The Students’ Experiences of Studio-based Learning in Undergraduate Interior Design Education at Nankai University in China and Arizona State University in the United States

Students’ learning experience in studio are an essential part in studio-based learning mode and design education. Studio-based learning is defined as an active pedagogy in which the student learns multimodal by solving cases or problems. Students work with personal assignments or group assignments that are critiqued on the basis of formal and informal presentations. Studio-based Learning (SBL) is unlike other learning modes, not only because the pedagogy is different but also because of its distinctive learning spaces. SBL is carried out in the studio, a type of classroom within the university that supports this pedagogy. The studio is more like a combination of classroom and study room, students take courses in studio and are encouraged to finish their design project in the studio during their off-school hours.

Nowadays, the development of undergraduate design education and practice varies significantly among countries as a result of the varying curriculum and pedagogical evolution. For instance, Chinese education in interior design has only thirty years of development while the United States has over one hundred years of experience in the field. Even though both educational goals expect students to be able to manage developing design concepts and design projects, the differences between the two are numerous. This thesis studies a comparative analysis between the two systems and aims to identify students’ real needs and their perception of studio-based learning at Nankai University in China and Arizona State University in the United States as a means to recognize possibilities to improve students’ learning experience. The study includes students, their studio spaces, and their interior design undergraduate programs in both universities. The study utilizes qualitative methods including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations. The study also includes an analysis of both undergraduate interior design programs in these two universities as case studies. The findings are analyzed and translated into physical and pedagogical recommendations. The findings should be of value for students and faculty in interior design programs in both countries.