Teaching History of Architecture: Moving from a Knowledge Transfer to a multi-participative methodology based on its tools

Abstract

The changes that the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) framework obliged the School of Architecture of Malaga, University of Malaga. to make to its “History of Architecture” course are discussed in this paper. It was taken up as an opportunity to modify the whole course, introducing creative teaching and “imaginative activities” to put the students at the centre of the learning experience and giving them part control over the course. IT technologies such as Pinterest were used to create a friendly visual learning environment to offer richer learning experiences and positive effects on the students. Time dedicated to the presentation of theoretical content in the course was reduced by half and the program was redefined from the chronology of the previous program to a reading of the use of the classical orders throughout history. This change generated interest, curiosity and a greater understanding of the relationships between different styles which use the same elements. The implementation of several activities such as problem solving exercises, complementary readings and video helped to focus the course on a student-centred learning environment, was valued positively by the students.