Going Digital in Design Education: Restructuring the Emotional Bonds in the Online Studio

Year 2021, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 49 - 58, 20.07.2021

Yasemin Burcu Baloğlu , Ahmet Sezgin

https://doi.org/10.46474/jds.929594

Abstract

Higher education has experienced momentous changes in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 restrictions disrupting face-to-face education. An immediate shift to online education that draws on diverse digital platforms and interfaces took place worldwide. This study aims to present insights into this transition process from the perspective of place attachment and sense of belonging with a focus on the design studio, and it specifically looks at the transition to online education carried out by the Faculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture (FADA) at MEF University. The study draws on semi‐structured interviews conducted with students from the faculty. Responses from the students indicate that they have felt the effects of the transition process in social relationships, time-space routines, safe space, and changes in their perceptions of personal space. Recent research has demonstrated that sense of belonging and place attachment in educational environments positively affect students' academic performance. The data obtained through this study reiterates the significance of these bonds in the design studio context. The discussion introduces a fresh insight into exploring these critical concepts by focusing on the now burgeoning field of online design education.

Keywords

Digital learning environments, Design education, Design studio, Online education, Place attachment, Sense of belonging

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