On August 8-10, NCARB held its sixth annual NCARB Scholars in Professional Practice program designed to equip professional practice educators with the necessary resources to help students succeed. Hosted at Howard University in Washington, DC, the three-day event included opportunities to network, learn from industry and education experts, and improve courses through peer feedback.
During this year’s program, 16 educators from architecture programs across the country gathered at the Howard Mackey College of Engineering and Architecture building to engage in a mix of presentations and interactive sessions. Facilitator Scott Barton, BArch, MEd Learning Design and Technology, kicked off Friday’s sessions, encouraging educators to approach learning with empathy, focusing on three tips:
- Leverage your learners. Fostering students’ intrinsic motivation to learn results from teaching with empathy. Understand how your learners communicate and meet them where they are.
- Use andragogy (rather than pedagogy). Students are not empty vessels but bring their own knowledge and experience. Transparent communication about your teaching goals, including your “why” and your own motivations, fosters understanding and engagement.
- Teach to their future, not our present or past. Integrate storytelling into the learning context to convey complex ideas through memorable, relatable, and digestible concepts.
Through sessions covering topics from leadership in sustainability to liability risks of generative AI, attendees experienced and practiced learner-focused teaching techniques outside their typical approach.
Topical presenters included Mika Dewitz-Cryan and Frank Musica from Victor Insurance; Rob Fleming, Weitzman Center for Professional Learning; and textbook author Andrew Pressman, FAIA.
Scholars also had the opportunity to present brief lessons to their peers, simulating a real professional practice course in a small group setting. This allowed Scholars to receive constructive feedback from their peers, plus helpful tips for applying best practices learned throughout the weekend.
In addition, Scholars were educated on NCARB’s core programs and licensure requirements in the United States and introduced to NCARB’s efforts to support equity in architecture education and educational preparedness for licensure and practice.
NCARB’s goal is to ensure that educators teaching professional practice have access to the resources they need to help students succeed. Through the annual Scholars program, NCARB will continue fostering a community of diverse professional practice educators who are propelling the future of architectural education forward.
Congratulations to the 2024 cohort of NCARB Scholars in Professional Practice:
- Juan Arias-Hernandez, NOMA | Cooperative Education Director, University of Detroit Mercy
- Ben Burghart, RA, LEED AP+C | Assistant Teaching Professor, Bowling Green State University
- Sandra Callies, AIA, NCARB | Architecture Instructor, South Dakota State University
- Jason R. Chandler, FAIA | Associate Professor, Florida International University
- Zhan Chen, RA | Assistant Professor, Kansas State University
- Andrea Francis Loubert | Adjunct Instructor, Boston Architectural College
- Eric Harris, Associate AIA, NOMA, SSAC | Adjunct Professor, University of the District of Columbia
- Andrew G Hawkins, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP | Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
- Michael Jen, AIA | Assistant Professor, Kendall College of Art and Design
- Sam Kellerman, AIA, NCARB | Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Missouri
- Susana La Porta Drago, M. Arch., AIA, NCARB, LEED AP | Lecturer, Yale University
- Ann Wills Marshall, NCARB, AIA, LEED AP | Lecturer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Clifford H. Minnick, Jr., RA | Senior Adjunct Professor, California College of the Arts |Graduate Faculty, Academy of Art University
- Jeremy Munn, MBA, NCARB, AIA, LEED AP | Lecturer, Northeastern University
- Jonathon K. Stevens, RA, NCARB | Visiting Assistant Professor, Florida A&M University
- Khaled Tarabieh, PhD, LEED AP, AUA, Assoc AIA | Associate Professor and University Architect, American University in Cairo
