Deserted studio: evaluating remote-learning practices for the post-pandemic era

Abstract

To limit the spread of Coronavirus, educational institutions had to suddenly shift to remote learning during the Spring of 2020. This study aims to evaluate the adopted remote-learning practices among architectural students and their instructors. To this end, the authors implemented a descriptive cross-sectional approach to highlight the aligned and opposing perceptions, respectively. The work adopts the following four-step methodology: (1) Interviews; (2) identification of findings; (3) online surveys; and (4) comparative analysis. Results from 139 respondents were collected from 15 Egyptian universities and 6 non-Egyptian universities. Findings demonstrate the potential advantages of reduced commuting costs, besides going paperless. Nevertheless, a crucial need for a well-established infrastructure and increased self-motivation has been raised. Furthermore, the study sheds the light on the future potential of integrating hybrid-learning models, virtual reality, and other practices to embrace learning strategies. This research contributes to architectural education practices by providing guidelines for enhancing online-learning experiences.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• distance education
• design studio
• virtual studio
• remote learning
• hybrid/blended learning
• Virtual Reality (VR)
• post-pandemic practices

Acknowledgments

The corresponding author wishes to send the good impact of this research paper to the soul of Eng. Sara A. Rashad, Vice Chair of IEEE- IES Chapter in Egypt who has passed away in April 2022. Through the different phases of the research journey, Sara A. Rashad has supported and contributed in many indirect ways to the success of the current work. Her valuable insights are extremely appreciated and will be always remembered. The authors are grateful to all the students and all the instructors (faculty) who have participated in both questionnaires survey for their time, support, and interest. The authors want also to extend their acknowledgments to reach the whole journal team members for their continuous support and valuable insights that are very much appreciated.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.