A holistic model for blended learning

While the studio environment has been promoted as an ideal educational setting for project-based disciplines, few qualitative studies have been undertaken in a comprehensive way (Bose, 2007). This study responds to this need by adopting Grounded Theory methodology in a qualitative comparative approach. The research aims to explore the limitations and benefits of a face-to-face (f2f) design studio as well as a virtual design studio (VDS) as experienced by architecture students and educators at an Australian university in order to find the optimal combination for a blended environment to maximize learning. The main outcome is a holistic multidimensional blended model being sufficiently flexible to adapt to various setting, in the process, facilitating constructivist learning through self-determination, self-management, and personalization of the learning environment.

Transcending Boundaries of Creativity: Active learning in the Design Studio

This essay investigates the changing dynamics of interaction and paradigm of communication in the design studio. It analyses the process of practical implementation of interactive tools in architectural education which placed the<br/>diversity of students��� cultural experiences, contextual awareness and individual interests as crucial resource for design innovation and inquiry. Building on Brian Lawson���s thesis on creativity in design thinking, this research project undertook<br/>comprehensive investigation of students��� satisfaction of their roles in the studio and the room for liberal thought they are given to elaborate on genuine approach to architectural matters. The cyclical development of interactive learning strategy is explored through two different settings: first, it analyses architectural students��� position as passive/active in the studio, considering their relationships with tutors��� ideals; second, it reports on empirical strategy of students-led workshops at British schools of architecture, during which students have taken the lead of their creative design agenda. The practical implementation of interactive learning tools proved influential in helping students to personalize their design direction and to build a sense of confidence and independence.

New occupancy

The chapter is part of a book which has contributors from interior architecture education across the world. New Occupancy refers to the re use of existing structures in educational environments and how they can be successfully adapted and reinvented to accommodate new client requirements and also create exciting stimulating learning environments.

Taller integrado. Un nuevo espacio did��ctico para la ejercitaci��n dial��gica de la arquitectura

Ponencia que explica las caracter��sticas del espacio did��ctico que hemos denominado ���TALLER INTEGRADO���. Extra��das a partir de los resultados de dos experiencias pr��cticas desarrolladas en la ETSAM durante el curso acad��mico 2009-2010. Estas actividades se programaron en el marco del Proyecto de Innovaci��n Educativa titulado: EXTENSION DE LAS CAPACIDADES CREATIVAS DEL AULA DIGITAL. 2�� Fase del Proyecto: ���Laboratorio-Aula de Producci��n Digital. Un proyecto transversal de Innovaci��n Pedag��gica��� financiado por la Universidad Polit��cnica de Madrid. Un ���TALLER INTEGRADO��� es un Programa Activo de Educaci��n . Es decir que responde a un modelo pedag��gico que busca la comprensi��n y la creatividad, mediante el descubrimiento y la experimentaci��n participativa.

Caba��as, c��maras y trincheras. Figuras epocales que problematizan la caba��a primitiva, la sensibilizan, la vuelven pol��tica y la hacen devenir territorio

Se presentan tres casos de estudio de caba��as, c��maras y trincheras y se confrontan con marco te��rico donde se examina cr��ticamente la rica historia del intercambio entre las nociones del buen salvaje, la caba��a primitiva y la arquitectura desde la Ilustraci��n.

Ensino de constru����o de edif��cios: FAUUSP x EPUSP

O reconhecimento das compet��ncias e habilidades necess��rias ao exerc��cio profissional de arquitetos e engenheiros civis brasileiros �� adquirido em decorr��ncia das forma����es que lhes s��o oferecidas. No ��mbito da constru����o de edif��cios, pressup��e-se que ambos os profissionais recebem forma����o equivalente na medida em que os respectivos conselhos lhes atribuem iguais direitos e responsabilidades para exerc��-la. Com o objetivo de investigar tal pressuposto, esse trabalho se prop��s a examinar a forma����o oferecida nesse campo aos profissionais oriundos de duas das principais escolas do pa��s: da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da USP (FAUUSP) e da Escola Polit��cnica da USP (EPUSP). Por meio de an��lise das estruturas curriculares, de depoimentos docentes coletados em entrevistas, materiais did��ticos empregados em aulas, registros de aula de estudantes no decorrer do curso e de acompanhamento presencial em disciplinas que versam sobre o assunto, essa pesquisa revelou que as forma����es oferecidas pelas duas institui����es s��o profundamente distintas. Na FAUUSP, constatou-se que a forma����o voltada �� constru����o de edif��cios corresponde �� abordagem apenas introdut��ria dos assuntos, fornecida por meio de disciplinas desarticuladas entre si e em rela����o ��s demais disciplinas constantes da estrutura curricular. Na EPUSP, em oposi����o, o tema inserese em conjunto intimamente articulado de disciplinas, as quais fornecem ao estudante intensa fundamenta����o cient��fica para discuss��o dos assuntos envolvidos. O trabalho, portanto, refor��a a ideia, que vem de longa data, sobre a urg��ncia em se rediscutir a forma����o oferecida ao estudante de arquitetura e urbanismo na FAUUSP, e principalmente nesse trabalho, no que se refere aos conte��dos de incumb��ncia do Grupo de Disciplinas de Constru����o do Departamento de Tecnologia da Arquitetura da Escola.

Beyond the Bauhaus : Cultural Modernity in Breslau, 1918-1933 /

The Breslau arts scene during the Weimar period was one of the most vibrant in all of Germany, yet it has disappeared from memory and historiography. Breslau was a key center for innovative artistic production during the Weimar Republic; recovery of its history will shed new light on German cultural dynamics in the 1920s. Such a study has art historical significance because of the incredible extent of innovation that occurred in almost every intellectual field, advances that formed the basis for aesthetic modernism internationally and continue to affect the course of visual art and architecture today. Architecture education, just one example in many, is still largely based on a combination of the Bauhaus model from the 1920s and the model developed at the Breslau Academy of Fine and Applied Art. The exploratory attitude encouraged in Weimar era arts endeavors, as opposed to the conformism of academic art, is still a core value promoted in contemporary art and architecture circles. Given the long-lasting influence of Weimar culture on modernism one would expect to find a spate of studies examining every aspect of its cultural production, but this is not the case. Recent scholarship is almost exclusively focused on Berlin and the Dessau Bauhaus. Although both interests are understandable, the creative explosion was not confined to these cities but was part of a larger cultural ethos that extended into many of the smaller regional centers. The Expressionist associations the Blaue Reiter in Munich and Br��cke in Dresden are two well-known examples. Equally, innovation was not confined to a few monumental projects like the Stuttgart Weissenhofsiedlung but part of a broader national cultural ethos. The dispersion of modernism occurred partly because of the political history of Germany as a loosely joined confederation of small city states and principalities that had strong individual cultural identities before unification in 1871 but also because of the German propensity to value and take intense pride in the Heimat, understood both as the hometown and the region. Heimatliebe translated into generous support for cultural institutions in outlying cities. Host to a roster of internationally acclaimed artists and architects, major collectors, arts organizations, museums, presses, galleries, and one of the premier German arts academies of the day, Breslau boasted a thriving modern arts scene until 1933 when the Nazis began their assault on so-called "degenerate" art. This book charts the cultural production of Breslau-based artists, architects, art collectors, urban designers, and arts educators, who were especially interesting because they operated in the space between the margins of Weimar-era cultural debates. Rather than accepting the radical position of the German avant-garde or the reactionary position of German conservatives, many Breslauers sought a middle ground. It is the first book in English to address this history and presents the history in a manner unique to any studies currently on the market. 'Beyond the Bauhaus' explores the polyvalent and contradictory nature of cultural production in Breslau in order to expand the cultural and geographic scope of Weimar history; the book asserts a reciprocal dimension to the relationship between regional culture and national culture, between centers like Breslau and the capital Berlin. With major international figures like the painters Otto Mueller and Oskar Moll, architects Hans Scharoun and Adolf Rading, urban planners Max Berg and Ernst May, collectors Ismar Littmann and Max Silberberg, and an art academy that by 1929 was considered the best in Germany, Breslau clearly had significance to narratives of Weimar cultural production. 'Beyond the Bauhaus' contributes the history of German culture during the Weimar Republic. It belongs alongside histories of art, architecture, urban design, exhibition, collecting, and culture; histories of the Bauhaus; histories of arts education more broadly; and German history. The readership would include those interested in German history; German art, architecture, urban design, planning, collecting, and exhibition history; in the avant-garde; the development of arts academies and arts pedagogy; and the history of Breslau and Silesia.

Redefini����o de uma metodologia de projecto �� luz de uma estrutura fenomenol��gica

Disserta����o de Mestrado para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Arquitectura, apresentada na Universidade de Lisboa - Faculdade de Arquitectura.

An urban informatics approach to smart city learning in architecture and urban design education

This study aims to redefine spaces of learning to places of learning through the direct engagement of local communities as a way to examine and learn from real world issues in the city. This paper exemplifies Smart City Learning, where the key goal is to promote the generation and exchange of urban design ideas for the future development of South Bank, in Brisbane, Australia, informing the creation of new design policies responding to the needs of local citizens. Specific to this project was the implementation of urban informatics techniques and approaches to promote innovative engagement strategies. Architecture and Urban Design students were encouraged to review and appropriate real-time, ubiquitous technology, social media, and mobile devices that were used by urban residents to augment and mediate the physical and digital layers of urban infrastructures. Our study���s experience found that urban informatics provide an innovative opportunity to enrich students��� place of learning within the city.

ArchiBabel: Tracing the Writing Architecture Project in Architectural Education

Though much recent scholarship has investigated the potential of writing in creative practice (including visual arts, drama, even choreography), there are few models in the literature which discuss writing in the context of architectural education. The paper presented here aims to address this dearth of pedagogical research, analysing the cross-disciplinary Writing Architecture Project based in the undergraduate course of the School of Architecture at QUB. Over the course of four years, teaching staff, in partnership with the university's Learning Development Service, technicians and specialist librarians, have addressed an unfortunately persistent struggle for both architecture students and professionals alike to research and construct argument in written form. The paper examines the current problem as identified in the literature before analysing the efficacy of the variety of teaching methods used in the Writing Architecture Project, with conclusions about the project���s success and continuing challenges.

HMEF: framework to evaluate merging of Higher Education Institutions ��� application of Enterprise Architecture

Mergers of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are organisational processes requiring tremendous amount of resources, in terms of time, work, and money. A number of mergers have been seen on previous years and more are to come. Several studies on mergers have been conducted, revealing some crucial factors that affect the success of mergers. Based on literature review on these studies, factors are: the initiator of merger, a reason for merger, geographical distance of merging institutions, organisational culture, the extend of overlapping course portfolio, and Quality Assurance Systems (QASs). Usually these kind of factors are not considered on mergers, but focus is on financial matters. In this paper, a framework (HMEF) for evaluating merging of HEIs is introduced. HMEF is based on Enterprise Architecture (EA), focusing on factors found to be affecting the success of mergers. By using HMEF, HEIs can focus on matters that crucial for merging.

Enterprise Architecture adoption method for Higher Education Institutions

During the last few years Enterprise Architecture has received increasing attention among industry and academia. Enterprise Architecture (EA) can be defined as (i) a formal description of the current and future state(s) of an organisation, and (ii) a managed change between these states to meet organisation���s stakeholders��� goals and to create value to the organisation. By adopting EA, organisations may gain a number of benefits such as better decision making, increased revenues and cost reductions, and alignment of business and IT. To increase the performance of public sector operations, and to improve public services and their availability, the Finnish Parliament has ratified the Act on Information Management Governance in Public Administration in 2011. The Act mandates public sector organisations to start adopting EA by 2014, including Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Despite the benefits of EA and the Act, EA adoption level and maturity in Finnish HEIs are low. This is partly caused by the fact that EA adoption has been found to be difficult. Thus there is a need for a solution to help organisations to adopt EA successfully. This thesis follows Design Science (DS) approach to improve traditional EA adoption method in order to increase the likelihood of successful adoption. First a model is developed to explain the change resistance during EA adoption. To find out problems associated with EA adoption, an EA-pilot conducted in 2010 among 12 Finnish HEIs was analysed using the model. It was found that most of the problems were caused by misunderstood EA concepts, attitudes, and lack of skills. The traditional EA adoption method does not pay attention to these. To overcome the limitations of the traditional EA adoption method, an improved EA Adoption Method (EAAM) is introduced. By following EAAM, organisations may increase the likelihood of successful EA adoption. EAAM helps in acquiring the mandate for EA adoption from top-management, which has been found to be crucial to success. It also helps in supporting individual and organisational learning, which has also found to be essential in successful adoption.