Distributed design studio: evaluation of three way collaboration

The Globally Distributed Design Studio (GDDS) was developed as a course in which students could practice virtual collaboration and designer-client interaction. Geographical distance was used to provide students with an experiential learning environment to prepare them for collaboration in a distributed product development process. The GDDS course was established between three universities. The results of a mid-term course evaluation show that most of the students found it an interesting and motivating experience and felt they had improved their skills for virtual teamwork and designer-client communication. In terms of the student feedback, the course can be seen as successful even more so for collaboration across greater distance.