Learning and Teaching Culture Policy
Our Learning and Teaching Culture Policy (LTCP) strives to create a positive environment at the School of Architecture. We hold design thinking and mutual respect to be both driver and catalyst to building a better world.
A foundational belief of the policy is that each one of us is deserving of respect. We agree to value our varied experiences and perspectives; to bring empathy and humility in our interactions; to recognize the efforts and contributions of others.
This policy is a living document that incorporates input from students, faculty, staff, and administrators. It embodies our values and helps us hold one another accountable.
- Faculty, Students, Staff, and Administrators recognize that diverse perspectives lead to better design solutions. Awareness of all histories and perspectives is valued in design inquiries.
- Faculty, Students, and Administrators recognize the importance of people, clients, users, communities, and society in architectural design.
- Faculty, Students, and Administrators recognize the value of student participation and leadership in building a pipeline to introduce architecture to wider audiences.
- Faculty use inclusive methods of teaching. Faculty refrain from gate-keeping practices and from setting obsolete standards or professional behaviors detrimental to student health and irrelevant to current modes of practice.
- Students learn to challenge previously held ideas, stay open-minded, and discover new insights.
- Faculty and Students work together create a supportive and non-competitive learning environment.
- Students bring a desire to learn with and from others. Ideas and pursuit of knowledge are advanced by the community of learners as a whole.
- Faculty model collaboration for students by engaging with other faculty and professionals with different sets of expertise.
- Faculty mentor students to prepare for a range of career paths and recognize the benefits of interdisciplinary preparation.
- Students and Faculty recognize that an important learning outcome is the ability to use process work to reach a final design proposal. Design projects without documented process work does not meet expectations. Through an iterative design process, students apply knowledge, think critically, and develop discernment.
- Students recognize that an iterative design process is an integral part of architectural education and an important professional skill. Working iteratively entails re-doing work multiple times in response to feedback to make refinements.
- Students understand that grades are one of several methods of communication from faculty. Grades measure how a student meets a specific evaluative criteria at a moment in time. Grades are not a holistic assessment of the student, their worth, or their latent abilities.
- Students develop confidence without arrogance, elitism, or condescension. Students are receptive to feedback.
- Faculty ensure that critique of student work, including critique from external reviewers, is encouraging, constructive, and respectful. Faculty refrain from criticizing students or their abilities. Critiques are discussion-oriented, and not personal, recognizing that learning is in-progress.
- Faculty moderate critiques without “showmanship” and in a manner conducive to collective learning for the class. This includes inviting appropriate external design professionals to respond constructively to student work.
- Faculty explain course learning outcomes, schedule of assignments, and grading criteria to help students understand expectations.
- Faculty publish deadlines and presentation schedules with sufficient notice for students to plan their time accordingly.
- Faculty mentor students to set realistic expectations and to develop healthy time management habits.
- Faculty assign workload consistent with the credit hour requirements for their respective courses. Faculty do not assign work to be performed during university-observed breaks.
- Faculty respect students’ time and acknowledge that students may take multiple classes and may have other important responsibilities.
- Faculty set due dates that considers building closures which limit student access to print lab, shop, etc.
- Faculty and Staff help students find alternate solutions if course supplies and equipment are not readily available.
- Faculty do not equate quantity of work with quality of work for grading.
- Students strive for a healthy school/work/life balance attending to the necessary rest, nutrition, stress management through disciplined and efficient use of their time.
- Students respect faculty’s time and acknowledge that their teaching time is defined by employment contract with the university.
- Students communicate with faculty about absences and a reasonable extension to assignment deadline if an absence is unavoidable.
- Students prioritize buying required supplies and equipment in a timely manner.
- Students make time, with faculty support, to engage in professionally-oriented activities outside of the classroom to explore passions and expand their professional networks.
- Students invest in their own learning, in preparation for the profession, beyond transactional exchange of assignment for grade.
- Students recognize that their academic integrity translates into professional integrity. Students seek help from faculty rather than compromise their academic integrity.
- Students recognize that misuse of AI jeopardizes their learning and preparation for the profession. Academic dishonesty damages their reputation.
- Students practice the professional conduct of timeliness including being on time, submitting assignments on time, and being ready to present to guest critics on time.
Link to Fall 2025 survey: Learning and Teaching Culture Policy Survey
Link to previous Studio Culture 2019 Studio Culture Policy