Internationalizing the Art School: What part does the studio have to play?

Art, Design and Architecture (ADA) education has a number of distinctive features, including the use of the studio as a locus for an interactive approach to teaching and learning. This article explores the concept of ‘internationalization’ and uses it as a basis to explore the pedagogies found in ADA from an intercultural perspective. The study involved staff and international students participating in focus groups and workshop events to share their experiences of teaching and learning in ADA. We found that ADA pedagogies provide a number of specific opportunities and challenges for internationalization. Positive aspects include the social nature of the studio facilitating the development of independent learning and critical skills. However, issues raised were the lack of value placed on the development of IT/technical skills and language proficiency. We suggest that there is much that ADA pedagogies have to offer the debate on internationalization.