framework for the implementation of a virtual design studio model in ...

asic level as well as the professional, face to face, and virtual levels.
Several types of activities encouraged the peer discussions of certain
topics (basic collaboration) while others encouraged the remix and
rematch of the groups where the students had to create new groups
based on skills and experiences (professional level). The activities also
encouraged the students to work in class by sharing and exchanging
information in the lecture room as well as “virtually” by blogging, chatting
online, or discussing certain views.
The use of these in class activities also encouraged the students to work
with peers and at a later stage to form bigger groups, then to remix and
work with different groups in which the students had the chance to
intersect their ideas and come up with a shared vision for their final
product.
The students were also encouraged to think in a free and creative
manner through the use of workbook activities that encouraged
unlimited free thinking and through the use of metaphorical thinking
exercises.
The Socio-Cultural Layer
The socio-cultural layer is concerned with the cultural traditions of the
UAE society. This work is aimed for the UAE student. Since the UAE
culture differs from the western culture and the technology transfer
throughout the literature 308 has been noticed to be limited by cultural
diversity and cultural factors, this work considered the sensitivity of the
UAE culture and addressed this issue by using the available
technologies to overcome cultural restrictions. An example of this is the
use of the virtual tour in which the student can virtually walk outside the
campus (an advantage that could not be reached otherwise due to the
female restriction issue) and explore the surroundings.
Other use of technology to overcome cultural restriction is the use of
Facebook with all its facilities to overcome the gender issue as male and
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