Impact of COVID-19 on distance learning practical design courses

This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on higher education practical design courses in Egypt. Because of inadequate resources and preparedness, Egyptian colleges have struggled to adopt digital teaching methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines strategies that are the most feasible for teaching practical courses during or after a pandemic through distance learning (on online platforms). An action research project was set up to deliver two studio-based design courses, one on architectural drawing and the other on furniture design via distance learning (online mode). This approach used a suite of technologies and synchronous and asynchronous delivery mechanisms, such as Zoom and Google Classroom. Student perceptions about the impact of these changes were evaluated using questionnaires. A psychological effect of the conditions caused by the pandemic on students has been the loss of interest in academics. The research results partially support the use of online platforms to teach practical courses. However, more needs to be done to improve the delivery of online courses in Egypt. Further, holding competitions was found to boost students’ motivation levels. A future strategy for teaching practical courses in applied arts and engineering is proposed in this paper.