Deserted studio: evaluating remote-learning practices for the post-pandemic era

Abstract

To limit the spread of Coronavirus, educational institutions had to suddenly shift to remote learning during the Spring of 2020. This study aims to evaluate the adopted remote-learning practices among architectural students and their instructors. To this end, the authors implemented a descriptive cross-sectional approach to highlight the aligned and opposing perceptions, respectively. The work adopts the following four-step methodology: (1) Interviews; (2) identification of findings; (3) online surveys; and (4) comparative analysis. Results from 139 respondents were collected from 15 Egyptian universities and 6 non-Egyptian universities. Findings demonstrate the potential advantages of reduced commuting costs, besides going paperless. Nevertheless, a crucial need for a well-established infrastructure and increased self-motivation has been raised. Furthermore, the study sheds the light on the future potential of integrating hybrid-learning models, virtual reality, and other practices to embrace learning strategies. This research contributes to architectural education practices by providing guidelines for enhancing online-learning experiences.