The in-between space of learning is an other-kind of space outside the institutional context that is autonomously chosen by students as they pivot towards professionalism. It is through the space in-between that student-professionals develop new personas that broaden the scope of what it means to become a professional in art and design. Drawing from the context of higher arts and design education in Singapore, this study examines how individuals learn to perform a delicate dance by navigating a range of different positions – caught between student and professional, neither fully belonging to one nor the other, or emerging at the very cusp of professionalism. Findings also show how student-professionals challenge conventional ways of belonging, develop their becomings, deepen the sense of being, and break out into something new while engaging with an unknowability of the other. These experiences highlight the need to shift from learning within institutional confines to embracing learning beyond the campus, urging art schools to question established norms as students navigate the shift between academic and professional identities. The key implication of this article is to examine how the in-between space serves as a vehicle for change, reproduction and transformation within institutional learning, as demonstrated by the practical insights presented in this study.
Momentous changes across the global higher education landscape, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, have affected students' beliefs about how to respond to academic challenges and seeking support. Therefore, understanding how to increase students' ability to meet the challenges they face at university and access support is crucial in order to increase their academic and creative success. This paper seeks to better understand how to support students in complex and volatile higher education settings through a student-staff podcasting project. We identified two core themes related to the importance of building networks for resilience and the necessity of providing structured opportunities for students to develop an independent understanding of how they learn best. I hope it [i.e. the podcast] reduces uncertainty [for student listeners] and supports a feeling of control over situations. (Feedback shared following Podcast 3, 2023)
How could one forge a creative dialogue between texts and the physical spaces that they document, imagine or reinvent? This article explores the idea of intersemiotic translation from a work of literature to architecture through a selection of student works produced in an undergraduate elective (Building Texts) offered online in 2020 in the Department of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut (AUB). In the course, students were given the task of ‘building’ the Turkish novelist Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s internationally acclaimed novel, The Time Regulation Institute (1961) in the form of visual representation. The purpose was not to illustrate the content but trigger an intermedial exchange: Tanpınar’s novel gives a detailed account a fictional modern institute, which serves no purpose other than synchronizing every clock in the country and fine those whose watches are running slow. But the complexity and eclectic character of the architecture, as well as the absurdity of its supposed function, compelled students to go beyond straightforward solutions and minimized the likelihood of ‘translating’ the content into familiar shapes and forms. By introducing one final project in more detail that explores translation as a central theme, the article discusses how such interactions between architecture and literature could be mobilized as an imaginative pedagogical tool. As the project illustrates, students have not only connected textual spaces to the ‘actual spaces’ informing the novel’s narrative structure but also critically resituated these spatial discourses within the mutually dependent social, political and cultural contexts in which they were imagined.
Since building systems play a key role in shaping the final design of a building, knowledge about their foundations has been an integral part of the undergraduate architecture curriculum. However, building systems are often considered by architecture students as engineers’ main responsibility. This mindset has caused inadequate attention in education. VR technology, with its ability to simplify complex concepts through immersive, interactive experiences, offers a promising solution. This study proposes a VR-based building systems-learning (VR-BSL) system, which aims to increasing architectural students’ motivation and engagement in understanding the fundamentals of building systems. A prototype of the VR-BSL system was integrated into the classroom activities, where students and lecturers explored virtual spaces of major building systems using HMDs and controllers. This study demonstrated that VR-BSL enhances learning experience by allowing students to easily grasp distributed information and knowledge through the visualization of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in the VR.
This article presents an extensive exploration of design education in Africa, with a focus on Ghana, employing storied-ethnography to critically contrast it with conventional western methodologies. It draws upon the narratives of prominent Ghanaian design educators – Sela, Isaac and Patrique – whose experiences and insights emphasize the need to integrate cultural, historical and social realities into the design curriculum. This study uncovers a significant divergence from western educational paradigms, which often prioritize technical proficiency and a universal design approach, potentially neglecting the rich cultural specificities integral to the African context. The research highlights the necessity for a design education system in Africa, particularly in Ghana, that balances technical skill with a deep-rooted connection to local culture and social nuances. It advocates for a model that honours and preserves African cultural heritage while preparing students to make impactful contributions in both local and global design spheres. The findings shed light on the complex nature of design education in Africa, calling for a decolonized, inclusive and culturally sensitive educational model, with profound implications for policy-makers and educators across the continent. Relevance to design practice: This research offers practical insights and strategies for integrating Indigenous knowledge and contemporary methodologies, shaping a more culturally nuanced and globally relevant design practice.
