A Comparative Study of Formal and Informal Teaching Methods in the Digital Architectural Curricula

Abstract

Design educators are rethinking design education because of the high-demand for the integration of CAD/CAM in the architectural curriculum. However, in traditional design schools with fewer digital courses and more emphasis on the studio courses, an important consideration is how these skills are introduced. With this in mind, and referring to the informal teaching setup, such as workshops and student competitions, this paper describes a study comparing two pedagogical strategies based on a workshop within the curricula and a competition as an extracurricular activity. ICMP method will be used to measure the development of participating students' abilities in analysis, synthesis, integration and critical thinking, under mentor supervision, and enable an evaluation of this approach to the integration of digital thinking, application, and informal design teaching/learning experience in architectural education.