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Article
Publication date: 11 June 2024

Erfan Heidari and Mahmoud Reza Saghafi

This study introduces diagrammatic morphology as a novel method for analysing the synergistic interactions within school mapping. It seeks to reshape the evaluation of school…

Abstract

Purpose

This study introduces diagrammatic morphology as a novel method for analysing the synergistic interactions within school mapping. It seeks to reshape the evaluation of school mapping typologies, focusing on the interconnectedness of learning activities, social interactions, and spatial configurations. Aims: (1) To develop the morphological evaluation procedures for school mapping. (2) To evaluate the Iranian Middle Schools' Interior Architecture (IMSIA) using the diagrammatic morphological method.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study has been conducted in two steps: A review of the morphological method for school mapping evaluation. A case study analysis of fifty-five IMSIA samples.

Findings

The spatial typology of IMSIA were categorized into four distinct models. These models included ten distinct pattern categories within twenty-one different types. The case study evaluation identified three levels of synergistic complexity within the school mapping: primary, intermediate, and advanced. The advanced level displayed the strongest connection to pedagogies among the analysed models.

Originality/value

This research innovatively evaluates the synergistic context of schools based on the assemblage theory through an occupational analysis of the Iranian middle schools' interior architecture mapping diagrammatic morphological method.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2020

Mahmoud Reza Saghafi

In the context of architecture education, design studio projects usually start with “research” on the design theme and the context, but often there is no strong link between this…

Abstract

Purpose

In the context of architecture education, design studio projects usually start with “research” on the design theme and the context, but often there is no strong link between this research and its application in the project and the resultant design product. This paper explores strategies which link knowledge acquisition and knowledge application in design studio teaching and learning.

Design/methodology/approach

These strategies have been applied in several design studios and master’s theses and involve sixteen years of research by the author through observation, surveys and analysis of student work.

Findings

The results show that these strategies are not limited to the design studio, with more than half of them (eight out of fourteen) also applicable in theoretical subjects that sit outside the design studio unit and generate knowledge of relevance to studio projects. As such, the paper advocates for a multi-level approach involving the following: course design and curriculum development, teaching and learning pedagogies and organizational decisions regarding the deployment of staff as for collaborative team-based teaching.

Research limitations/implications

The results also recognize the relevance of problem-based and project-based learning to the broader higher education context and its dependence on a collaborative approach.

Originality/value

This paper which synthesizes this work contributes to the literature on architecture pedagogy, specifically that related to the integration of theoretical and practical subjects.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 December 2020

Mahmoud Reza Saghafi and Philip Crowther

Design studio and technology subjects are two dominant parts of the architecture curriculum. How to integrate these different parts of the curriculum is one of the important…

Abstract

Purpose

Design studio and technology subjects are two dominant parts of the architecture curriculum. How to integrate these different parts of the curriculum is one of the important challenges in architecture education around the world. With increasing internationalisation of both the profession and higher education, an understanding of similarities and differences across the globe is important. This paper illustrates two different approaches to such integration in two very different contexts: case studies at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia and the University of Tehran (UT) in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

The study implemented a case study approach based on document analysis methods. This paper explores the integrated role of technology subjects in architecture education, followed by a critique of the teaching of technology within the design studio. The analysis is conducted across four significant features of the curriculum.

Findings

Overall, in both programmes, the aim is for students to develop architectural knowledge and skills; although the Iranian programme has a stronger focus on knowledge, the Australian programme has a stronger focus on the application of knowledge and skills, particularly within the design studio projects.

Originality/value

The comparative analysis of architectural education in these two different contexts offers an insight into alternative approaches to teaching technology. Such an insight may offer guidance in curriculum development to support the exploration of new hybrid approaches as well as supporting international student mobility.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2024

Erfan Heidari and Mahmoud Reza Saghafi

This qualitative case study explores the challenges that architecture students encounter in grasping the concept of fair PA. The study also delves into the students' viewpoints on…

Abstract

Purpose

This qualitative case study explores the challenges that architecture students encounter in grasping the concept of fair PA. The study also delves into the students' viewpoints on this matter and the strategies they utilize to navigate it.

Design/methodology/approach

Around 29 architecture students took part in the PA process. Data was gathered by observing PA sessions and conducting interviews with students. The data was then analyzed using the thematic method.

Findings

The study uncovers fairness challenges from the perspective of architecture students, such as concerns regarding collusion, power dynamics within friend groups, limitations of participatory culture, and overwhelming responsibility. The study suggests that a multistage PA process can be an effective approach to addressing fairness challenges. Furthermore, it sheds light on the obstacles that architecture students face in comprehending fairness and their viewpoints and tactics regarding fairness during PA.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that increasing students' engagement in learning activities during the critique and assessment process in the DS can enhance their understanding of fairness in PA and boost their satisfaction with final course grades.

Originality/value

This study investigates the relationship between architecture students' engagement and assessment fairness, by focusing on the role of perceived fair PA within design studio settings.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 December 2020

Anurag Varma and Mohammad Shoeb Jafri

The purpose of this paper is to have an overview of how Indian institutions offering undergraduate architecture programs have responded to the pandemic situation. It seeks to…

2649

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to have an overview of how Indian institutions offering undergraduate architecture programs have responded to the pandemic situation. It seeks to appraise the alternative approaches adopted for teaching-learning, communication, assignment and evaluation and assess their effectiveness for progressive improvisations or integration with pedagogy. The paper articulates a view on the suitability of online teaching for architecture education in India, on basis of educators' experiences of teaching during the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted for obtaining primary data from the educators given the paucity of information. The questions elicited structured information on aspects of the transition process, IT/online platform and tools, the efficacy of online teaching-learning and trajectory of blended learning.

Findings

All institutions managed the transition to online teaching without much difficulty. However, the paper raises the need for professional training and feedback from students. One-third of the respondents express satisfaction with online teaching, despite low satisfaction about the effectiveness of online teaching of a design studio. The results convey the need for more engagement with digital tools and representational software on integrated platforms. The study finds consensus on the future potential of blended learning and advocates developing an integrated framework and curriculum for architecture education in India.

Originality/value

The paper synthesizes viewpoints on online teaching-learning of architecture program in wake of the pandemic from an educators' perspective. The emergent perspectives are viewed dialogically in context of global voices to articulate a future trajectory of blended learning in the domain of architecture education.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

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