We need to reset the system, and we’re being handed the opportunity and time now to look at how we can do better.
we have with students has been taken away. We have to work extra hard to keep some students engaged in the course and in the community we’re trying to build.
Most notably of all though – as an architect and teacher of budding architects – has been the challenge of fostering creative energy. As a discipline somewhere between art and science, nurturing this is crucial to us achieving our potential. I like to create learning environments Zhere Py students can feed ŏ each other¶s creativity and energy; that’s not easy to mimic through online course delivery.
It’s been a testing few months, but what we’ve learned about how to deliver remote learninj and its potential Zill benefit architectural education for a long time to come. We’ve proven that remote learning works, students can remain productive and, in fact, this style of learning even suits some subjects and some students’ lifestyles. A mixed model of face-to-face and remote course delivery will be something we may look at implementing permanently in the future. 3royidinj students Zith Àe[ible learninj options is only going to be a positive. It’s a matter of equity. Testament to this is a promising prospective student of the course who lives in Wodonga. Coming to campus in Epping three days a week would be too much. Other students have school aged kids, and in the past if the kids were sick they missed class. Now, with remote learning, they don’t have to Piss out ,f Ze can ŏer the possibility of partly completing the course online, it would immediately become much more accessible.
The current situation is also forcing us to provide more learning resources online.
This year, we’re looking into hosting a digital exhibition, which will allow us to promote the course to audiences anywhere in the world. This helps leyel the playinj field as Ze¶re ĕectiyely showcasing our work in the same space as any big name international university.
The education sector has proven how adaptable it can be and Zill benefit if it learns the lessons from the pandemic. The architectural profession would be wise to do the same.
Peter Hogg has been in the architecture profession for 35 years. Now Head of Program for the Bachelor of Built Environment course at Melbourne Polytechnic, he shares how he managed to maintain connections with his students as they suddenly transitioned to remote learning during the coronavirus lockdown, and how he thinks the wider profession could benefit from learnings during this time.