Rethinking teaching material in urbanism and architecture: the use of digital diptychs during lockdown

Abstract

This communication aims to show the evolution in the teaching supports and the communication with the students of the Architecture Degree of the University of Seville, applied to the teaching of Urbanism during the last year. More specifically, it will show the experience carried out in the subjects of Urbanism I (taught in the first year of the degree course) during the lockdown imposed in Spain on March 13, 2020. Justification and objectives: Communication methods between teachers and students are essential to improve teaching results in university education, both in the classroom and virtually. Following the general confinement decreed on 13 March 2020, these communication strategies have had to adapt to a new landscape of difficulties and obstacles, especially in disciplines where the handling of physical materials (planimetry, mapping, technical reports, etc.) remains indispensable. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic has been used as an opportunity to rethink the role of these physical supports, as well as strategies to ensure that they do not fall into disuse in the new virtual landscape. In this way, we intend to show the results of the implementation of digital diptych formats as a support that then, from home, students should print physically and interact with it. Results: Having implemented, developed and made this material more complex throughout the course of the course, the experience in the use of hybrid supports (printable digital files and virtual teaching) has shown an improvement in the times of understanding and conceptualisation of the subjects, as well as a very positive evaluation by the students, who, in addition to perceiving a close and current visual language, preserve the material as an object of design. These first indicators obtained (academic performance and satisfaction with teaching) validate the relevance of this method as a strategy for better teacher-student communication during periods of confinement. Keywords: Iockdown, urbanism, teaching supports, digital diptychs.