LESSONS LEARNT FROM A PILOT PROGRAMME IN ARCHITECTURE

Thursday 5 May 2016 at 1 pm (SAST)

Thank you to all who took part in this short seminar either at the University of Cape Town or online via Adobe Connect. The recording of this session is available here

To enable working individuals and other non-traditional students with limited means and located in outlying areas, to advance their qualifications, traditional offerings should be interrogated. Alternative pathways to qualification must be sought, employing thoughtful learning design process and optimising available technology that is accessible, practical and sustainable.

In response to the need to transform the architectural profession, to promote broader access and address issues of affordability and proximity to the campus,

an existing curriculum was redesigned. The new blended BTech programme in Architectural Technology is offered through a University-Industry collaboration by means of on-campus block release, office-based mentoring and online engagement. The studio methodology, which is closely associated with architectural education, remains at the centre of the learning agenda, although through different modalities and implemented across time and space.

In this presentation, lessons learnt from a pilot programme that successfully produced its first graduates in April this year, is shared.

Jolanda Morkel is a senior lecturer in the Department of Architectural Technology and Interior Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology where she is also busy with doctoral studies, focusing on the use of technology to mediate studio-based learning. She heads up a blended programme in architecture, optimising workplace and online learning, together with workshop format on-campus blocks, to promote access and transformation of the architectural profession.