Distance teaching of the history of architecture and urban design?

Abstract

Since at least the 1990s, the educational sciences have generally criticised the format of lectures1 and have instead encouraged active teaching methods2. However, in France, lectures without teacher-student interaction remain the most common teaching format in many subjects. The lack of change in this situation can be explained by the fact that this format is more economical in terms of staffing rates. In addition, the teaching of certain subjects, such as history, is not really conducive to work based on experience and collaboration. However, even in the context of a lecture, some active teaching exercises can be put in place by teachers who are interested in trying new approaches. The main obstacle is then the lack of training in teaching and educational sciences for the teachers in France. Having worked for nearly a year on an ANR Program (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, a national research organisation in France) on the hybridisation of higher education courses on bio-geo-sourced resources for renovation and construction, my research and training in this context encouraged me to think in this direction.