International collaborative learning to puzzle through meaning and place

Authors and presenter*

• Georgia Lindsay, School of Architecture & Design, CoSE*

• Victoria Derr, Department of Applied Environmental Science, College of Science, California State University Monterey Bay

Abstract

How people inhabit place is a central question for architects and environmental professionals alike. For two years, students in an architecture theory unit at UTAS and an environmental studies service-learning unit at a university in California, USA, have engaged in an online collaborative exchange to puzzle through meaning and place. The primary focus was sharing, across disciplines and cultural contexts, strategies for thinking about place within decolonial frameworks; a secondary focus creating opportunity for cultural exchange amongst students.

Students were asked to participate in three interactions during the semester:

1. an individual activity where students shared two places important to them and explained why they were important

2. a whole-class discussion and response to a question about “what does it mean to remember”

3. a small-group activity in which students shared findings from each units’ final projects.

At the end of semester, students were asked to reflect on what they had learned through the partnership. We analysed these reflections to understand the effects of the exchange on student learning, combining that analysis with our own reflections to iterate between the two years and to make changes into the future.

The second exercise (remembering) provided the most enriching content for the students at both universities. Overall, UTAS student reflections demonstrated that the collaboration allowed them a venue to appraise social and ecological contexts for design interventions. Additionally, students appreciated the chance to connect with international peers. Next year, we will deepen the exchange to support even more participation and learning.