Concern for the state of architectural education in East Africa was a catalyst for this exploration of socialisation, which sought to understand socialisation and its influence on…
Abstract
Purpose
Concern for the state of architectural education in East Africa was a catalyst for this exploration of socialisation, which sought to understand socialisation and its influence on educational outcomes in the region. Socialisation within architectural education has long been known to influence how students acquire important aspects of the profession, building both values and a cultural ethos in the process. An appreciation of these processes in the context of East Africa adds to the wider understanding of the implicit curriculum in architectural education. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
An ethnographic study was undertaken in five architecture schools across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, making use of a mixed method approach incorporating document analysis, a questionnaire study, participant observations and focus group discussions as the data gathering instruments. Focus group discussions, as the primary data gathering method, acknowledged the social context of the study, with data gathered from multiple sites across the region.
Findings
As an integral component of architectural education, socialisation was evident at all stages of the educational process. Within the educational realm, contrasting expectations of students and instructors were evident, leading to conflicts that influenced the values acquired by students. This was seen in attitudes towards contemporary architectural issues within architectural education, and suggests that socialisation can at times have pronounced negative consequences.
Originality/value
The wider study represents the first comprehensive review of architectural education in the context of East Africa, and contributes to the global appreciation of the influence of socialisation on educational outcomes.
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This paper aims seeks to reflect on the transition of a school of architecture to incorporate sustainability principles as a core part of its undergraduate (Part I) programme. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims seeks to reflect on the transition of a school of architecture to incorporate sustainability principles as a core part of its undergraduate (Part I) programme. The paper offers a brief overview of the processes undertaken and outcomes of this to an integrated problem-based learning approach and with sustainability at its core changing both knowledge content and pedagogical approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
Reflecting on the transition to a sustainability-based curriculum, this paper makes use of a mixed methods approach incorporating a review of literature on sustainability in architectural education, pedagogical approaches and epistemology, as well as educational issues in sub-Saharan Africa. The main study made use of an ethnographic approach, including document analysis, interviews, observations and one-on-one informal interactions with students, faculty and alumni.
Findings
While the transition to a sustainability-based curriculum was achieved, with integrated studio courses at second- and third-year levels, this did not come without challenges. Divided opinions of formal education, linked to preconceived ideas of what constituted architectural education led to some resistance from students and professionals. Nevertheless, the programme serves as testament to what is achievable and provides some lessons to schools seeking to transition programmes in the future.
Practical implications
The paper contributes to discourses on sustainability in architectural education, examining the transition taken by an architectural programme to incorporate sustainability as a core part of its curriculum. The outcomes of this process provide advice that could be useful to schools of architecture seeking to integrate sustainability into their programmes.
Originality/value
As the first architecture programme in East Africa to integrate sustainability principles into its programme, this study provides an insight into the processes, experiences and outcomes of this transition. This reflective engagement highlights value of an enabling environment in any transitional process.
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This paper describes the curriculum design of an architectural studio course aimed at making concepts of sustainability accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes the curriculum design of an architectural studio course aimed at making concepts of sustainability accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year undergraduate students. Architectural education and design pedagogy is shaped and interrogated in the Global North or Western Europe and North America and influences various pedagogical approaches in the Global South. By including exemplars, voices and practices from global, historical, vernacular and contemporary contexts, understanding of sustainability is enriched.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach to course design included decolonising the curriculum and making it relevant for globally diverse future professionals. The studio theme of “memory and history” was framed as responsiveness to context and experiencing the site. Students were required to define place, and articulate form and space with sensitivity towards social, cultural, environmental and ecological aspects. The lectures, exercises and interactive activities emphasised design process, in-progress work, and experimentation through sketching, diagramming, drawing, and making study models which scaffolded student learning under the guidance of tutors.
Findings
The findings show that to make the process of learning to design in an environmentally responsive manner explicit for students, approaches to curriculum design must have a global and inclusive curriculum, engage students in experiential learning through doing/making to develop critical thinking skills, encourage students to synthesise and transfer learning to and from other settings and contexts, and interpret knowledge-power relationships and co-construction processes embedded in studio-based teaching and learning.
Originality/value
The original contribution of the course is that it creates an inclusive, experimental and decolonised space for co-construction of knowledge about designing sustainable environments.
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Saeed Ali Alburgawi and Mohamad Alissan Al-Gamdi
The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on architecture education during the lockdown in Saudi Arabia, as well as the new normal that has…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on architecture education during the lockdown in Saudi Arabia, as well as the new normal that has emerged. This indicates the potential to develop frameworks and strategies for adapting architectural pedagogy modes to unexpected situations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on qualitative research with phenomenological aspects, focusing on a phenomenon experienced by a group of people involved in a Bachelor of Architecture degree program. This paper uses data collected from a literature study, as well as interviews conducted at the College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture of Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia; the data sources include tutors, students and recent graduates with common teaching and learning experiences in design studios.
Findings
The study shows the feasibility of conducting part of the design course in a distance mode and the rest as on-campus attendance, to ensure effectiveness and to produce quality architectural designs with maximum detail. However, research reveals that both students and educators need greater awareness of the self-learning process.
Originality/value
The research value lies in exploring how the imposition of a distance architecture design studio due to the COVID-19 lockdown has potentially established a new pedagogical model for teaching architecture design studio.
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Shyama V. Ramani, Rushva Parihar and Shankhajit Sen
Governments worldwide have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are committed to attain them by 2030. Moreover, they recognize that they cannot mobilize the…
Abstract
Governments worldwide have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are committed to attain them by 2030. Moreover, they recognize that they cannot mobilize the necessary resources and capabilities for this purpose alone. Hence, they have called for cooperation from all stakeholders including multinational enterprises (MNEs) to assume responsibility and strive to contribute to the SDGs. However, since co-partnering with the state for inclusive development is outside the traditional mandate of MNEs, this chapter explores the ways in which policy can nudge MNEs to contribute to the first pillar of sustainable development, namely SDG1—to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. A two-stage methodology is applied to address the research queries. First, a conceptual framework on impact of MNE interventions on SDG1 is developed. Second, the framework is validated through a meta-analysis of the abstracts of articles selected via a scoping review of the economics and management literature. This leads to an in-depth understanding of policy design features that can nudge MNEs to make positive contributions toward poverty alleviation. Four distinct pathways foreign direct investment (FDI), public–private partnerships (PPP), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and knowledge transfer are identified for nudging MNEs toward SDG1. Nevertheless, the potential impact may not be realized due to the inappropriate strategies of the MNE, the drawbacks of the policies of the host government, and/or systemic challenges of the host country context. This chapter further explores the positive and negative impact on these pathways as a step toward exploring how MNEs can contribute to all the SDGs.
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Zeynep Yeşim İlerisoy, Ali Aycı, Hilal Aycı and Esra Betül Kınacı
The aim of the study is to investigate whether architectural education has a positive attitude toward entrepreneurship and it encourages to have management skills. The hypothesis…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study is to investigate whether architectural education has a positive attitude toward entrepreneurship and it encourages to have management skills. The hypothesis is based on the fact that core courses in architectural education have an impact on individuals' entrepreneurial intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
The correlation of design, construction and technology courses with entrepreneurship intentions, namely, learning motivation, a motivation on innovation, a progressive attitude and self-efficacy as an outcome, was investigated in senior-year students of architecture enrolled in six universities of Turkey. The data collected were analyzed through the structural equation model, which mainly focuses on the causal relationships between chosen variables.
Findings
The initial outcome is that learning motivation, attitude and self-efficacy through design courses have an effect on entrepreneurship. However, contrary to expectations, it was found that innovation does not have an effect on entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, while innovation, attitude and self-efficacy through construction courses have an impact on entrepreneurial intent, learning motivation does not. Finally, it was revealed that attitude, self-efficacy, innovation and learning motivation affect entrepreneurial intention through technology courses.
Originality/value
Entrepreneurship skills are generally considered within the field of interest by business schools. Even though there exist some studies into entrepreneurial architecture education, they are few in numbers, and they usually evaluate the problem mainly through a qualitative research. This study could be regarded as a different research in terms of its traditional perspective, and it investigates the role of entrepreneurial intent in a “technical” discipline such as architecture.
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Adriana Cristina Ferreira Caldana, João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio, Bárbara Lespinasse Sampaio, Maria Luiza Gianotto, Aurora Contiero Talarico and André Cavalcante da Silva Batalhão
This paper aims to explore whether formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences contribute to developing sustainable development competencies (SDCs) among students in a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore whether formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences contribute to developing sustainable development competencies (SDCs) among students in a Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory business school.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey based on the students’ learning experiences and a questionnaire on sustainability competencies already validated in the literature were given to a sample of 274 bachelor students at a PRME signatory business school. Nominal variables representing students’ categories were created to test a set of hypotheses developed according to the literature. Because the data was not normally distributed, non-parametric independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test was conducted, and descriptive statistics was used to help the analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that a hybrid format with a combination of formal, non-formal and informal learning experiences is essential to maximising the development of SDCs and raising students’ sustainability literacy.
Research limitations/implications
This study is one of the first attempts to understand the importance of a hybrid approach in developing sustainable competencies (SDCs). Future studies could adopt longitudinal analysis to check the development of these competencies over time, assess students from different PRME signatory schools or comparing students to those in non-signatory business schools.
Practical implications
This study provides insight into how business schools could address challenges in developing sustainable competencies through redirecting their educational systems by balancing formal, informal and non-formal learning approaches to educate future responsible leaders.
Originality/value
This research provides evidence on how a hybrid learning approach could maximise the development of sustainable development competencies and, therefore, generating insights for educational policies.
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Zejing Qu, Wen Huang and Zhengjun Zhou
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of applying sustainability to the engineering curriculum at a university in China.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of applying sustainability to the engineering curriculum at a university in China.
Design/methodology/approach
A new curriculum, “ethics, involvement and sustainability,” was designed and presented to engineering students from an undergraduate major in quality management engineering. This curriculum incorporated knowledge acquisition and skills training into sustainability via various teaching approaches in a mandatory curriculum at Tongling University, China. Pre- and post-questionnaire surveys, as well as a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model, were adopted to evaluate the changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of respondents before and after curriculum implementation.
Findings
Significant changes in knowledge and attitudes were observed following the implementation of the curriculum. In terms of the development of new behaviors, the changes tended to be moderate. Generally, respondents were satisfied with the effectiveness of the new interdisciplinary curriculum post-implementation.
Practical implications
Positive results were observed for the pilot and practice of the new engineering education (NEE) strategy at the cooperating university in China. Specifically, the integration of sustainability into curriculum design, implementation and evaluation inspired greater social responsibility in engineering students’ decision-making processes. Additionally, it shed light on how to integrate the concept of sustainability into curricula. One limitation of this study was the absence of a comparison group that did not experience the new curriculum.
Originality/value
Scant attention has been paid to local universities in the context of the newly-launched NEE strategy. This study provides new insight regarding the implementation of sustainability into engineering curricula and practice via formal, but diversified, teaching approaches.
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This paper aims to test whether the extent of compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 7 requirements is value relevant and whether it influences the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to test whether the extent of compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 7 requirements is value relevant and whether it influences the value relevance of the firm's accounting information (book value of shareholders' equity and net income).
Design/methodology/approach
The sample for this paper consists of 288 financial institutions listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) from 2016 to 2019. Panel regressions have been used in this study.
Findings
The findings reveal that compliance with IFRS 7 is positively associated with the firm's market value. After making a classification between high-compliance and low-compliance companies, the authors' results indicate that the compliance level is positively associated with the value relevance of net income. Surprisingly, when examining the value relevance of financial instruments disclosures (FID) supplied after the adoption of IFRS 9, the authors find that book values of shareholders' equity and earnings are not more value relevant in the post-IFRS 9 period.
Research limitations/implications
Given that the authors' analysis has been restricted to the Canadian setting, the regression results might not be generalized for other countries with different capital markets features.
Practical implications
The authors' findings point out that FID can affect investors' decisions as well as their confidence in the companies in which they invest. Hence, the regulatory bodies should gear more efforts to ensure high-compliance levels.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this research is among the first attempts to investigate whether the new FID (after the adoption of IFRS 9) improves the firm disclosure quality and enhances the value relevance of accounting information.
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Nischay Arora and Balwinder Singh
The study aims to explore how the monitoring and resource provision function of board of directors impact the association between ownership concentration and small- and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to explore how the monitoring and resource provision function of board of directors impact the association between ownership concentration and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) initial public offering (IPO) underpricing in the context of an emerging economy like India.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample comprises 390 SME IPOs listed on Bombay Stock Exchange SME platform and National Stock Exchange EMERGE (EMERGE is the NSE new initiative for SMEs to raise the funds from investors) in India. To test the moderating impact of the board monitoring role and resource provision role, the study employs hierarchical moderated regression subject to the fulfillment of assumptions.
Findings
The findings divulge that ownership concentration significantly reduces underpricing, hinting towards the operationalization of alignment of interest hypothesis. With regards to moderating relationship, the study found that while board resource providing role negatively moderates the relationship between ownership concentration and SME IPO underpricing, board monitoring function fails to cast any significant impact on the relationship between ownership concentration and SME IPO underpricing.
Research limitations/implications
The present study ignores larger firms listed on the main platform which have complex decision-making than smaller firms. Besides, it is confined to only a single country, i.e. India. Extending the study to other countries with similar institutional characteristics would have validated the findings. Furthermore, the moderating impact of other organizational factors like firm age, lifecycle of firm and change in technology would form an interesting avenue for future research.
Practical implications
The findings of the study have practical implications for managers in designing the adequate board structure that significantly reduces underpricing. It thus further advices the issuers on focusing more on strengthening the resource provision role of board of directors for achieving higher rewards. The findings are helpful to policymakers in framing such policies that enhance the resource-oriented role of board of directors and resource accessibility for SMEs. Furthermore, the results advise the investors to be relatively assured about the SMEs whose board exercises its resource provision role emphatically. Accordingly, findings are helpful to investors in making investment decisions in alternative market settings characterized by the concentrated ownership structure.
Originality/value
The study furthers the debate on the importance of two prominent roles played by board as a moderating variable in the underexplored context of IPO underpricing of small and medium-sized firms in India.