Outputs of a Cross-Cultural Virtual Design Studio

EINSTUDIO – A Design Journey Across Countries

Abstract

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, research on Virtual Design Studios (VDS) increased significantly, revealing mixed opinions about their limitations. This paper aims to present these contrasting views on VDS education, with a particular focus on peer-learning. While many studies argue that peer-learning diminishes significantly, or even disappears in VDS, others claim the opposite. The conceptual framework of this study explores the possible limitations of peer-learning in VDS and critically highlights how COVID-19-related anxiety may have influenced many of these opinions. The empirical study discussed in this paper is based on an Erasmus+ project titled European Strategic Partnership Project: European Interactive Industrial Design Studio (EINSTUDIO). Students and instructors from three different countries participated in EINSTUDIO. The project aimed to leverage recent developments in online and web-based communication to address the challenges of teamwork in cross-national teams. Accordingly, this paper investigates whether current virtual technologies support the implementation of cross-national design studios. Variables such as motivation, collaboration, cultural diversity, and the contribution of the e-learning infrastructure are examined through participants’ self-evaluations. The findings indicate that although virtual peer-learning presents certain limitations and cross-national collaboration poses even greater challenges, a more structured methodology, syllabus and close supervision, such as EINSTUDIO’s semi-hybrid studio model, syllabus, and platform can help mitigate issues related to peer-to-peer communication and collaboration issues.