Abstract:

An examination is a formal test of a person's knowledge or proficiency in a particular subject or skill. Often times, the approach of an examination is accompanied by examination fever on students, which suggests that the examination period is not always a pleasant one. Architectural jury for design studio works is the equivalent of examination for written courses; hence, students perceive it with mixed feelings. The jury, aside from being an examination also presents an opportunity for students to learn in an atmosphere that can either be jocular, antagonist or reassuring. Despite the age long tradition of the jury evaluation system, there are few literature that have assessed the perception of students towards its use and suitability as a means of performance measurement. The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ perception of the jury system as a pedagogical means of evaluating design studio works. Data will be collected through a survey of three purposively selected schools using a structured questionnaire as instrument of data collection. The respondents are students across the 2nd to 4th and 5th to 6th year of undergraduate and postgraduate study respectively. Data obtained shall be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study will be useful in the development of national academic policies for Nigerian Schools of Architecture towards improving students’ acceptance of the jury process as a tool for learning and assessment on one hand, and also to improve their performance in the jury on the other hand.

Keywords:

Architectural jury, design studio, students’ perception, Nigeria.