The currently used educational technology with artificial-intelligence-powered solutions, although rather instrumental, may lead to discontinuity in learning, as it lacks social and emotional value, which is an essential part of education for sustainable development and results in an immersive experience through which higher-order thinking skills can be adopted. This paper aims to explore transformative learning (TL) and innovation skill improvement accommodated by transactional distance theory in a 16-week remote sustainable architecture design course. The analysis identified the following: (a) significant progress in students’ attitudes toward uncertainty and criticality while social support differs due to the influence of classmates, faculty staff, teamwork, writing and reading assignments, promoters from industry and extracurricular activities; (b) significant progress in TL achievement while innovation skill development differs significantly across the groups in which online collaborative learning was found as an influencer in creativity and motivation; (c) self-efficacy influenced by feedback in and on actions, such as essay and other writing assignments, verbal persuasions and positive social comparisons; (d) lack of development of situational awareness, continuity of learning and interactions/situations to empower teammates in handling conflicts to develop leadership ability; (e) decrease in risk-taking ability, especially in a group of students in which social support was limited due to the absence of challenging situations and tasks. The results support the use of remote intervention directed at prosocial motivations and action-focused group goals.

Human-centered systems thinking (HCST) can be seen as a promising enabler of effective Industry 5.0. This study primarily examined whether architecture students consider themselves systems thinkers and how this affects their design thinking, digital competency, and engagement in sustainable and inclusive design practices. Next, this study also examined the students’ HCST profiles, their stability, and the roles of digital competency, design thinking, motivation, and risk propensity in human-centered design. Using a person-oriented approach and cluster analysis, a sample of Polish architecture students from three universities (n = 208) was classified based on their self-perceived HCST ability. Three profiles were identified, namely high, average, and low HCST. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that the HCST profiles differed significantly in terms of design thinking and digital competencies, while multinomial logistic regression (MLR) analysis revealed that perceived intrinsic motivation predicted that students would be more likely to have a high HCST profile. MLR also revealed an undefined role of risk propensity in the context of HCST in inclusive and sustainable architecture design education. The findings indicate that it is essential to recognize and support students with low HCST throughout their education. It is also suggested to change the focus of architecture study programs to promote students’ systems thinking, and to encourage course designers to create novel and tailored technology-enhanced integrated human-centered design and systems thinking.

In recent years, teaching and learning practices have transformed greatly due to emerging technologies. Despite various pedagogical and technological innovations, the learning effectiveness of the new learning environments is still being debated. Systems thinking concepts and methods are needed regarding how to accommodate digital technology to optimize the efficacy of students’ learning, especially when student cohort specificities are addressed. For the purpose of this study, we used an empirical research design supported by a bibliometric analysis. Multiple regression using dummy coding of the predictor variables was conducted to compare the prediction models across different groups of first-year students, while a sequential mediation model was used to examine the students’ perceptions of systems thinking, engagement in the design course, and information communication technology (ICT) self-concept in relation to academic achievements. The results indicate that systems thinking centered around the understanding of feedback behaviors and causal sequences in the system has a direct effect on the design outcome and ICT self-concept related to problem solving and cognitive engagement, while, indirectly, systems thinking also mediates achievement in design courses. The ICT self-concept related to problem solving and cognitive engagement mediates the relationship between systems thinking and design course achievement. This study highlights the importance of leveraging learning system dynamics factors in diverse student cohort design courses and provides implications for developing a high-performance digital education sustainable ecosystem.

Houses and skyscrapers of Manhattan – a horizontal or vertical city?

Przestrzenie miejskie a uwarunkowania klimatyczne. Spitzbergen