Creativity matters : community college and the expansion of access to architectural education

This research explores the unique characteristics of architectural education in the community college setting. The perspectives of several disciplines, including architecture, education, psychology, and philosophy, are brought to bear. The community college educational model allows for all who wish to enroll in architectural design to acquire an education in the discipline without prerequisites, preconceptions, or institutional barriers. This approach is the inverse of the university model wherein architecture students are preselected for admission based on prior scholarly achievement, assessments of aptitude, and the likelihood of success in the discipline. The research looks to the causes of individual creativity, and from those causes create an adaptable framework for architectural education at community colleges, one that can accommodate a variety of student learning styles and preparedness while maintaining a high level of quality, rigor, and clarity.