Abstract:

Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) enable students to interact with each other and with their teachers, share ideas and experiences in a co-operative setting of online digital spaces over large distances or several locations. In urban design studio students perform a design task under the supervision or guidance of teacher who is also an experienced practitioner. The international and multidisciplinary cooperation and the cooperation with practice is the important factor that enhances the quality of education. Urban design studio teaching mode requires the physical presence of both teacher and student. However, face-to-face practises could be usually enhanced by the computer-mediated communication. The paper examines the role of digital technologies in the support of the collaborative environments for education, research and participation in urban design. It explores the benefits of blended learning, advantages and disadvantages of using the online platforms and the role which play the social media in socialization of education in urban design.

Keywords:

Urban design studio, collaborative learning platforms, social media in education.