Grant Recipient
Linda Zhang, School of Architecture
(Project timeline: October 2024 - June 2026)
Description
Architecture education is hierarchical: professors “critique” and student listen. This project will apply and assess participatory action research (PAR) methodologies to reshape architecture design studio-classroom dynamics by promoting empowered learning and placing knowledge ownership in students’ hands. Drawing insights from Project Planting Imagination1, PAR and co-design frameworks challenge traditional “extraction models” to prioritize student knowledge co-creation and co-ownership, addressing power disparities between teachers and students. Studio-classroom activities include co-design exercises and peer-to-peer critiques, to empower students as knowledge carriers and co-creators by challenging “sage on stage” models and architectural “desk critiques.”
Project Objectives
This project addresses the discipline’s struggles to move to student-ownership in learning through these research questions:
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Impact of co-Design to transform classroom dynamics: What are the benefits, challenges, opportunities and limitations of translating co-design principles from community research to the classroom and course design? What is the impact of this on student learning and engagement?
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Shift in perception of knowledge ownership and legacy: How can we ensure student ownership of knowledge and sustainable, long-term learning beyond the course through methods such as upskilling, leadership development, and legacy planning?
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Knowledge carriers: How can co-design principles help shift knowledge and expertise from the instructor to the students to create a more empowered learning environment?
By answering these 3 research questions, the project ultimately seeks to create a sustainable learning model, by establishing an evidence-based framework for co-design that can be applied to other courses and disciplines.