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Learning Culture Policy
The framework for a professional studio environment as part of a design-based educational curriculum. Studio culture should facilitate collaborative discourse among students and faculty that encourages committed engagement in the design process and evaluation, respectful critique leading to innovative design.
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The studio environment shall be conducive to faculty and student health, safety, and productivity. Recognizing that studio spaces are subject to extraordinary usage, the college will enforce studio clean-up policies at the conclusion of each academic term.
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The Learning & Teaching Culture Policy has been developed collaboratively by faculty, staff, and students to support an environment that prioritizes educational excellence and the well-being of everyone in the college. In keeping with the expectations of our accrediting bodies, NAAB, CIDA, LAAB, and PAB, this document outlines the shared values and responsibilities that shape learning and teaching across our allied disciplines.
Design and planning are inherently demanding, and for that reason such a document is essential. Yet a strong learning culture does not arise automatically. It must be shaped through shared expectations and everyday practices. This policy affirms that learning is shaped not only by curriculum and instruction, but also by the broader conditions in which education takes place. These include how time is organized, how spaces are used, how critique is conducted, how expectations are communicated, and how people treat one another across the college. At its core, this policy concerns the kind of community we want to build together. It is intended to support a culture in which students and faculty can do serious and creative work in an environment defined by clarity, respect, responsibility, and care.
This policy is a shared commitment. Faculty, staff, and students do not hold identical roles, but they do share responsibility for sustaining the culture of the college. Faculty shape courses, expectations, feedback, and the broader learning environment. Students shape that environment through participation, preparation, conduct, and care for others. A strong culture depends on both. The framework is grounded in five interrelated pillars: Stewardship, Accord, Discourse, Character, and Inquiry. Together, these pillars guide how members of the college contribute to classrooms, advising, and community life.
Any member of the community, student or faculty, has the right to seek remediation for conflicts or problems in studio by contacting the studio instructor, the program director, or the University Ombudsman.