Architectural design is a discipline that has been learned at a distance from the earliest times; by comparison, the Beaux-arts tradition of studio learning that has dominated formal architectural education is a relatively new invention. Computerization has brought the first new technology to the design process since the invention of reproduction technologies made it possible for architecture to be practiced at a distance. The convergence of CAD, communications technologies, increasingly complex construction, and appreciation for human and environmental factors have resulted in significant changes in the way architecture is practiced. While a system combining studio and classroom learning has been an effective way to educate architects in the past, changes in teaching will be necessary to help future architects deal with the challenges and opportunities of the information age.

The field of distance education is facing its own challenges as it enters the mainstream, particularly the need to reach a broader segment of the population and to foster much-needed higher learning skills. Much of distance education remains a computerized version of teacher-dominated "book learning." The highly interactive, individualized studio approach to learning design offers an example of an alternative methodology that can be applied to promote constructivist, collaborative learning across a range of learning styles and disciplines seeking ways to broaden their own approaches and "teach around the cycle."

The introduction of distance learning to collegiate architecture programs, particularly in design courses, would represent a major advance in distance education pedagogy, demonstrating its effectivess and versatility. It would also represent a milestone in architectural education, bringing the studio out of its isolation and connecting it with the world. The first steps in this direction have already been taken by innovators such as MIT; it remains to be seen how many other schools will join in this journey out of the comfortable confines of the atelier.