Teaching process in times of pandemic, or trying to live with coronavirus

Abstract

In Uruguay, as throughout the world, the practice of teaching architecture through disciplines based on design studios was seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The massive student body, which is characteristic in the framework of the School of Architecture in Uruguay, offered experiences, although embryonic, valuable to face the problem of distance learning. Reframing and evaluating the results of the first semester of 2020, the school implemented didactic-pedagogical continuity strategies. The enabling of various communication resources, intensive use of digital tools, and exploration of student roles were crucial elements to carry out remotely the design studio activities. Also, new evaluative approaches have been considered in the teaching modality adopted to cope with the pandemic. Amidst the changes imposed by the crisis in recent months, the teaching system has come into constant questioning, and the proposal of hybrid pedagogical strategies for future school semesters is at the center of the discussions.