Advantages
Students achieve a large amount of
analysis
as a group, learning that team work can be efficient and beneficial to all. Ideas are shared quickly and to the entire student group, becoming available for all to take up into their next stage of design. Presentation skills - essential to later tasks - are tested and reflected on in a low-stress setting. Assessment specifically references the National Competencies for Architectural Education, reinforcing the importance of these to students, as well as demonstrating to assessment panels that these have been tested.
Challenges
Students who struggle with
presentation
timeliness can struggle to meet the time constraints of the task. The composition of groups can be problematic and requires specific coaching and management.
Tips for implementation
Encourage students to work together to present a genuinely diverse set of ideas, beyond their own personal preferences.
How it supports academic integrity
Pairing written and spoken components serves to verify students' engagement, and will alert the studio leader or tutor in the case of marked discrepancies between written and spoken delivery. Students learn that referencing precedent designs is also an important part of academic (and future professional) integrity.