Teaching and Assesment

Teaching

The course is taught as a series of two-week long residential courses, three in each year, spread over three years. In addition to these students will meet regularly throughout the year with their practice mentors and their course tutor to check progress. All students are expected to carry out self-study when not in Cambridge and details of the work expected will be provided on the course. The studio work will be carried out within the residential periods. There is a strong emphasis on working in teams and understanding team dynamics. Presentation skills, working in teams and research methods are taught in the first residential session. The rest of the first two years is arranged around a series of Master Classes led by experts in their respective fields. In the final year students develop their own individual design project. Teaching in residential courses is a mixture of:

  • One-to-one supervisions: at least one per residential session and one between sessions, amounting to six a year
  • Seminars and Classes: 70 hours over three years
  • Lectures: approximately 100 hours over three years
  • Studio work: most of the studio work will be done within the residential session in the Master Classes except in the third year where students are expected to work on their own projects under the direction of a supervisor
  • Presentations: students will be taught how to present their work and will be expected to present the result of group and individual work at the end of each residential session

Feedback

Feedback is given in individual supervisions, supervisors' reports and throughout the course on request.

Assessment

  • Written Essay - All students are required to submit an essay in the first year on the history or theory of architecture (max. length 3000 words)
  • Group Studio Projects - All students are required to present electronic portfolios of studio work (both individual and group work) done in the Master Classes at the end of each of the five Master Class residential sessions
  • Written Papers - All students are required to sit two written papers on the subject of Management Practice and Law following the residential sessions on these subject in the third year
  • Electronic Portfolio - All studentsat the end of their final year must submit an electronic portfolio of design work on an individual project of their choice approved by the Degree Committee