Innovative Pedagogy for Design Teaching

This opening module introduces participants to imminent shifts that will impact design learning. It will include choice-based learning, emphasis on making, defining abilities, and the role of digital tools. The module emphasises the importance of framing design problems, structuring studio briefs, peer learning, and the need for continuous feedback within the broader academic and institutional framework.

The module covers the need for advanced academic systems and processes to enable effective teaching, as well as the use of digital platforms to support communication and coordination in studio teaching. The last part of this module covers effective methods for documenting and publishing works produced in the studios.

The module will equip tutors with strategies to identify and teach foundational abilities. It emphasises a structured approach to recognising essential skills, designing relevant exercises, and implementing effective teaching and learning processes. These elements are critical for building academic rigour, good work methods, and the foundational abilities required for undergraduate study.

This module is on structuring and delivering design studios for early years, that is, second- and third-year students. It will focus on consolidating three core competencies - Visualisation and Imagination, Planning and Organisation, and Construction and Specification. Emphasis will be on writing clear studio briefs, design exercises, and assessments. An important part of this module is the immersive session at CEPT University. Participants will join studio tutors in live teaching environments to observe modes of student engagement and methods of guiding design development.

Building on the core competencies developed in earlier stages, this module supports architecture educators in structuring and delivering advanced design studios for fourth- and fifth-year students. The focus here is on ways to support students in articulating independent architectural positions, engaging in self-directed learning, and solving complex problems. It will train educators to write rigorous design studio briefs and exercises.

This module will equip tutors to identify and articulate the course's learning outcomes and translate them into measurable, tangible student outputs through clear writing. By the end of this module, tutors will be able to independently break larger learning outcomes into smaller, tangible assignment components by setting a clear evaluation framework. This module will be taught as part of modules 3 and 4, as part of the studio brief and exercises writing.