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

The Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation
(ALLECSO) 121 have also been involved in promoting the utilisation of
science and technology in education. The organisation has launched
many strategies for utilisation of technology for educational purposes.
According to Fensham 122 a number of Arab countries have adopted
scientific frameworks developed by ALLЕCSO in their education system.
These strategies have been developed by Arab experts who are fully
aware of the need of the society in which they live. This resulted in
strategies that are compatible with the society‟s need. Architectural
education in the Arab world benefited from these strategies. Yet, all of
these efforts lacked the insight and depended on the theoretical aspect
of knowledge. Reffat 123 argues that these strategies neglected the
application of technology in everyday situations; he further adds that
these attempts lacked the potential to teach the students‟ skills of
investigative, problem-solving and critical thinking. According to
McCullough 124 these strategies did not include students‟ interests or
their background. He further stresses that no consideration was given
to student‟s creativity and imagination or the context in which they live.
Some other countries adapted strategies that have been developed in
the West. These strategies served to accommodate the individual
needs of the countries in which it was developed; however it lacked the
insight of the local culture where it is being reused and the social needs.
Similarly, El-Erian et al 125 conducted a study to assess the quality of
architectural education and textbooks in Egypt, Syria and the UAE. The
study revealed that there was a deficiency in the utilisation of technology
in teaching. Moreover, social and cultural problems associated with the
applications of technology were not properly addressed. The students
complained from the lack of proper training for practical life. Moreover,
121
Fensham P. J. (2008). op.cit p24
122
ibid. p24
123
Reffat, R. (2006). Developments of e-learning in design and architectural education. Muscat, Oman
124
McCullough, M. (1996) Abstracting Craft: The Practiced Digital Hand. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT
Press, p232.
125
El-Erian, A., Abou-El-Fadl, S., El Mounajjed, G., Nofal, M. (2003). ‘Comparative Survey Analysis of
Architectural Education Curricula Development in the Arab World’, Proceedings of the 2003 WFEO/ASEE
e-Conference, American Society for Engineering Education, p6.
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