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

just an hour beforehand with the formal involvement of the Head of the
Department. The studio coordinators expected 50 participants and only
34 arrived on the first day. Therefore all virtual requirements were
compromised but improvised at a later date during the studio. Also, due
to the nature of the coordinators‟ role and lack of support from the staff
at The University of Sharjah the MSN identification was abandoned by
the students and they chose to use the Facebook chat facility as their
main method of communication.
Written approvals were also required in case of using any facilities
inside the campus.
Collaboration in the above-mentioned culture was limited to
collaborative work among the lecturers inside the departments (if
existing) so it was even more difficult to pass this skill on to the students.
The researcher was aiming at some point to observe some collaboration
between the different departments within the university such as the civil
engineering, and other non engineering departments but this was not
achieved. The nature of the project also required the collaboration with
outsiders, but this was a dream which was very difficult to fulfil as
expressed by Dr Radoine in an interview:
“There is no way to make these people collaborate. They think more
about competition rather than collaboration.”
As for the creativity, the role culture practiced in the university worked as
an important factor in limiting the creative thinking. The nature of this
culture has been described by Handy 320 as working on procedures and
analysis on logical fashion which in turns limits the inspiration and the
impulse thinking. This was an obstacle to the integration of the project
as the researcher had to do lots of pursuing at the beginning for the
administration and with the full support and enthusiasm of the Head of
Department this integration went smoother.
320 Handy, C. (2009). Gods of Management.: Souvenit Press Ltd.
178