Exploring the Neurological Basis and Motivation for Learning to Design during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Architectural design curriculum is based on the premise that students want to learn Architecture. However, there is a significant decline in the motivation and enthusiasm of Architecture students for designing projects within the studio courses. This phenomenon can be the natural result of the Covid-19 pandemic that locked young architect candidates down, forcing them to attend courses online. However, the motivation behind the act of designing is loosely related with the designers’ physical or online presence. This study aims to understand the basic motives underlying the desire to design by examining online architectural design education processes. The paper looks into cognitive processes, neuroscientific knowledge around the act of design, and pedagogical knowledge around learning to design. The main question of the research is to see whether the motivation to design can be explained

Students as Partners in Architectural Design Education

Architectural design study is subjective. In order to aid a new pedagogy that welcomes the diversity of design approaches, the research project funded by Taylor's University incorporates teacher-learner partnerships in curriculum design. Engaging students as partners (SaP) in teaching and learning is an emerging yet contested topic in higher education. The research aims to offer learner-led pedagogy through engaging the SaP. Initially the research offers a critical discourse on various perspectives on design studio teaching pedagogy involving tools, teachers, and procedures. Later moves onto a series of studio observations and interviews with students, made for two consecutive semesters at Taylor's and University Malaya. By keeping the learners at the core, SaP, the subjectivity of designers brought to main focus. The contribution of the paper is a learner-led new pedagogy, on e-learning, for the emerging young learners. The significance is to offer tools for exploring originality in design and therefore to empower the budding designers, the learners in architecture.