Basic design education in landscape architecture

The basic design course, a 1st semester curriculum course at the Department of Landscape Architecture, forms the basis of design education as a part of landscape architecture education. The landscape design course, provided as part of the 2nd semester curriculum, is a continuation of the basic design course and allows basic design concepts to be transferred to landscape design. Similarly, courses for other semesters are also developed based on the knowledge and acquisitions attained through the basic design course. This article is based on the educational experiences that have been obtained in the basic design course administered at the Department of Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Agriculture, Ankara University, between 2005 and 2010. The content and objectives of the basic design course, and the educational methods and the process used in the course are described; the challenges and problems faced with respect to the theory and practice of the course are presented. Additionally, instructions for education related to basic design are discussed, based on experience. © 2014 Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research.