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

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

References

1. Altman, I. & Low, S. M. (1992). Place attachment. In Place attachment (pp. 1-12). Springer, Boston, MA.
2. Arora, V., & Khazanchi, D. (2014). Sense of Place in Virtual Learning Environments. In MWAIS Conference, Iowa State University, USA. http://aisel.aisnet.org/mwais2014/8
3. Bergin, C., & Bergin, D. (2009). Attachment in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 21(2), 141-170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-009-9104-0
4. Chow, K., & Healey, M. (2008). Place attachment and place identity: First-year undergraduates making the transition from home to university. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(4), 362-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.02.011
5. Corcoran, H. (2020). Architecture Schools Adapt to an Uncertain Future. Architectural Record. Retrieved 14 October 2020, from https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14569-architecture-schools-adapt-to-an-uncertain-future
6. France, M. K., Finney, S. J., & Swerdzewski, P. (2010). Students’ group and member attachment to their university: A construct validity study of the University Attachment Scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(3), 440-458. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164409344510
7. Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203-220. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.203-220
8. Graetz, K. A. (2006). The psychology of learning environments. Educause Review, 41(6), 60-75. https://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/books/learning-spaces/chapter-6-psychology-learning-environments

9. Gustafson, P. (2009). Mobility and territorial belonging. Environment and Behavior, 41(4), 490-508. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916508314478
10. Hidalgo, M. C., & Hernandez, B. (2001). Place attachment: Conceptual and empirical questions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21(3), 273-281. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.2001.0221
11. Lewicka, M. (2010). What makes neighborhood different from home and city? Effects of place scale on place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 35-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.05.004
12. Lewicka, M. (2011). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(3), 207-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001
13. Li, M., Frieze, I. H., Nokes-Malach, T. J., & Cheong, J. (2013). Do friends always help your studies? Mediating processes between social relations and academic motivation. Social Psychology of Education, 16(1), 129-149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-012-9203-5
14. Li, M. Y. (2012). Place attachment in university students: social antecedents and academic motivations (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh). http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/6179
15. Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students' need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 323-367. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543070003323
16. Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2010). Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.09.006
17. Seamon, D. (2020). Place attachment and phenomenology. Manzo, L. C., & Devine-Wright, P. (Ed.). Place attachment: Advances in theory, methods and applications. Routledge, 29-44.
18. Yanar, A. (2000). Knowledge, skills and indoctrination in studio pedagogy. Salama, A.M. and Wilkinson, N. (Ed.), Design studio pedagogy: Horizons for the future, 63- 74.
19. URL-1, Archinect. (2020). Retrieved 11,12, 2020, from https://archinect.com/features/article/150195369/architecture-deans-on-how-covid-19-will-impact-architecture-education