic design and 3 more weeks for designdevelopment on each project. Students will spend 3 weeks at a time with one ofthe instructors, then rotate to a different studio critic. This will give the opportunityfor each student to interact with each of the four instructors on a more personalizedmanner. This also gave the instructors the opportunity to know studentsindividually. With each rotation, each instructor had the chance to re-frame theprogram according to the student’s need. At the same time the students had theopportunity to learn from each instructor’s design philosophy and develop theirprojects accordingly.All projects were developed in a fast-track mode in which each student had 3 weeksto complete a specific cycle in the design process and deliver a result. At the sametime, each cycle was intended to challenge the students to make decisions based onthe different approaches offered by each of the instructors on that particular cycle.RESULTSIn conjunction with the studio, a parallel study on the pedagogical approach was conductedunder the advice of an independent evaluator. Preliminary results of this evaluationshowed major advantages on the perception of the effectiveness of this teachingenvironment when compared with the traditional single instructor studio. The researchalso revealed that students in the intra-disciplinary studio where more creative andlearned more than in a traditional studio setting. Some results in the research hinted atthe perception that some students where less productive in the intra-disciplinary whencompared with the single instructor. However this view is contrasted by the critics andfinal juries where the overwhelming consensus was one of more productivity in a shortperiod of time. Finally the study revealed the need for further research on the pedagogicaladvantages of the multi-instructor model.Overall both students and faculty felt that this was a positive educational experiencethat should continue to be offered and perhaps use as a model for designeducation.

Volume Editors
Alice Kimm & Jaepil Choi

ISBN
978-0-935502-91-6