Copyright 2012 James Benedict Brown - jamesbenedictbrown@yahoo.co.uk
of 44%, but by sending the survey to multiple recipients within each institution, lead to coverage of 75% of all schools contacted. Publicly available curriculum vitae (from school websites, LinkedIn, etc.) were examined to confirm the suitability of individuals named on the postcards that were returned before initial exploratory telephone or email contact was established, and the accuracy of data therein was clarified at the beginning of the interviews. A proprietary academic publications index (Google Scholar) was also used to identify the publication history of possible respondents. Of particular interest were the following conditions: • Has the respondent published academic research on the subject of architectural education or live projects? • Has more than one respondent to the postcard survey nominated the same person within the same institution? • Is the respondent accessible within the resources of this research? • Has the respondent’s school a known history (through the literature review) of live project activity? • Is there more than one respondent in the same university or city, so as to maximise the cost-effectiveness of any travel to interview sites? Potential respondents were then contacted by telephone, and invited to participate in the research. They were introduced to the study with a copy of the prepared questions in advance, along with a general information and consent sheet (see appendices 3 and 4). In 8 of the 17 schools, the postcard survey had provided the names of eventual interview respondents. The respondents occupied a range of positions, from part time Teaching Fellow to full time Head of Department or School. The amount of time spent as an architectural educator ranged from four and a half years to eighteen years. The twenty-one respondents had an average of 7.7 years experience teaching (6.9 years part time, 9 years full time). The respondents and their institutions are profiled in appendices 5 and 6 respectively.
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