Six BK publications in International Journal of Technology and Design Education
No less than six articles on architecture and built environment design education have been published in the latest open access issue. Twenty staff members from all over the faculty contributed to broad range of topics, from disciplinary and pedagogical developments to interdisciplinary learning and the cultivation of the next generation designers.
At BK Bouwkunde, the ambition has been set to develop a portfolio for research on education innovation. Director of Education Roberto Cavallo and bachelor programme leader Remon Rooij lead this faculty wide initiative. It supports and inspires teachers to monitor, improve and innovate their education, and to develop more educational scientific knowledge on teaching and learning. In 2017 a call for paper was launched – in co-operation with the 4TU Centre for Engineering Education – on the ‘Latest developments in architecture & the built environment design education’. There is a growing teaching expertise in design education, which is worthwhile sharing with the international academic community. These six articles are the result of this endeavour.
Disciplinary and pedagogical developments
‘Architecture and built environment design education: disciplinary and pedagogical developments’ introduces the quest for evidence supported education innovations in the field of architecture and built environment design education. Disciplinary and pedagogical developments are introduced, as well as faculty capacity building on education innovations and research-on-education, and personal competence development of individual staff members.
Read the full article by Remon Rooij, Renate Klaassen, Roberto Cavallo, and Jos Arts here.
Teaching history for design
This article explores what and how design students learn about architectural history and how they translate this knowledge into their design practice. It builds on the generic framework of Van Dooren et al. (2014) to argue that ‘history’ refers not only to background information, but to socio-cultural knowledge that designers can actively use in developing their projects.
Read the full article by Carola Hein and Elise van Dooren here.
Embedding built heritage values in architectural design education
In this article, the authors argue that “…embedding built heritage values into studio-based design education is a daunting new challenge that demands new didactic perspectives and tools.” The redevelopment and regeneration of the built environment have become important design assignments for cities all over the world. Using the built heritage values approach as guiding theme (Van Dooren et al., 2014) thus becomes a pivotal approach for architects and urbanists.
The full article by Nicholas Clarke, Marieke Kuipers, and Sara Stroux can be read here.
Reflection in design education
This article discusses the (development of) design reflection skills of undergraduate students. When experimenting, or exploring (Van Dooren et al., 2014), designers tend to continuously – and very often implicitly – reflect on the back and forth process of analysis–synthesis. In the third-year bachelor course ‘Academic Design Reflection’, students are asked to explicitly reflect on an architectural design project. They reflect on the definition of the brief, on a specific design theme, on the design process, and on the relation between design and research.
Read the full article by Louis Lousberg, Remon Rooij, Sylvia Jansen, Elise van Dooren, John Heintz, and Engbert van der Zaag here.
Cultivating the next generation designers
This article focuses on the discussion about learning from group methods in urban and regional design education. It advocates the relevance and importance to co-operate during design processes as an important professional skill. Four approaches to learn to design in teams are described, compared and reflected upon.
Read the full article by Lei Qu, Yawei Chen, Remon Rooij, and Peter de Jong here.
Interdisciplinary learning and practice-theory integration
This article discusses several pedagogical insights to improve interdisciplinary teaching in urban planning, design, and management courses. It shows the relevance of integrative skills for an increasingly diverse professional and societal setting, in which urban designers, planners and managers operate. It presents, arguments and evaluates an urban management game in which students simulate a concrete urban redevelopment assignment via role playing.
Read the full article by Yawei Chen, Tom Daamen, Erwin Heurkens, and Wouter Verheul here.