Abstract:

The intensive workshop is a teaching methodology based on students’ learning through group work projects on real and current subjects within limited space and time. This is mainly applicable to subjects that lend themselves to a work project.
The intensive group work creates close bonds between the students. The students try out, learn and progress gradually, and through this process, acquire competences and abilities that they will put into practice in the teaching context. Moreover, this methodology will help students to develop and to make contacts in their real and professional lives. The results obtained in the projects improve when they have been undertaken intensively, as students are able to better focus their efforts, rhythm and collaboration.
Workshop methodology is applicable to subjects from architecture such as engineering, computer science, design, etc. In these subjects the students work together in teams to produce a final product. In our case, students are from planning courses, in which the final product sought is the Urban Project.
The themes chosen for the project are real and current issues that offer an approach to professional work of the architect in the field of urban planning. Choice of project will depend on the students’ level and learning complexity, with an emphasis on current issues, real locations and a social interest. Students conduct field visits and analyses of the target area before work commences.
The performance and workshop results improve when the work is intensive, as students acquire greater concentration of effort, pace and collaboration. In the new university of international exchange and cooperation, this system allows students and teaching staff to link up and coordinate with various universities, thus contributing a multiplicity of different cultural approaches to the same subject.
The student actively participates in the learning process, by exchanging experiences and views with colleagues and taking responsibility. The needs and interests of the student/trainee are the focus of the educational activity. Students wishing to take this course should have prior knowledge in the field of project planning, while the rich teaching content integrates activities that are closely connected to the workplace. The teacher accompanies students through tutoring in the projects, providing documentation, bibliography and reference classes that are applied to projects.

Keywords:

Learning, projects, intensive, workshop.