Lifelong learning in architectural design studio: The learning contract approach

Abstract

Avant-garde educational systems are striving to find lifelong learning methods. Different fields and majors have tested a variety of proposed models and found varying difficulties and strengths. Architecture is one of the most critical areas of education because of its special characteristics, such as learning by doing and complicated evaluation and assessment methods. A learning contract is an alternative way to track students' progress and evaluate their achievements while serving as an agreement on learning goals. Results from studies in other fields have confirmed the positive impact of learning contract on students' learning needs, confidence, and motivation, and thus prompting us to implement this model in architectural design studio. In an implemented contract with the studio, students were asked to use the existing possibility of a contract to perform self-assessment, examine their progress, and identify whether the learning contracts were deficient or whether they would like to continue developing more expertise by using same method. Results show the students' positive feedback on the use of learning contract and how it accommodates their individual learning needs. © by the author(s).