Ditching the Dinosaur: Redefining the Role of Digital Media in Education

Abstract

We are experiencing qualitative developments that are substantively affecting several facets of design education. Professional relationships, construction techniques, buildings, materials, design tools and ways of working are changing rapidly. Of particular interest to us in this paper is the role of digital media in schools of architecture and our understanding of architectural education. We refer to digital media here as encompassing its use in as a basic recording and drawing medium as well as the more progressive use of computational logic applied to design. The evolution of contemporary digital media and networked communications are among several technological and cultural developments that are creating challenges for architectural education. In this paper we examine the content and character of these developments, sketch some of their theoretical underpinnings, and identify their potential impact on curricula. We propose that one way in which to reformulate educational objectives is to consider what we have referred as the techno-cultural status of the new media vis-à-vis architecture and its educational foundations. How does a new technology find its way into the design culture of school, and to what degree does it reflect a fundamental shift in our attitude to architectural education? We intend this position paper to reflect on recent developments and we hope that it will spark discussion online here at IJDC and elsewhere.