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Art and architecture are multidisciplinary fields with complicated assessments that, similar to the teaching and the learning process, are inconsistent with common assessment models. During submission, the presence of jurors, who have different approaches and standards for evaluating design projects, makes this issue more complicated. Numerous assessment and grading models are being used in architecture departments around the world. Some of these methods are based on the experiences of instructors from their lives as students, whereas some are based on university systems. Grading policies seem to be clear in most fields, but when the object of grading is an artistic product with different levels to be assessed and graded, the issue becomes more complex. This observation is especially true in the case in which quality is given a numerical grade.

The nature of skills that students are expected to develop and that are going to be assessed is often subjective. Such skills include invention, problem solving, and presentation. Problems of reliability, personal criterion, and unique perceptions lend difficulty in assessing such skills using traditional methods.

This research suggests that a criteria-based assessment and grading model is a more effective model in promoting student learning, making assessment and grading less complex and more explicit. The effectiveness and reliability of the proposed and implemented criteria-based grading system has been tested at Eastern Mediterranean University using distributed questionnaires and a Rasch measurement system.

Design studios experienced an unprecedented contribution of technology when it came to organizing studios online, as imposed by COVID-19, which requires exploration of its impacts on the main metaphors of education, learning dimensions, and undoubtedly studio culture.

In order to explore the impacts on the key dimensions of learning, a careful investigation was carried out from organizational, instructional, and learner points of view. The investigation utilized thematic analysis of records of pedagogical actions, as well as online communications, performance, and questionnaire responses of students to infer the conclusions. The freshmen architecture students were found to be an important group for study since they had no previous experiences in on-site design studios and will continue their education based on their first-year experiences.

Exploration of indicators—including reflective dialogue, retention, transfer of learned information to decisions, processing feedback as an investment in future performance, and self-regulation—as major contributors to design learning revealed that first-year students exhibited strong presence and interaction during online studio, and students' individuality influenced the teaching environment in terms of content and process. Hence, sense of belonging, which is a revamped feature of authentic context and studio culture, expands toward fortification of bottom-up educational frontiers.

Developing pedagogies with no concern for the unprecedented impacts of the transformative role of technology on fundamental layers of design education will adversely influence students' chances of personal and professional success. The findings in this paper, regarding the transformational impacts of technology on design studio culture, follow investigation of the direction it has led current and can lead future design education. The study provides unique support for crystalizing new teaching and learning opportunities and pedagogical developments.

The main goal of architectural education is to increase the independency level of students in finding design solutions throughout their academic years. Despite numerous educational attempts, the lack of supplementary educational methods or tools is still acknowledged by scholars. The present study aims to help students undergo a smooth transition from being highly dependent to minimally dependent on instructors by developing an auxiliary tool that may be used together with critique sessions in design studios. In this study, the critical stages in the design process adopted by students are identified through interviews with instructors and questionnaires for architecture students at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in Cyprus and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Basic theories are aligned with the needs and expectations of the chosen case studies to develop a user-friendly model in flash card format. The data analyses show that students and tutors all agree on the two main critical stages of design, namely data analysis and data development (synthesis) which ends with idea simulation. The developed model and the proposed flash cards attempt to connect these critical stages, which are usually skipped by students. Results show that students need to adopt and be equipped with sequences, priorities and creativity techniques in each step of the design process, and the proposed flash cards can help address this concern.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established by the UN in 2015 as an international call to action to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure that everyone will live in peace and prosperity by the year 2030. (UNDP, 2015). Out of the 17 Goals, Goal 4 talks about “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.” The SDGs are essential to architectural education since buildings account for 40% of extracted materials used in construction and 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions. (Hendawy, 2023) To accomplish these objectives, the architecture curriculum must be up-to-date and efficient. It specifically takes into account the field of architecture. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for curriculum guidelines of B.Arch. design studios, focusing on the parameter designing for inclusivity (UIA2023CPH, 2020) of SDGs.

Models, approaches and theories of curriculum development are studied. An evaluation matrix is made to evaluate different curriculum framework for government colleges on their incorporation of SDGs. A survey/questionnaire and interviews with academicians from architecture are conducted to analyze the incorporation of SDGs in design studios and find recommended solutions for its incorporation.

Finally, this research paper proposes a set of Architecture curriculum guidelines based on the evaluation framework for B.Arch. and an exemplary curriculum design model for the Architecture design studio which is evaluated through the desk critique stage for analyzing its functionality and applicability.

Despite the emphasis on SDGs in the present scenario, the “Council Of Architecture (Minimum Standards of Architecture Education in India) Regulations, 2020” does not include or mention SDGs as a key aspect (Architecture, 2020).