Charlie Smith
Dr Charlie Smith’s research focuses on design pedagogy. He studies learning and teaching in creative programmes - particularly on assessment and feedback - and the impact that these have on the student experience. He is especially interested in pedagogic research that listens to the student voice, and utilises this to enhance learning, teaching and evaluation practices. Dr Smith teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate Architecture programmes, and the MA in Urban Design.
Subjects: Built Environment, Education, Urban Planning
Biography
Dr Charlie Smith qualified as an architect in 2001, after which he spent five years working in professional practice. He then took an academic role in the School of Art and Design at Liverpool John Moores University, where he teaches across all levels of the BA and MArch Architecture programmes, and the MA in Urban Design programme. In 2014 he achieved recognition as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and in 2018 he was conferred as Reader in Creative Pedagogies. His PhD thesis studied evaluating lifetime sustainability in housing design, and his specialist knowledge in this field is applied through his teaching in design studio and technology courses.Education
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PhD, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, 2001
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Dr Smith’s research projects have studied a range of dimensions of learning, teaching and assessment practices in creative subjects. These include: the impact of spatial design on student engagement, formative feedback methods in creative programmes, student-directed learning, problem-based learning in creative curricula, students’ critique of the design crit, and student retention and the early student experience. His expertise in learning, teaching and assessment have led to the application of best practice in education across his Faculty and the University. He has innovated ways in which studio design work can inform his research, creating collaborative partnerships with undergraduate as well as postgraduate students; this is a radical alternative to the traditional concept of research-informed teaching. Dr Smith also undertakes research in library architecture, focusing on how digitisation and new programmatic challenges are affecting these civic and cultural landmarks.
Books
Articles
How does the medium affect the message? Architecture students’ perceptions of the relative utility of different feedback methods
Published: Mar 02, 2020 by Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
Authors: Charlie Smith
Subjects:
Education
Pedagogic discourse on feedback has shifted away from teachers’ actions towards how it is used by students to improve their work and learning strategies. This paper presents the outcomes of a study researching undergraduate and postgraduate Architecture students’ perceptions of which feedback methods they considered most and least useful, and how they could be enhanced.
Small group work: Dodging potential pitfalls to reach the pedagogic possibilities
Published: Jun 28, 2018 by Innovations in Practice
Authors: Charlie Smith
Subjects:
Education
Small group work is a common learning format in higher education; whilst numerous positive learning outcomes are associated with this approach, there are also pitfalls scattered along the way that can undermine the entire process.
Take the Red Pill: A Journey into the Rabbit Hole of Teaching Informed Research
Published: Mar 06, 2018 by Charrette
Authors: Charlie Smith
Subjects:
Education, Built Environment
In this paper studio teaching is explored as a generator of research. Central to the approach are studio projects; they are the essential substance – the data, and become the focus of critical analysis. The discussion identifies principles to consider – and lessons learnt – when designing such research projects.