Digital Charrette: a web based tool to supplement the admissiion procedure to graduate architectural degree programs

Abstract

The NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board), as an evaluator of architectural education in the United States, has established both graduate architectural curriculum criteria and student performance criteria expected to be fulfilled by the student at the time of graduation. To fulfill these standards set by the NAAB, the graduate selection committees of architecture schools require the ability to predict graduate design studio performance of the applicants. Also, the high percentage of international applicants suggests the necessity of a standardized evaluation tool. This research presents a standardized web based testing environment titled 'Digital Charrette' that would contribute toward the fair evaluation of applicants to graduate architectural degree programs. Spatial ability is related to design and visualization skills, a part of the NAAB criteria, and is also associated with design studio performance of architecture students. The Digital Charrette is a VRML environment within which spatial exercises are administered. It is designed to supplement the current admission procedure and would enable the selection of students with a greater potential to perform well in graduate architectural design studios. This research is also an attempt to understand the implications of using virtual three-dimensional environments for such testing purposes. The ability of this web based tool to predict student performance in architectural design studios is investigated. Finally, user reactions to testing in a virtual three-dimensional environment and timed tasks are included in this study.