Project by McGill students Gabrielle Goldman and Frédéric Verrier-Paquet, with online markups by Vedanta Balbahadur
I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of making design education available to those who are distant from major cities, part of marginalized communities, or whose work or age does not permit them to easily visit a campus on a regular basis.  With this in mind, Douglas Macleod’s article was so refreshing to read.  As he points out, there is much that online teaching offer to democratize education.  Furthermore, as some universities return to in-person design studios, we do well to assess the lessons learned from online teaching to determine which of its strengths can be merged with traditional studios into a hybrid that captures the best of both worlds. Interestingly, the subject of making design education broadly accessible also relates to the McGill Continuing Studies course I teach each year called Physical Environment Sustainability and Contemporary Culture, which is directed to students in disciplines other than architecture.  The intention of this class is not to teach them to become designers, but rather to sensitize non-architects?business and engineering students especially, who tend to enroll in the course?to the arts and built environment.  For many of these students, it marks the first time in their formal education that they are being taught about the role of architects and designers in shaping the urban environment; thi...