Presentation delivered at 29 May STAND UJ Symposium, by Jolanda Morkel. Presentation title: Learning in practice. Learning for practice. Learning through practice. Seminar title: Socially Engaged Pedagogies in Art and Design Education DESIGN TEACHING FOR RELEVANCE

1. Learning in practice. Learning for practice.
Learning through practice.
Socially Engaged Pedagogies in Art and
Design Education
DESIGN TEACHING FOR RELEVANCE
‘STAND’ (Scholarly Teaching in Art and Design group at FADA)
Jolanda Morkel
Senior lecturer, Department of Architectural Technology & Interior Design, Faculty of Informatics
and Design, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
CPUT part-time coordinator, OpenArchitecture

2. This presentation was delivered for the STAND* UJ seminar
presented at FADA on 29 May 2015, titled:
Socially Engaged Pedagogies in Art and Design Education
DESIGN TEACHING FOR RELEVANCE
*“‘STAND’ (Scholarly Teaching in Art and Design group at
FADA) is a forum that offers regular seminar opportunities for
the sharing of educational research, teaching practices and
theory. It is also a community of practice that aims to build and
maintain critical teaching practices at FADA through the sharing
of critical scholarship related to learning in Art, Design and
Architecture. The group values praxis, generation of new
knowledge, theorization, collegiality, democracy and social
justice, critique, creativity, transformation”.

3. In this presentation I wish to show some of
the recent work that we’ve been doing in my
department and through collaborative work
with others, exploring relevant and
responsive, authentic and durable learning in
practice (in the workplace), learning for
practice (on campus), and learning through
practice (through community engagement).

4. “Education lies at a peculiar crossroad in
society. On one hand it has the responsibility
of anticipating real-life skills by preparing us
for an increasingly complex world – but
education methodologies can only be
formalized after practices have been
defined. This dichotomy is particularly
aggravated when it comes to technology,
where fast-paced innovation and
perpetual change is the only constant.”
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/6-characteristics-of-tomorrows-classroom-technology/

5. architectural education and the profession
Egyptian
Greek
MiddleAges
Renaissance
AcademieRoyale
EcoleBeauxArts
Bauhaus
OxfordConference
apprenticeship
trade guilds
move towards
academia
1930
1958
1793
1819
move from craftsman
to philosopher
office to studio
academia
2012
curator1865MIT

6. practice
students
time
place campus
community
office
online
other
ubiquitous anywhere anytime
non-traditional, diverse
specialization, diversification, transformation
studio tradition challenges

7. What are the relevant knowledges
that will best equip students to
learn to become responsible
practitioners in an ever-changing
world?

9. Authentic context
Learning environment reflects ‘real life’
setting
Authentic task
Tasks are complex and ill-defined
Expert performance
Access and contact with expert thinking
Multiple perspectives
Variety of learning resources to explore
different viewpoints
Collaboration
Learning environment characterised by
social support system
Reflection
Reflective practice is encourages
Articulation
Articulation to industry encouraged
Coaching & scaffolding
Teacher fulfils the role of coach and
facilitator
Assessment
Assessment is closely aligned with learning
objectives and learning tasks
authentic learning
Herrington, Reeves and Oliver, 2010

10. workplace. campus. community
different sites of learning

11. What are the relevant ways to
make such learning happen?
What are the different activity
systems where such learning can
happen and how do they work?

12. community, work and architectural education
St Michaels Primary
School, Elgin
(Grabouw)
2011 – 2013 various
projects involving
NDip Architectural
Technology and
Interior Design
students
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

13. Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel
St Michaels Primary School, Elgin (Grabouw):
outdoor classroom next to container library.

14. NDip Architectural Technology Year 2 (experiential year)
2010 > 2011 changes in learning delivery
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

15. PROFESSIONAL
IDENTITY
community
(service learning)
office
university
(studio)
different sites of practice in
architectural education
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

16. [The stairs] has to fit in that space … we used trial and error …
we had to find a way to put it together … we just have to come
up with things.
On site [in SL] things have to be correct and you have a time
limit to do these things and you can’t just start back again. At
the office you have more freedom of making mistakes … you
can start over and you will always have your employer guiding
you.
so there is something of a mismatch between the more
creative sketching done in the studio and the more mundane
work required in the workplace.
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

17. community office
Live (real) projects in communities
take on different forms. They involve
actual execution/ implementation of
designs, often by building work done
by students, supported by the
university. Practice in communities
may vary in scale and duration.
Students spend a predetermined
period of time in the office of a
registered architectural professional.
They need to complete a range of
tasks recorded on log sheets signed
off by the employer supervisor and in
addition, the students’ office work is
monitored by an academic.
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

18. Office and community perceptions
• The whole year I have been in
front of a computer just drawing or
on a drawing board … it is like a
disconnection between building
and the client
• It helped doing one section but
you only gain knowledge of that
section. It would help to have
feedback for everybody on each
section … actually going out on
site you would actually relate to
what will be happening.
• In the office you often only work
on one thing, like ceilings.
• People help you, they need to get
the job done, but you don’t want to
nag …
• Like now (community) we have
our knowledge and we can take
initiative we can try to work it out
and do it ourselves, it is our
responsibility.
• I think the responsibility part … in
the community you really get
people out of their comfort zone
• It gives you a good feeling, the
whole point of this project is to
give back to the community. They
are actually appreciative and this
is so nice.
• in the office you just draw, you
do not put life into your drawings
here you make that special bond
… there is somebody at the end
of the drawing.
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

19. “I cannot believe how fast the design-build project went! If
I was given two words to describe the experience, they
would be FUN and ENRICHING! By the time the project
ended,it had already sunk in the sytem and order of things
in my daily life. The impact the whole exprience has had
on me has been immense in such a way that, my mates
grew on me, seeing their smiling faces everyday and the
willingness to help towards giving the children a way
towards the opportunity of adding a better learning
environment became the norm of everyday and by the
time the whole project ended,a feeling of sadness grew on
all of us since we had nothing to look forward to anymore.
Nevertheless, the joy we felt at seeing the happy faces
carried by the school children and the staff members was
an emotionally moving moment when they also sang a
song they had prepared for us.”
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

20. The design-build project is something to forever
remember and I share it with all the people
around me.
I had so much fun last week with our design build
project and has encouraged me to go beyond the
mere design and study technologies with regards
to sustainability more than ever.
It is truly exciting to know that we be making an
active contribution to the upliftment of our
communities. The smiles on the children's faces
even though they are at as privileged as many
other students just melted my heart. Definitely
inspiration to continue with community
development.
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

21. What happens in each of these
learning activity systems - according
to Cultural Historical Activity Theory
(CHAT)? What are the tools, rules
and divisions? Who are the other
parties (communities), the actors
(subjects) and what do they achieve
(objects)?

22. Comparing office (O) and community (SL) practice sites of learning
SUBJECT
SL: students on site
O: students in office
RULES
SL: doing, learning, serving
O: doing, working
COMMUNITY
SL: teachers, heads, kids, landscapers,
lecturers, suppliers
O: managers
DIVISIONS
SL: distributed expertise, personal
and group responsibility
O: hierarchical, external correction
TOOLS
SL: group, hand tools, materials curriculum
O: studio, CAD, supervisors
OBJECT
SL: ill defined, expert practice, long term
O: defined, limited, short term

23. office
community
project
studio
C: architects,
lecturers, peers
C: architects, lecturers,
teachers, pupils, peers,
suppliers, landscapers
C: Lecturers, peers,
tutors
S: students having
weak agency
S: students having
strong agency
S: students having
varying agency
O: office work, council
drawings
O: building outdoor
classroom
O: design proposals,
not for construction
R: Instructed rather than
initialized work, speed and
accuracy important, follow
drawing conventions, critique,
behavioral rules
R: Responsibility to
community, mutual
accountability, sustainability,
rule of thumb.
R: Uncertainty,
stressful, marks driven, lack
of sleep, studio culture,
students wanting to “please”
the lecturer
D: Well-defined
apprentice/draughtsman roles,
junior in work team, focus on
specific task (rather than
integrated)
D: Student as professional
architect, student as expert,
collaborative and distributed
roles, integration of practices
and theory
D: Student unsure, distracted, lecturer
mean: neither client nor co-worker role,
fellow student not as co-worker but
non-expert
T: Curriculum, studio project
architects, internet and CAD
T: Curriculum , studio project, office
experiences, peers , experts on site
T: Curriculum , theory projects,
peers, lecturers , CAD in office
Outcome:
Skill at doing council
drawings
Outcome:
Competence in design
process, grades, drawings,
models and documentation of
fictitious projects.
Outcome:
Giving to the community,
changing pupils lives,
improving conditions, i.e.
contributing to the community.
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

24. We were able to better understand student experiences
in practice, and in particular the advantages of
community project work, through using CHAT.
Firstly, we understood that learning is not just about
individual change through participation, but is also about
contributing to and so transforming the lives of others; as
Anna Stetsenko suggests ‘collaborative, purposeful
transformation of the world is the core of human nature
and the principled grounding for learning and
development’. Secondly, through activity system analysis,
CHAT provided a means to compare the different social
systems at the different sites, and hence affordances and
constraints to students’ sense of responsibility,
contribution and development.
Joint research: James Garraway & Jolanda Morkel

25. workplace. campus. community
using technology to mediate learning

26. What make teaching strategies
relevant? How might emerging
digital technologies contribute to
and enable relevant learning?
How does it promote access and
transformation?

27. http://www.elearning-
africa.com/media_library_publications_ela_report_2014.php

28. http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-
statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know
self-paced
saving by replacing
growing numbers
eco-friendly

29. http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-
statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know
boost productivity
workplace learning
growth of self-paced
learning
increase information
retention
on the job training

30. E/Inquiry-based learning
“Where wondering and questioning are encouraged
and celebrated.” Kath Murdoch 2014
sorting out
PROMPTING
finding out
SCANNING
taking action
TAGGING
taking in
TELLING
http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/
http://justwonderingblog.com/
Morethanknowledgetransfer…

31. facebook
TEDEd
qr codes
photostory
SCANNING
TAGGING
TELLING
PROMPTING
Cowbird. Moviemaker.
Cognician. Oppia.
Twitter. Instagram.
14:00

32. Digital storytelling
TELLING
http://www.slideshare.net
/dgachago/digital-
storytelling-by-jolanda-
morkel

33. ECP/ first year
- Ethics
- Identity
- Ontology

37. workplace. campus. community
blended learning response

38. How can affordances of different
teaching modalities and strategies
be optimised as part of a relevant
blended learning design?

39. "We will have students in face-to-face
traditional environments when that makes
sense, in the workplace when that makes
sense, and out in the world exploring when
that makes sense, plus we will still offer the
value and advantages of online flexible
learning...”
Stephen Kossakoski, 2013
CEO of the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School

40. ‘The purpose and aim of a blended approach
remains to ‘enhance the learning experiences
for students and teachers by enabling them to
engage in ways that would not normally be
available or effective in their usual
environment...’
Bath & Bourke, 2010
why blended learning

41. ...f2f & online
...on-campus & off-campus
...real & virtu(re)al
...physical & digital
blurring the boundaries

42. on campus off campus
face-to-faceonline
technology
technology

43. workplace. campus. community
OPENARCHITECTURE

44. “A part time blended architectural learning programme”
OpenArchitecture provides part time Architectural studies through a
blended learning programme whereby an online learning portal supports
office-based mentoring, occasional regional studios and face-to-face block
release reviews on campus.

45. CONTEXT
In response to the shortage of Professional Architects in
South Africa, the need for transformation in the
Architectural Profession and growing numbers of non-
traditional students with work and family commitments,
OpenArchitecture (OA) was conceived as a South African
Institute of Architects (SAIA) initiative.
Collaborating with Architectural Learning Sites (ALS) at
different Higher Education Institutions (HEI) it aims to offer
universally recognised alternatives to main-stream
graduate and post-graduate architecture education.

46. on campus off campus
face-to-faceonline
office-based‘block release’
online
Part time BTech
Architectural
Technology
(Applied Design)
using
technology
in blocks

47. ACADEMIC COLLABORATION
The first programme to be presented in this way is
the two year part-time
BTech Architectural Technology (Applied Design)
in collaboration with the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
(CPUT) which started in January 2014.

48. www.openarchitecture.co.za

49. OA PROGRAMME
OpenArchitecture provides four different forms of engagement
office based
mentoring
online learning
portal
facebook group face-to-face block
release

50. Announcements are made by
lecturers and visible to students
Calendar entries are regularly
updated to reflect all online
meetings (crits), submissions and
assessment dates, including
portfolio reviews.
Hangout topics are created by
staff and students and discussed
online.
The online learning portal contains the
following virtual spaces for learning:

51. Course work
is shared by educators and organised
per subject and assignment. Learning
material includes: recorded lectures,
short videos, written briefs, document
resources and links to available
online material. All staff and students
have access to the course work
folders.
Student work
is submitted for feedback and
assessment. Work is mostly created
in Word or Powerpoint formats and
then uploaded in pdf format. Only
staff can view and access the
submitted student work, not the
students.

52. Design Journal
students are required to keep a
design journal for every design
project. It resembles a blog and
contains drawings and text, arranged
in chronological order, to reflect on
their individual design process and
receive feedback from tutors and
peers.
Online crits
are held weekly through a webinar
where staff and students discuss
projects, using audio and digital on-
screen sketching. Crits are recorded
and uploaded to the learning portal.

53. Facebook group
A closed facebook group provides informal social
interaction, discussions and sharing of resources

54. The OpenArchitecture virtual learning interface
has demonstrated that it is possible to successfully
enable studio-based learning in a virtual
environment through the various face to face
interactions of the blended programme

55. http://www.cput.ac.za/
@Jolanda_Morkel
morkelj@cput.ac.za
Jolanda.morkel@gmail.com