Between 2003 and 2005, in teaching the third year of a new undergraduate curriculum in architecture, we noticed some surprising events. The first was that every year in semester one a significant number of previously passing students was now failing their core design course. What had gone wrong for them? To answer the problem we instituted from 2003 a short remedial ‘Winter School’ program for these students, held between semester one and two. This mirrored the student-centred regular subject in all ways except one – it was run as an intensive block rather than weekly. Following the successful completion of ‘Winter School’, these students took the same semester two program as other students. We then noticed these students’ semester two results were generally higher than students who had gained pass grades in semester one. What had now gone right?

In addressing these questions, we focused on the design process as a significant factor in improving the participating students’ learning in design. The ‘Winter School’ experience formed a lens through which we have used an interpretative auto-ethnographic and critically reflective approach to inquire into our students’ learning in the design process and our teaching. We have identified as ‘critical actions’ key aspects of a designing model based on the reflective practice and experiential learning models underpinning our design curriculum. The outcomes of our study have implications for learning and teaching in our own discipline, may be of interest in other disciplines using similar learning models and suggest areas for further research.

Keywords: reflective practice, learning from experience, critical actions