What does the future hold for remote learning in design education? One lesson from COVID-19 is that we ought to take remote learning seriously. Even in the post-pandemic world where many schools have returned to the "old normal", it might be just a matter of time before local or global events force us to communicate remotely. The digital tools students and instructors use to meet and remotely have considerable impact on the quality of communication, and consequently on the quality of learning. A major difficulty with the existing solutions for remote communication is the low level of engagement of students. Emerging tools for remote communication can potentially mitigate these difficulties. Among these is the exciting technology of virtual teleportation. Can it save design education?

Design Education and the Perils of Distance Learning

Design students in higher education generally learn in two settings. First, in project-based classes called "design studios" (or simply "studios"). In these classes, students are requested to produce original designs based on a design brief, or to make a proposal for redesigning an existing building/product/service etc. Second, design students also learn by listening to lectures about design related topics, and completing assignments for evaluating their understanding of the learned material. As both settings heavily rely on instructor feedback, interaction between students and their instructors plays a critical role in the training of designers. Do our existing platforms for remote learning encourage such interaction? 

Anyone who has ever taken part in a remote learning class using existing technologies (e.g., video-based communication on a flat display) has surely experienced the difficulties it entails. In short, students are often less engaged and the interaction with instructors decreases. Undoubtedly, this can negatively affect the quality of design education. In fact, an instructor of architectural design at Umeå University (Sweden) described the change to a remote learning setting as a process of grieving [2], partly since our traditional modes of interaction are not available in these settings. In situations where remote learning becomes essential, can we find a way to increase engagement and reclaim students' attention?

Non-physical Presence as a Possible Solution

An emerging technology called "real-time virtual teleportation" (in short, "virtual teleportation") enables us to launch a person virtually to another location, in the form of a hologram. Imagine having a 3D Zoom/Skype/FaceTime conversation with your teacher in 3D. Virtual teleportation works through a combination of two principal technologies. Depth sensing technology enables us to scan a human figure (or any other object) and create a digital twin in real time. This information is sent to another user found at a different location, and wearing augmented reality (AR) glasses, such as Microsoft HoloLens or Magic Leap. The AR glasses enable their wearer to see the other person as if they are both present in the same room. The illusion of presence facilitates new modes of remote interaction, which can potentially support remote learning in education.

In 2023, a system for virtual teleportation was implemented by our team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (currently the Institute of Science Tokyo), to test its potential contribution to design education. We have found that even with a low resolution display, students felt like they were "on-site" with the instructor. Better yet, when asked to compare the virtual teleportation system with a traditional flat-screen display meeting, virtual teleportation was ranked higher in 7 out of 8 categories. These initial findings suggest that virtual teleportation may be a viable alternative to existing remote communication solutions in design education.

What now?

If you are excited as us about this new technology, you must be thinking - "let's use it to teach remotely!". Well, not so fast. Implementing virtual teleportation in design studios is expected to be a complex logistic and financial challenge. For one, few people privately own AR glasses currently, partly due to the high costs (~2000-3000 USD) and lack of support for end-users. Furthermore, while depth sensing technology is relatively inexpensive, a quality holographic model would require setting up several sensors at different locations, to capture the instructor (or student) from all sides. A potential solution to this issue may be to designate specific rooms on-campus for holographic remote teaching, where the necessary equipment is set up and maintained. Luckily, affordable and user-friendly AR devices are emerging. Furthermore, recent smartphones are being embedded with depth sensors. Taken together, these may mean that holographic remote learning may be just around the corner.