October 2006 Volume 9 Number 4

Student Learning
Integrating blended learning with the traditional studio can increase student learning. Technology provides
several benefits to students. It can be used to present information in a variety of formats, accessible at all times,
and leaving live class time for the intellectual communications that only people can provide. The one-hour
weekly lecture focuses on interaction with and between the students, reviewing a specific project with the whole
class or doing problem solving in informal groups. The instructor uses this time to gauge the progress of the
whole class, which is an important component of other technology-enhanced courses (Gilbert, 1999). It was
believed that combining face-to-face meetings and online education would better provide access to instructional
materials, facilitate group work, enhance the quality of interaction, and provide a superior level of feedback to
students.
Positive factors of learning with technology such as accuracy and consistency are hard to surpass. All students
viewing the lecture are guaranteed to receive the exact same lecture material, regardless of the instructional
model implemented (Charp, 2000). All students get the same audio and video materials, unlike the front row
advantage in conventional classroom situations (Romiszowski, 1988). Students who have difficulty grasping
concepts from printed materials may be more at ease with learning experiences that engage all of their senses.
Information technologies are predominantly visual rather than relying primarily on audio and text in the
traditional classroom. Because of this, complex content can be conveyed more effectively due to the integration
of multiple representations of material such a computer animations with audio and video. These alternative
technologies can provide an additional degree of motivation, allowing students to express themselves in new and
creative ways (Dias, 1999). In addition, students hear all critiques of all projects and benefit from feedback to
their peers. In a traditional studio, individual faculty comments are rarely shared with the entire class.
Faculty Workload
Many instructors are integrating computers into their architecture and design curriculums (Budd, Vanka, &
Runton, 1999; Andia, 2002). Like them, the authors believe a major advantage to adding online technologies to
the curriculum is the efficiency of instruction. In the traditional studio, it may be common for a student to wait
two or more hours for a few minutes of insight and direction. With blended learning, the student gets more
succinct feedback in less time. In addition, he learns to communicate a creative design solution with the latest
technologies used in today’s design offices. Becoming familiar with these technologies is an advantage to the
student as it helps prepare him to progress in professional practice offers career opportunities in digital
architecture fields (Proctor, 2003).
This model of interaction provides a number of advantages to the studio instructor. First, there is an opportunity
to see the range of responses before making comments. He can quickly ascertain the effectiveness of each
assignment and make any necessary adjustments in the instructional format. Tracking student work from week to
week can also be done easily. The history and process of design is clearly articulated through the layering of
information. This allows the faculty to watch the project evolve from concept to final presentation (Norman,
2001). Second, faculty fatigue is reduced because critique duplication and the amount of time necessary for
giving and receiving project feedback substantially decrease. This is a common problem in large classes with
multiple sections where critiques are limited by time and space (James, 1996). Third, the feedback is streamlined
because the instructor spends less time repeating the same information. He can increase the turn-around time for
feedback to larger groups of students. Several other advantages are provided in Table 1.
Traditional Design Studio
Table 1: A Comparison of the Two Instructional Models
Modified Design Studio
Assignments are introduced by the instructor and Assignments are introduced in the same manner but are
submitted by the students during class time.
submitted electronically 24-48 hours before class time.
Class size is typically 15-20 students to one instructor Class size remains the same but the instructor can handle
per section. The same instructor may oversee two or
more sections.
an increased number of sections with assistance.
The individual critiques provided in class are seldom Students receive feedback via the audio critique and
shared with other class members. Therefore, the same
feedback may be repeated to several students within the
same class period.
group feedback during the weekly lecture period.
The critic repeatedly corrects the same or similar student
errors.
The critic needs to address student errors only one time.
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