Hi All,
I think Mike’s question raises an interesting issue which deserves little
more debate.
Mike is evaluating novice students using analysis-synthesis approach to
arrive at his results. Analysis –synthesis approach for design originates
from, using Jone’s terminology, Glass box approach, where a “designer is
considered as a human computer, a person who operates only on the
information that is fed to him”. This approach, as Jones notes, therefore
disregards “the idea that a human designer is able to operate with full
knowledge of what he is doing and why he is doing it”. This means, that
this approach does not take into account design skills of a designer.
Mike's note does not elaborate if he is evaluating design skills of the
students. However, if he is, I feel that evaluating work carried out by
novice students (which points towards their low level of design skills)
using Glass Box approach is likely to lead to erroneous conclusions.
Maybe Mike can elaborate on this further?
Look forward to your comments.
Parag
IDC, University of Limerick,
NID, India
J.C. Jones, “The state-of-the-art in design methods”, in Design Methods in
Architecture, G. Broadbent & A. Ward, Eds, Architectural Assocation,
London, 1967
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