Peter Holgate | Northumbria University (original) (raw)
Papers by Peter Holgate
Ernest Boyer (1928-1995) distinguished himself as a key figure in American higher education, serv... more Ernest Boyer (1928-1995) distinguished himself as a key figure in American higher education, serving as the United States Commissioner of Education and as President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. His publications and initiatives concerned educational issues spanning from pre-school to postgraduate education. This paper considers two of his chief publications in tandem; Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate (1990) evaluated the relative weightings of research, teaching and service within the academy, and recommended a rebalancing of their relative values. This publication influenced the development of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), a movement which espoused Boyer’s views. Together with Lee Mitgang, Boyer also published Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice (1996) which simultaneously praised and challenged the various normative practices of American schools of architecture. This pape...
McClean, D., Holgate, P., and Bloice, L., Murray, I., 2019. Mental health in UK architecture education: An analysis of contemporary student wellbeing. An Initial Study. Robert Gordon University, UK , Feb 17, 2020
This study is a review of mental health and well-being amongst students of architecture at RIBA v... more This study is a review of mental health and well-being amongst students of architecture at RIBA validated UK schools. It encompasses a comprehensive literature review of student well-being and support broadly within a higher education context, as well as specifically within the subject of architecture. This is augmented by data from a brief survey of UK schools, as well as telephone interviews with selected institutions as a means of establishing current perceptions of the issue in schools, as well as providing some insight into a range of actions that are being undertaken to better support students. The study was funded by an RIBA Research Grant, and has been undertaken in light of significant media exposure to the issue coupled with anecdotal reports coming from schools of architecture across the UK.
The objectives of the study were:
• To survey the current literature regarding student mental health in UK higher education, and in architecture education specifically;
• To identify policy and good practice in higher education with respect to issues of student mental health and well-being in the sector; and
• To determine in outline the extent that UK schools are experiencing and engaging with challenges associated with student mental health and well-being.
It is hoped that his project will underpin a more substantial research project which will develop guidance for architecture educators about how to support the mental health and wellbeing of students through curricular development and design, as well as by other means.
Workforce, Volunteers, Leadership, Education and Workplace, Nov 1, 2016
Future Plans. Explore different personality types and communication styles within the team.. Expl... more Future Plans. Explore different personality types and communication styles within the team.. Explore systems and working patterns that impact upon capacity.. Develop a community map of the services that the team work with to show dependant relationships or those that need to develop or be influenced. Conclusion The project has been well received by the team with members engaging and communicating more effectively with each other. It has highlighted the need to engage individuals and the whole team to enjoy a joint sense of purpose and pride in the service they collectively deliver.
This document collates examples of the author’s practice, initiatives, inquiries, and scholarship... more This document collates examples of the author’s practice, initiatives, inquiries, and scholarship in the five year period from 2010 to 2015. In conjunction with the critical commentary, ‘Developing a Curriculum for Engagement for Architectural Education at Northumbria University’ it serves to satisfy the requirements of Northumbria University’s regulations for the submission of a Professional Doctorate by Portfolio. The individual components within this portfolio seek to underpin the author’s claim towards developing a ‘curriculum for engagement’ in support of the student’s holistic educational experience of architectural education at Northumbria. The majority of the components have resulted from collaborations with colleagues in the course of the author’s practice. These have included fellow academics, academic managers, colleagues from other institutions and disciplines, as well as students of the programmes of architecture. In support of developing a ‘curriculum for engagement’, ...
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextu... more The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextualized approach to enhancing educational practice. It has been championed for several years, yet remains curiously undervalued within the academy, despite clear benefits for curricular development and staff engagement. This paper reflects upon the production of an auto-ethnographic reflective evaluation of SoTL activities relating to architectural education, forming part of the first author’s portfolio-based assessment for a Professional Doctorate in Education (Ed D). The paper evaluates the challenges and potential of undertaking this doctoral assessment path, which appears to be seldom employed, at least in the UK. Particular attention is placed on negotiated assessment by portfolio as a key driver for practical value, and the flexibility that this route affords for academics to shape their professional development through SoTL activities. Affordances and challenges of this pathway for...
Practice of Teaching | Teaching of Practice: The Teacher’s Hunch, 2019
In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, ... more In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, supported and mandated by many professional architectural accreditation boards. However, the study of precedents in taught history and theory courses may not automatically lead to application in architectural design. Too often, the relationship remains superficial, and primarily visual or formal. The rise of online sources means that websites have become a major source for students’ collections of architectural precedents. Platforms, such as Pinterest, provide a repository of alluring images, allowing access to a burgeoning array of precedents. Such ease of access may however reinforce superficial readings of buildings through images that mitigate against deep analysis. Architectural educators seek to teach students to interrogate examples beyond the immediate image, and to instill critical thinking in order that precedent analysis becomes meaningful when making informed decisions during...
The entries of prize winners and commendations of an architectural competition were curated into ... more The entries of prize winners and commendations of an architectural competition were curated into an exhibition. This open ideas competition invited practicing architects, architecture students and designers to design an Academic Interchange for the University of Bremen, Germany. The Academic Interchange was envisioned as an incubator for interdisciplinary collaborations and international relations for academics at the university. Entrants were encouraged to pay particular attention to the immersive experience of a visitor or visiting resident of the Academic Interchange with respect to their experience/understanding of the building and movement/flow through it. The design concept was intended to originate from the perspective of the building user and be designed from the bottom up.
In 2011 a seemingly 'typical' architectural competition was organised (consisting of a re... more In 2011 a seemingly 'typical' architectural competition was organised (consisting of a real site, design brief, International jury and prizes) by the Universities of Freiburg and Bremen (Germany) in collaboration with Northumbria University (UK) but with an ulterior motive of pursuing a specific design-research agenda. The reasons for the competition were: to engage architects in an academic research agenda through a comfortingly familiar modus operandi; to bring together researchers in architectural theory/spatial cognition and practising architects with an interest in user-centred design; to use a design competition as a means to investigate the effects of designing with a particular focus (in this case: movement paths/pedestrian flow and the unfolding user experience); to amass a uniform database of example buildings, all responding to the same brief and site whilst also in a common format amenable to further research analysis. The competition was entered by 30 teams of w...
Constructive alignment in project based learning provides the opportunity to ‘entrap students in ... more Constructive alignment in project based learning provides the opportunity to ‘entrap students in a web of consistency’ (Biggs, 1999). While the central design of a curriculum can incorporate the core elements of a syllabus for successful alignment, consideration of pace and timing of content delivery, assessment and learning opportunities can enhance student engagement and satisfaction. This paper draws upon a case study of the second year architecture curriculum at Northumbria University. The curriculum has been designed to provide an authentic and engaging learning experience for the student body, incorporating peer-learning, real-world assignments, and group working to produce a varied portfolio of student work. Principles of constructive alignment are also incorporated into the curriculum design to bring relevance and interest to the student’s learning. Pace of delivery and differentiated learning have also been considered in the aim of encouraging creativity. In this respect, c...
Defining Contemporary Professionalism, 2019
The drive to reduce the energy consumption of new buildings has been the prime motivation behind ... more The drive to reduce the energy consumption of new buildings has been the prime motivation behind the revised Part L of the UK Building Regulations and the new Approved Document L2. Although some aspects of the requirements build on previous criteria such as increased insulation standards, new requirements including an air tightness standard for buildings present new challenges to the UK construction industry. Through presenting a case study, this paper looks at the process of achieving air tightness and learning how this new issue affects the construction process, team working, contractual relationships and the implications for the building services. Riverside House in Newcastle upon Tyne was the first building in the city to be airtightness tested to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the new AD L2. Although the requirement for a test was introduced late in the design process, the building passed the test with an air permeability of 8.66m³/h/m² at a differential pressu...
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextu... more The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextualized approach to enhancing educational practice. It has been championed for several years, yet remains curiously undervalued within the academy, despite clear benefits for curricular development and staff engagement. This paper reflects upon the production of an auto-ethnographic reflective evaluation of SoTL activities relating to architectural education, forming part of the first author’s portfolio-based assessment for a Professional Doctorate in Education (Ed D). The paper evaluates the challenges and potential of undertaking this doctoral assessment path, which appears to be seldom employed, at least in the UK. Particular attention is placed on negotiated assessment by portfolio as a key driver for practical value, and the flexibility that this route affords for academics to shape their professional development through SoTL activities. Affordances and challenges of this pathway for...
This paper compares the learning and teaching strategies practised in the programmes of the Archi... more This paper compares the learning and teaching strategies practised in the programmes of the Architectural Subject Group at the University of Northumbria with best practices of assessment (‘Assessment for Learning’) as promoted by the Centre for Excellence in Learning in the same University. These best practices are grouped under the umbrella concepts of ‘Assessment for Learning’ and comprise six key criteria which can be paraphrased as; authenticity and complexity in methods of assessment; use of summative assessment as the main driver for learning; extensive opportunities to develop and demonstrate learning; rich in formal feedback; rich in informal feedback; developing students’ abilities to direct their own learning, evaluate their own progress, and support the learning of others.
In this paper we consider the impact of conflicting work, study and social pressures on architect... more In this paper we consider the impact of conflicting work, study and social pressures on architecture students in the particular context of Northumbria University. We will also consider students’ abilities to manage their time effectively, and whether architecture as a profession has a duty of care to students and practitioners to establish healthy working methods. We will also report on a small scale research initiative to examine student time management in more depth.
2019 ACSA Teachers Conference, Practice of Teaching | Teaching of Practice: The Teacher’s Hunch, 2021
In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, ... more In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, supported and mandated by many professional architectural accreditation boards. However, the study of precedents in taught history and theory courses may not automatically lead to application in architectural design. Too often, the relationship remains superficial, and primarily visual or formal. The rise of online sources means that websites have become a major source for students’ collections of architectural precedents. Platforms, such as Pinterest, provide a repository of alluring images, allowing access to a burgeoning array of precedents. Such ease of access may how-ever reinforce superficial readings of buildings through images that mitigate against deep analysis. Architectural educators seek to teach students to interrogate examples beyond the immediate image, and to instill critical thinking in order that precedent analysis becomes meaningful when making informed decisions during the design phase. This innovative proposal builds upon architecture’s visual bias by introducing evaluative analysis in the form of a pictorial timeline that seeks to contextualize a specific building within a larger set of precedents as the starting point for a critical framework. This provides students with a tool for critically organising visual knowledge in order to create new design applications. This timeline assignment, which has developed over 4 years, has evolved from a method to select and organize precedents into a comparison tool that can practically shape and define architectural strategies. When this knowledge is transferred to studio design projects, such architectural strategies enable deep evaluation of buildings towards facilitating justified design decisions.
Ernest Boyer (1928-1995) distinguished himself as a key figure in American higher education, serv... more Ernest Boyer (1928-1995) distinguished himself as a key figure in American higher education, serving as the United States Commissioner of Education and as President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. His publications and initiatives concerned educational issues spanning from pre-school to postgraduate education. This paper considers two of his chief publications in tandem; Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate (1990) evaluated the relative weightings of research, teaching and service within the academy, and recommended a rebalancing of their relative values. This publication influenced the development of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), a movement which espoused Boyer’s views. Together with Lee Mitgang, Boyer also published Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice (1996) which simultaneously praised and challenged the various normative practices of American schools of architecture. This pape...
McClean, D., Holgate, P., and Bloice, L., Murray, I., 2019. Mental health in UK architecture education: An analysis of contemporary student wellbeing. An Initial Study. Robert Gordon University, UK , Feb 17, 2020
This study is a review of mental health and well-being amongst students of architecture at RIBA v... more This study is a review of mental health and well-being amongst students of architecture at RIBA validated UK schools. It encompasses a comprehensive literature review of student well-being and support broadly within a higher education context, as well as specifically within the subject of architecture. This is augmented by data from a brief survey of UK schools, as well as telephone interviews with selected institutions as a means of establishing current perceptions of the issue in schools, as well as providing some insight into a range of actions that are being undertaken to better support students. The study was funded by an RIBA Research Grant, and has been undertaken in light of significant media exposure to the issue coupled with anecdotal reports coming from schools of architecture across the UK.
The objectives of the study were:
• To survey the current literature regarding student mental health in UK higher education, and in architecture education specifically;
• To identify policy and good practice in higher education with respect to issues of student mental health and well-being in the sector; and
• To determine in outline the extent that UK schools are experiencing and engaging with challenges associated with student mental health and well-being.
It is hoped that his project will underpin a more substantial research project which will develop guidance for architecture educators about how to support the mental health and wellbeing of students through curricular development and design, as well as by other means.
Workforce, Volunteers, Leadership, Education and Workplace, Nov 1, 2016
Future Plans. Explore different personality types and communication styles within the team.. Expl... more Future Plans. Explore different personality types and communication styles within the team.. Explore systems and working patterns that impact upon capacity.. Develop a community map of the services that the team work with to show dependant relationships or those that need to develop or be influenced. Conclusion The project has been well received by the team with members engaging and communicating more effectively with each other. It has highlighted the need to engage individuals and the whole team to enjoy a joint sense of purpose and pride in the service they collectively deliver.
This document collates examples of the author’s practice, initiatives, inquiries, and scholarship... more This document collates examples of the author’s practice, initiatives, inquiries, and scholarship in the five year period from 2010 to 2015. In conjunction with the critical commentary, ‘Developing a Curriculum for Engagement for Architectural Education at Northumbria University’ it serves to satisfy the requirements of Northumbria University’s regulations for the submission of a Professional Doctorate by Portfolio. The individual components within this portfolio seek to underpin the author’s claim towards developing a ‘curriculum for engagement’ in support of the student’s holistic educational experience of architectural education at Northumbria. The majority of the components have resulted from collaborations with colleagues in the course of the author’s practice. These have included fellow academics, academic managers, colleagues from other institutions and disciplines, as well as students of the programmes of architecture. In support of developing a ‘curriculum for engagement’, ...
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextu... more The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextualized approach to enhancing educational practice. It has been championed for several years, yet remains curiously undervalued within the academy, despite clear benefits for curricular development and staff engagement. This paper reflects upon the production of an auto-ethnographic reflective evaluation of SoTL activities relating to architectural education, forming part of the first author’s portfolio-based assessment for a Professional Doctorate in Education (Ed D). The paper evaluates the challenges and potential of undertaking this doctoral assessment path, which appears to be seldom employed, at least in the UK. Particular attention is placed on negotiated assessment by portfolio as a key driver for practical value, and the flexibility that this route affords for academics to shape their professional development through SoTL activities. Affordances and challenges of this pathway for...
Practice of Teaching | Teaching of Practice: The Teacher’s Hunch, 2019
In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, ... more In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, supported and mandated by many professional architectural accreditation boards. However, the study of precedents in taught history and theory courses may not automatically lead to application in architectural design. Too often, the relationship remains superficial, and primarily visual or formal. The rise of online sources means that websites have become a major source for students’ collections of architectural precedents. Platforms, such as Pinterest, provide a repository of alluring images, allowing access to a burgeoning array of precedents. Such ease of access may however reinforce superficial readings of buildings through images that mitigate against deep analysis. Architectural educators seek to teach students to interrogate examples beyond the immediate image, and to instill critical thinking in order that precedent analysis becomes meaningful when making informed decisions during...
The entries of prize winners and commendations of an architectural competition were curated into ... more The entries of prize winners and commendations of an architectural competition were curated into an exhibition. This open ideas competition invited practicing architects, architecture students and designers to design an Academic Interchange for the University of Bremen, Germany. The Academic Interchange was envisioned as an incubator for interdisciplinary collaborations and international relations for academics at the university. Entrants were encouraged to pay particular attention to the immersive experience of a visitor or visiting resident of the Academic Interchange with respect to their experience/understanding of the building and movement/flow through it. The design concept was intended to originate from the perspective of the building user and be designed from the bottom up.
In 2011 a seemingly 'typical' architectural competition was organised (consisting of a re... more In 2011 a seemingly 'typical' architectural competition was organised (consisting of a real site, design brief, International jury and prizes) by the Universities of Freiburg and Bremen (Germany) in collaboration with Northumbria University (UK) but with an ulterior motive of pursuing a specific design-research agenda. The reasons for the competition were: to engage architects in an academic research agenda through a comfortingly familiar modus operandi; to bring together researchers in architectural theory/spatial cognition and practising architects with an interest in user-centred design; to use a design competition as a means to investigate the effects of designing with a particular focus (in this case: movement paths/pedestrian flow and the unfolding user experience); to amass a uniform database of example buildings, all responding to the same brief and site whilst also in a common format amenable to further research analysis. The competition was entered by 30 teams of w...
Constructive alignment in project based learning provides the opportunity to ‘entrap students in ... more Constructive alignment in project based learning provides the opportunity to ‘entrap students in a web of consistency’ (Biggs, 1999). While the central design of a curriculum can incorporate the core elements of a syllabus for successful alignment, consideration of pace and timing of content delivery, assessment and learning opportunities can enhance student engagement and satisfaction. This paper draws upon a case study of the second year architecture curriculum at Northumbria University. The curriculum has been designed to provide an authentic and engaging learning experience for the student body, incorporating peer-learning, real-world assignments, and group working to produce a varied portfolio of student work. Principles of constructive alignment are also incorporated into the curriculum design to bring relevance and interest to the student’s learning. Pace of delivery and differentiated learning have also been considered in the aim of encouraging creativity. In this respect, c...
Defining Contemporary Professionalism, 2019
The drive to reduce the energy consumption of new buildings has been the prime motivation behind ... more The drive to reduce the energy consumption of new buildings has been the prime motivation behind the revised Part L of the UK Building Regulations and the new Approved Document L2. Although some aspects of the requirements build on previous criteria such as increased insulation standards, new requirements including an air tightness standard for buildings present new challenges to the UK construction industry. Through presenting a case study, this paper looks at the process of achieving air tightness and learning how this new issue affects the construction process, team working, contractual relationships and the implications for the building services. Riverside House in Newcastle upon Tyne was the first building in the city to be airtightness tested to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the new AD L2. Although the requirement for a test was introduced late in the design process, the building passed the test with an air permeability of 8.66m³/h/m² at a differential pressu...
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextu... more The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) offers a bottom-up, locally situated and contextualized approach to enhancing educational practice. It has been championed for several years, yet remains curiously undervalued within the academy, despite clear benefits for curricular development and staff engagement. This paper reflects upon the production of an auto-ethnographic reflective evaluation of SoTL activities relating to architectural education, forming part of the first author’s portfolio-based assessment for a Professional Doctorate in Education (Ed D). The paper evaluates the challenges and potential of undertaking this doctoral assessment path, which appears to be seldom employed, at least in the UK. Particular attention is placed on negotiated assessment by portfolio as a key driver for practical value, and the flexibility that this route affords for academics to shape their professional development through SoTL activities. Affordances and challenges of this pathway for...
This paper compares the learning and teaching strategies practised in the programmes of the Archi... more This paper compares the learning and teaching strategies practised in the programmes of the Architectural Subject Group at the University of Northumbria with best practices of assessment (‘Assessment for Learning’) as promoted by the Centre for Excellence in Learning in the same University. These best practices are grouped under the umbrella concepts of ‘Assessment for Learning’ and comprise six key criteria which can be paraphrased as; authenticity and complexity in methods of assessment; use of summative assessment as the main driver for learning; extensive opportunities to develop and demonstrate learning; rich in formal feedback; rich in informal feedback; developing students’ abilities to direct their own learning, evaluate their own progress, and support the learning of others.
In this paper we consider the impact of conflicting work, study and social pressures on architect... more In this paper we consider the impact of conflicting work, study and social pressures on architecture students in the particular context of Northumbria University. We will also consider students’ abilities to manage their time effectively, and whether architecture as a profession has a duty of care to students and practitioners to establish healthy working methods. We will also report on a small scale research initiative to examine student time management in more depth.
2019 ACSA Teachers Conference, Practice of Teaching | Teaching of Practice: The Teacher’s Hunch, 2021
In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, ... more In architectural education, the use of precedents to inform studio design process is recognized, supported and mandated by many professional architectural accreditation boards. However, the study of precedents in taught history and theory courses may not automatically lead to application in architectural design. Too often, the relationship remains superficial, and primarily visual or formal. The rise of online sources means that websites have become a major source for students’ collections of architectural precedents. Platforms, such as Pinterest, provide a repository of alluring images, allowing access to a burgeoning array of precedents. Such ease of access may how-ever reinforce superficial readings of buildings through images that mitigate against deep analysis. Architectural educators seek to teach students to interrogate examples beyond the immediate image, and to instill critical thinking in order that precedent analysis becomes meaningful when making informed decisions during the design phase. This innovative proposal builds upon architecture’s visual bias by introducing evaluative analysis in the form of a pictorial timeline that seeks to contextualize a specific building within a larger set of precedents as the starting point for a critical framework. This provides students with a tool for critically organising visual knowledge in order to create new design applications. This timeline assignment, which has developed over 4 years, has evolved from a method to select and organize precedents into a comparison tool that can practically shape and define architectural strategies. When this knowledge is transferred to studio design projects, such architectural strategies enable deep evaluation of buildings towards facilitating justified design decisions.
Developing a Curriculum for Engagement: Architectural Education at Northumbria University, 2016
Commentary component for Doctorate in Education (by Portfolio)