Enhancing Knowledge, Skills, and Identity Development Through Collaborative Student-Led Learning: Experiences With the Gradual Empowerment of Students in a Planning Studio Course

Abstract

Studio courses are a common way to teach problem-based and applied skills in the field of urban and regional planning. In this article, we reflect on the experiences from a planning studio course that builds on the idea of gradually increasing student autonomy, peaking in the final phase of the course when the whole class self-organizes the content and delivery of a strategic plan. We term this approach “collaborative student-led learning,” arguing that it enables students to learn subject-related knowledge and skills related to communication, organization, and negotiation, while also supporting students’ personal and professional growth and identity development.