Critical absence versus critical engagement. Problematics of the crit in design learning and teaching

This article describes a study which sets out to examine how changes in student patterns of learning, in particular the demise of the design ‘baseroom’ and the growth of online learning, might have on the crit. The study found that the crit constitutes a heightened moment of exchange between staff and students in the new landscape of learning. The crit, in this context, becomes a powerful vehicle for the induction and inculturation of students into the dominant mores and beliefs of a programme and its discipline. Paradoxically the research found that the crit was a poor vehicle for students to demonstrate their understanding of the context of their practice. The article argues for a reconsideration of the role and function of the crit in design pedagogy so that it might become a more effective vehicle for students to articulate their critical disposition to their discipline.