Implications of Online, Hybrid and In-Person Design Studio Teaching after the Pandemic A Grounded Theory Approach

Distance and Blended education have been studied and applied in many disciplines but there has been limited use and assessment of these learning modes for design studios. The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has forced education delivery methods in the United States to become more online/hybrid in the 2020 school year without much preparation. As schools slowly shift to post-pandemic teaching modes, it is necessary to examine and evaluate what was learned during the pandemic online environment for design education. Previous studies have examined the effectiveness of online delivery of design education by virtual design studios using advanced digital technologies and equipment on a variety of platforms to teach specific design skills. In this study, the researcher uses semi-structured interviews of design educators and a survey of design students to examine their experience with their online learning environment during the 2020 school year. The qualitative and quantitative results of the study shed light on the challenges of online design studio learning during the pandemic and revealed opportunities for improving future design studio education. Lack of social interactions during the pandemic online learning impacted students’ motivation. The use of digital technologies improved communication efficiency, but there is also ineffective communication that negatively affected peer interaction and learning, which in turn affected student learning outcomes and learning satisfaction compared to in-person design studios. The results also revealed openings to promote fully online design education, with studio courses reconfigured using the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and with properly trained design instructors. This hybrid learning environment would lead to students receiving an optimal learning experience that benefits from the advantages of in-person instructions along with the efficiency of digital technology-based learning platforms. Keywords: online design education, hybrid teaching, virtual design studios, COVID-19 pandemic, TPACK.