Bridging Theory and Practice of Advanced Bamboo Structures: A Framework for Teaching, Research, and Community Service in Architectural Education

The concept of engaged research-led teaching (ERLT), introduced by Gray, et.al [1], engagement emphasizes the integration of teaching, research, and community service in academic core areas. This framework encourages collaboration between teachers (researchers), students, and external stakeholders to enhance learning experiences. With this approach, teachers use their expertise to expose students with new knowledge and opportunities to apply it in real situations, benefiting specific community.

Research-led teaching is referred to as integrating research into teaching that ensures that students immerse in a research-based environment, fostering their learning and understanding [4]. Students become active participants who engage and contribute to knowledge creation. Teachers serve as mentors, providing guidance in embedding research activities into teaching, creating a collaborative “co-learners” dynamic with students [5]. While this approach exposed students to cutting-edge advancement in a specific field, it can focus too narrowly on teacher’s research interest, limiting the topic covered in class [6]. Engaging in research activities can be time-consuming, and teachers may find it challenging to balance student’s workload with research objectives, potentially compromising the quality of their teaching [6].

Service Leaning (SL), as one of pedagogy approaches, combines class-based learning with community services[7]. Through meaningful projects that address community needs, students not only engage with the class but also involve community partners in the learning process. Incorporating community service into teaching expands involved actors, including students, academic members, community partners and members [7]. Having community partners requires thorough preparation to ensure an viable project. In SL, the role of teachers shifts from being instructors to acting as experts, facilitators, and communicators [8]. SL benefits students by enhancing their academic knowledge [7], personal skills, social skills, and citizenship [8]. However, there are challenges, including time constraints and logistical issues related to planning and balancing coursework and community commitments [8]. It is challenging to align the service activities with the desired class objectives [9], Thus, clearly defined objective is needed to lessen the potential of diminishing learning outcome. Another challenge is establishing a mutual and equal partnership between university and community. Furthermore, inadequate reflection can hinder the integration of students’ experiences into their learning, and the temporary nature of involvement can limit long-term impact [9].

In previous pedagogical theories literature’ early observation by authors, presented in Conference on Teaching Beyond Curriculum, AMPS 2023, eight prominent pedagogical strategies for TBE were closely investigated. They are experiential learning, problem-based learning, task-based learning, community of inquiry, inquiry-based learning, service learning, project-based learning and ‘flow’ in education. It was summarized with three more suitable approaches for novice learners, intermediate learners, and expert learners; based on different levels of scaffolding techniques, authenticity and assessment methods. It is argued that for expert learners, a combination of experiential learning [10], project-based learning [11], and service learning [7] is deemed to be most appropriate. For each TBE, experiential learning is the core of the learning and teaching, giving rise to the dialectics between two continua of: ‘active experimentation’ and ‘reflective observation’; and between ‘concrete experience’ and ‘abstract conceptualization’. This can be flourished by an intuitive learning by working with bamboo in 1:1 scale. Within the lens of experiential learning, learner’s engagement is rewarded and measured by points of participation and not by their ability to inquire in depth. Project-based learning emphasizes practical dimension of learning and highlights its relevance to students lives and society which learners live, highly related to the authenticity of learning. This can be fostered through real-world projects. Project-based learning is highly interrelated with service learning where learning activities are organized to meet identified community needs and it supports the highest level of students’ autonomy.

The stakeholders involved in this ERLT project can be classified into two groups: internal (teachers and students) and external (community partners, community members, external experts/ professional). The ERLT project comprises a total of 54 architecture students and 5 teachers. Among the teachers, 4 teachers are from the architecture department, while the remaining teacher is from the mechatronics department. To enhance the project’s outcomes, three additional experts and two professionals contributed by delivering general lectures and participating in interim design critiques. The community partner for this project was the local government, representing the village.

The kinetic bamboo structure stands out as an advanced bamboo structure. Exploring this multidisciplinary cutting-edge topic enhances the enthusiasm of students and teachers for exploration and research. However, having an interesting topic is not sufficient; detailed projects need discussion meticulously among all actors to align with all activities’ objectives interests. The learning delivery was divided into: (1) teaching activities for knowledge transfer by internal or external experts based on their competency, (2) research activities focusing on literature review, simulations and performance evaluations, and (3) community service activities aimed at designing facilities based on community’s needs and desire.

Figure 1 depicts students’ evaluation of activity effectiveness in achieving learning objectives. It highlights that integrating community service into teaching is considered effective. The inclusion of a design project enhances students’ enthusiasm, especially with the introduction of the parametric computational modeling tool, in addition to analog model which is usually used in hands-on learning approaches [2]. Students are particularly interested in creating scaled models with movement, as it deepens their understanding, especially regarding kinetic mechanism. Engaging with external experts from diverse disciplines through lectures, workshops, and critiques further enriches their knowledge. On the other hand, incorporating research activities into teaching does not significantly improve effectiveness. Nevertheless, both teaching and research activities play a fundamental role in building prior knowledge before and during the design project. The preference lies in hands-on activities and intensive tutoring as they expedite the creation and application of prior knowledge in design projects.

Managing a class using ERLT approach presents inherent challenging, given the involvement of multiple stakeholders, diverse activities, and various class setting such as traditional in-class session, hybrid meetings, working in the wood-workshop, and village-based learning experiences. The key to success lies in meticulous planning, effective coordination, and seamless communication. Ensuring that all stakeholders are well-informed about the weekly schedule and specific goals is imperative to maintain and enhance teaching quality, preventing any compromise in the learning experience. It is crucial to adjust the schedule in accordance with the learning phase and workload of students. Given that ERLT involves a comprehensive loop encompassing understanding, knowledge development through research, and application in design, a one-semester ERLT class is feasible with a well-defined and limited scope of projects.

The evaluation of learning outcomes categorized into four groups–academic knowledge, personal skills, social skills, citizenship–revealed disparities, primarily influenced by unequal student participation attributed to the large class size (Fig. 2).

Notably, academic knowledge exhibits superior outcomes, particularly in establishing the logic of structures and mechanisms, although design proficiency is somewhat lower. Furthermore, the application of knowledge in real-world scenarios, which should be good in this ERLT approach, shows negative results, indicating a lack of effective project development. Among the personal skills, problem-solving abilities stand out, particularly in exercising to find innovative solutions that encompass various design aspects, developing their critical thinking and creativity. However, analytical skills lag, possibly due to insufficient time and unclear assignment scope. In terms of social skills, teamwork is well developed due to the large student cohort. Limited interaction with local people hampers engagement with them, resulting in a poor performance on communication skills with laypeople. Unfortunately, the outcomes associated with citizenship are notably low. This can be attributed to a small number of students directly interacting with local communities and limited short visits.