A lifelong (Informal) Learning Experience in Architectural Design Education: The Case of KBU Department of Architecture with Competitions

In Today's conditions, where the information flow is intense, it is known that the education given only in schools is insufficient for architectural education, and the importance of individual development outside of school is increasing. Competitions, whose educational contributions many studies also draw attention to, are one of the essential alternatives for this personal development. It is vital to raise architecture students’ awareness by motivating them to improve their individual experiences thanks to competitions. In this context, a series of competition experiences were held with Karabük University (KBU) architecture students with a promising approach, which is not uncommon in the architectural education process. These national-level competitions based on different contexts were carried out under the authors’ design studio studies. A survey study on these competition experiences has been conducted with contestant and non-contestant students. The survey results were evaluated within the framework of the observations made during the competition and the information obtained from similar studies in the literature mentioned here. As a consequence of this study, positive outcomes were obtained, especially in terms of students' self-confidence and collaboration, with the experimental research carried out at the intersection of professional experience and lifelong learning. It has also been confirmed that competition experiences are an essential motivational tool.