Exploring Web 2.0 for virtual design studio teaching

Abstract

Following the development of e-learning platforms, the virtual design studio (VDS) has become a new method for implementing studio-based design education in online environments. With the rise of Web 2.0, the ways in which people engage with digital technologies has been transformed. The studio model of teaching and learning is a dymanic area of e-learning development. Although this is a broad-brush term for a model of constructivist learning across art and design fields, it is not as generic as it may seem. The unique skills and knowledge of different design fields necessitates diversity resulting in subtle differences in the form of studio teaching and environments. This paper presents the position of a working doctoral research project that is concerned with the design of web 2.0 online environments for VDS teaching. The scope of the PhD investigation is to understand the needs of teachers within VDS teaching environments in the hope of enhancing the teachers’ experience and encouraging the usage of such e-learning systems. Drawing on Broadfoot and Bennett’s pedagogical guidelines, with an integration of Donald Schön’s physical design studio, and Thomas Kvan’s virtual design studio theory, this paper argues for the importance of observing the teacher’s role in both the physical and virtual design studio. This paper then aims to identify the research position and related theories that are informing the project’s evolution.