Abstract:

While Negroponte’s “Being Digital” prophetically presented a society shifting from “atoms to bits” in all aspects of quotidian life, a revision to this claim is underway in contemporary education. The necessity of ubiquitous computing is undeniable however the saturation of digital workflows have limited, diluted, and commodified educational experiences. The growing demand for experiential learning in contemporary pedagogy merits a re-examination of Kolb’s Experiential Learning model. Though reflection, abstract formation of concepts, testing, and concrete experience remain essential, the latter component demands enhanced, physically tangible engagement to merit impact in many industries, most notably design disciplines. Current virtual workflows afford students the ability to generate incredible design work while the capacity to bring these virtual ideas to reality via digital fabrication technologies and tangible experience reaffirms and modernizes Kolb’s model. This paper outlines the adoption of digital workflows in an architectural curriculum, the inherent benefits and challenges with such supersaturation, and the reintegration of conventional physical engagement as a complement to a holistic design pedagogy. Prefaced by a brief survey of contemporary pedagogical models on tangible outcomes raised by Kolb's Experiential Learning paradigm, the paper posits the translation to "concrete experience" in lieu of the digital Negroponte presents as ubiquitous in all disciplines. This methodology culminates with the presentation of select case studies where tangible outcomes are made possible via ubiquitous digital workflows. That these studies draw upon a range of design applications, the conclusion reinforces the authors position that Negroponte and Kolb's perspectives are complementary pedagogical praxis.

Keywords:

Design pedagogy, digital fabrication, experiential learning, digital design.