You see things, and you say, "Why;" But I dream things that never were, and I say, "Why not?"

George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah, Part 1, Act 1 (1921)

One picture is worth a thousand words.

Fred R. Barnard, advertising executive (1927)
(also attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte and Confucius)

The emergence of Internet-based communication technologies (ICT) has facilitated the rapid growth of distance education (DE) in post-secondary education in the United States (NCES 1998, 2003) and abroad. Traditional lecture courses are now routinely supplemented by online resources. Each academic year brings new courses and entire degree programs online; there are now virtual universities that have operated entirely online long enough to produce several classes of graduates. New approaches and new tools allow courses to be offered that were once considered impossible to teach at a distance (Farrell, 2001).

Despite these advances, there are some types of learning that have been underserved by distance education, particularly those that have higher-level learning objectives, those that involve motor skills and nonverbal forms of communication, and those that have traditonally been taught by a coaching methodology rather than through lectures. How, for instance, does one learn to develop skills in the visual or performing arts at a distance? One discipline that falls into all three of the above categories is architecture, particularly architectural design.

While Web-based distance education is becoming the norm in continuing education programs for design professionals, collegiate professional degree programs in architecture are almost entirely devoid of distance education courses. This study will trace the history and practice of education in architecture, examine pedagogical and technological considerations that might support or mitigate against the use of ICT, and review aspects of theory and practice of distance education as it relates to architectural studies. It will present arguments to support the introduction of online learning into the architectural curriculum, as a supplement to traditional teaching methods and for subjects that can be taught entirely a distance. Finally, it willl suggest ways in which the pedagogy of architectural education can improve distance learning in other disciplines.

About the author: Alan B. Stover holds degrees in both architecture (B. Arch., Cornell University, 1972) and law (Juris Doctor, Georgetown University, 1975). A licensed architect and member of the bar in Maryland and the District of Columbia, he is a former General Counsel of the American Institute of Architects and a founding fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers. He has taught courses in construction contracts and specifications at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and at Montgomery College in suburban Maryland since 1997. Mr. Stover's involvement in designing and delivering distance education courses and training distance education faculty has led to his pursuit of an online Master's Degree in Distance Education at the University of Maryland University College. This study was prepared in December, 2004 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for that degree.

Portions of this paper may be reproduced for educational and research purposes, provided appropriate attribution to the author and a link to the original source is provided. Reproduction in its entirety, other than for an individual's personal reference and use, is subject to permission of the author. Mr. Stover can be contacted at alan.stover@montgomerycollege.edu or abstover@comcast.net.

This study may be cited as follows: