Time, equipment and encouragement - Travel requisites for the World-Wide Wanderstudent

In Winter/Spring 1999, DYNAMO - a Web-based design assistant for student architects - received its baptism of fire in a 4th year design studio at our department. The paper describes the setting and procedure of the baptism, the participation of the studio teaching staff, and the students'reactions and appreciation. Based on students'responses to a questionnaire and observations of the tool in use, we investigated whether DYNAMO succeeded in engaging students and what factors stimulated/hampered this engagement. Although students were noticeably enthusiastic about the tool, three factors revealed themselves as major obstacles to student engagement: lack of time, of encouragement by the teachers and of studio equipment. The paper concludes with lessons learned for the future of DYNAMO and, more in general, of ICT in education