- AN INQUIRY INTO THE ROLE OF GUEST SPEAKERS IN ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION: CONVERGENT PERCEPTIONS.

​​Architectural education faces ongoing challenges in adapting to rapid industry changes and the increasing complexity of design practice. Traditional studio-based curricula often struggle to align academic teaching with professional realities, resulting in gaps in content relevance, student engagement, and motivation. This issue is exacerbated by the disconnect between research-oriented instructors and professional practice. While guest speakers are commonly invited to studios, their pedagogical effectiveness and integration remain underexplored. There is limited understanding of how guest speaker sessions are perceived and whether they meaningfully enhance learning or merely serve symbolic roles within architectural studio pedagogy. Using qualitative methods, 27 semi-structured interviews with students, instructors, and guest speakers across three universities were analyzed thematically to explore experiences, challenges, and pedagogical strategies related to guest speaker sessions. Findings reveal that guest speakers enhance student motivation, engagement, and interdisciplinary learning by bridging academic theory with real-world practice. These sessions foster professional networking and practical skill development, contributing to students’ academic growth and career readiness. Instructors reported renewed pedagogical motivation and adaptation of teaching practices, while guest speakers viewed their involvement as mutually beneficial, offering professional fulfillment and opportunities for networking. Challenges identified include navigating power dynamics in speaker selection, aligning session timing and content complexity with student development, and promoting active student engagement. Interactive delivery methods such as Q&A, storytelling, and relatable examples were critical in maintaining motivation and engagement. Future research should broaden institutional contexts, explore long-term effects, and examine delivery formats and institutional frameworks to enhance guest speaker practices in architectural education.