建築設計教學作為建築教育的核心，雖然長久以來一直以設計工作室為主要教學平台且不曾有太多改變，但隨著專業領域的快速轉變，近年來有越來多的建築教育工作者開始關注建築設計教學方法的改革與創新。中國文化大學建築及都市設計學系自2013年改為五年制以來，便致力於以設計工作營為主要媒介推動一系列建築設計教學的改進行動，經過幾年的探索與反思，設計工作營作為一種非正式教育的形式，也作為原本設計工作室教學的輔助與延伸，的確在以下幾個面向上起到了顯著的促進作用：一、強化建築設計與其他專業課程的整合性學習；二、激發學生的學習動力；三、深化對於特定課題的探索與理解；四、作為設計工作室教學的參考與對照。事實上，設計工作營之所以能發揮前述影響，正如Donald Schön所提出之行動中的反思理論，最重要的原因就在於設計工作營本身就是建立在作中學的基礎上，但藉由短期而密集的活動形式，讓所有參與者能更開放地針對特定課題進行交流，進而彌補傳統設計工作室教學缺乏彈性以及學習管道過於單一的不足。
Design education has been considered as the core of architectural education, while what lies within the core is the design studio, which has long functioned as the primary instructional platform without changing much since its inception. With the rapid change of architecture profession, there is a rising concern among educators for enhancing the pedagogy and content of design education. Since 2013, when Department of Architecture and Urban Design, PCCU undertook the transition from a four-year to a five-year program, a lot of efforts was made to improve the quality of design education by adopting design workshop as a pedagogical tool. After years of experimentation and reflection, the influence of design workshop can be observed and summarized as below: 1. to strengthen the integration of design studio and other classes; 2. to stimulate the student’s enthusiasm for learning; 3. to promote a more focused exploration and understanding of certain issues; and 4. to function as the reference for the future enhancement of design studio. As Donald Schön pointed out the importance of reflection-in-action, the key lies in the theoretical foundation of design workshop on “learning by doing.” Especially through its intensive format, a more open and dynamic interaction is encouraged among all participants. And, that is what has been absent in the traditional setting of design studio.
