2. Presentation to Facilities Management
May 21, 2015 by…
• Educator
• Instructional Designer
of online/blended
courses
• Educational Technology
Planner
Denise Nelson
3. Plan
• Evolution of Learning Space Design
• Formal Learning Spaces
– Blended/Flipped Learning
– Learning Space Rating System (Educause, Sept, 2014)
• Principles of Learning Space Design
– FLEXspace
• Informal Learning Spaces
• What does this all mean? Future considerations?
4. Time to Reflect…
How has the
design of
learning
spaces
changed over
time?
How do we
make
decisions
about learning
space design?
What are our
goals for
designing
learning
spaces?
What is the
future direction
of learning
space design?
5. Emerging Student Learning Experience
more
social
informal
less
structured
Majority of student
learning – outside the
classroom
Technology is natural
Students construct
learning rather than
just consume learning
7. Learning Technologies
Virtual
Technologies
Online presence (e.g.,
email, websites, blogs,
wikis, Skype, SMS,
podcasts, e-portfolios,
instant messaging)
Online resources (e.g.,
Google, digital libraries,
online publications,
electronic databases,
courseware management
systems)
Installed
Appliances
Media presentation
systems (e.g.,
videorecorder, DVD
player, document camera)
Remote interaction
systems (e.g.,
videoconferencing, web
cameras, application-
sharing suites)
Room-scale peripherals
(e.g., interactive displays,
whiteboard capture
systems, room schedule
displays)
Mobile
Devices
Personal information &
communication devices
(e.g., laptops, smart
phones, Tablet PCs,
iPods, digital cameras,
USB drives,Wi-Fi finders)
8. Built Pedagogy
Formal Learning Spaces
• e.g., classrooms, large
auditorium
• designed to support
face-to-face meetings;
scheduled
Informal Learning
Spaces
• e.g., information
commons, makerspace
• designed to enable
individual learners or
groups to pursue
learning activities; ad
hoc basis
11. Flipped Learning
• direct instruction moves from the group to the
individual learning space
• the group space is transformed into a dynamic,
interactive learning environment where the
educator guides students as they apply
concepts and engage creatively in the subject
matter.” (Flipped Learning Network, 2014)
12. Learning Space Rating System
Educause
September
2014
rates design
-- not
performance
presently
limited to
formal
learning
spaces
13. 7 Principles of Learning Space Design
Learning Space Design
• aligns with overarching campus plans, strategies, and
support infrastructures
• involves all key stakeholders from the beginning of the
design process
14. 1. Design Aligns with Campus Context
• Campus’ academic strategy
• Learning space master plan
• IT infrastructure
• Regular, iterative process of research & assessment,
results of which can inform future local designs and be
shared with community
15. Example of Alignment with
Campus Academic Strategy
• A team-based space design could be aligned to the
goal of increasing student engagement & collaboration
skills.
• Mobile projection in the space’s design to align to a
campus tablet initiative
16. 2. Planning & Design Process
• Ensure participation in design process, building
consensus and support across key stakeholders
– Future users of the learning spaces, administrators
Consider
• design process based on research and best practices
• pilot projects have demonstrated feasibility of design
• evaluation plan in place to determine if potential of
space has been realized in practice
17. 3. Support & Operations
• How will the space be maintained?
• Who can come “riding to the rescue” in the event that
users encounter difficulty?
• Can faculty find information about the room when
requesting classrooms?
• Will that information tell them if the room’s capabilities
align with their pedagogical goals?
• Are plans in place to help faculty re-imagine their
course to take advantage of room’s features?
18. 4. Environmental Quality
• A learning environment that supports human needs
supports learning
– lighting
– temperature
– comfortable furniture
– technology
– trend toward including cafes near learning spaces indicates
importance of addressing full range of human needs
19. 5. Layout & Furnishings
• Room layout & furnishings are to classroom design as
rhythm and melody to music.
• Anticipate how learners will be using learning space focused
on discussions, presentations, teams and versatility:
– Movement paths through space
– Seating density
– Reconfigurability of the room
– Visibility of learning activities
– Comfort of the furnishings
– Ways for learners to collaboratively express & capture learning
process by means of writable surfaces
20. 6. Tools & Technology
• Is the technology capable of supporting the activities
anticipated for the classroom?
Electrical power
Network connectivity
Distributed interactivity
Session capture & access
Visual display
Sound amplification
Audio/Visual interface & control
Innovation in technology and tools
21. 7. Innovation
• Rating applied to each of the sections
• Allows thinking outside the box to contribute to the
room design’s score.
23. Rethink Classroom Spaces
• Many classrooms are not designed to support active
learning strategies.
• "Faculty need to be able to move around freely,"
Georgieva said. "Trying to do that in a classroom with
bolted chairs is almost impossible."
26. FLEXspace Learning
Environments eXchange
• an interactive online database with images and videos of
learning spaces
• provides a searchable collection of best practices in active
learning design
• describes detailed attributes of these spaces
• serves as a useful planning resource and consulting network
28. Importance of Informal Learning Spaces
Widespread wireless
access to campus
network & online
resources
Increasing student
laptop ownership
Majority of learning
activities take place
outside formal
classroom
29. User’s experience not always a
focus of design process
Students and faculty experience building design
at a personal level.
• Interact directly with chairs & tables
• Look for convenient power outlets to connect to
their laptops/devices
• View a projected image from a particular location
in the room
30. What does this mean?
• What is driving change in learning practices (which in
turn affects change in learning space design)?
31. What does this mean?
Learning space development will require iterative
design & prototyping methods to accommodate new
forms of technology and learning approaches, a
departure from traditional design practices.
32. Conclusion
Design is both a noun and a verb; learning space design
outcomes and processes intertwine.
New forms of blended learning space will evolve over time as
technologies change, people adapt, and new practices
emerge.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic, in reconsidering how campuses
are designed in both a physical and technological sense, will
position itself to exploit future technologies.
33.
34. References
• Brown, M. (2015). Seven principles for classroom design: The learning
space rating system. Retrieved May 14, 2015 from
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/seven-principles-classroom-design-
learning-space-rating-system
• Educause. (2014). Learning space rating system. Retrieved May 14, 2015,
from http://www.educause.edu/eli/initiatives/learning-space-rating-system
• Flipped Learning Network (2014). Definition of flipped learning.
http://fln.schoolwires.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=92
• Milne, A. J. (2006). Chapter 11. Designing blended learning space to the
student experience. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from
http://www.educause.edu/Chapter11.DesigningBlendedLearningSpacetoth
eStudentExperience/11909
35. References cont’d
• Mohawk College. (2015). Blended learning at Mohawk College.
http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/programs-courses/blended-learning.html
• New Media Consortium. (2015). Redesigning learning spaces. NMC
Horizon report: 2015 Higher education edition. Retrieved May 14, 2015,
from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-
education-edition/
• Raths, D. (2014). How do your learning spaces measure up? Campus
Technology. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from
http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/03/05/how-do-your-learning-
spaces-measure-up.aspx
• Stephens, L. (2015). Building community with FLEXspace: The flexible
learning environment eXchange. Educause. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/building-community-flexspace-flexible-
learning-environments-exchange
Editor's Notes
I do not know your business even though I have slept with a facilities manager for 32 years!
Share insights from my perspective as someone who has embraced technology in support of learning, has witnessed significant changes in our educational environment, and has reviewed the literature in the area of educational technology and learning space design.
Context of how learning is facilitated? How do you evaluate a room’s ability to support a broad range of teaching and learning practices
FLEXspace Learning Environments eXchange
is a large-scale community solution to capture detailed information, images, and video of learning environment exemplars.
is made available as a free resource to higher education through the generous support of our inaugural sponsors.
Kelly Nelson:
“Classroom size of 12-24 – traditional or seminar – U or box shaped
Data projector ceiling mounted
White board
Goals
Meet needs of users
Make space more flexible
Where is the regular classroom space going to be in 10 years.”
Virtual Technologies
Online presence (e.g., email, websites, blogs, wikis, Skype, SMS, podcasts, e-portfolios, instant messaging)
Online resources (e.g., Google, digital libraries, online publications, electronic databases, courseware management systems)
Installed Appliances
Media presentation systems (e.g., videorecorder, DVD player, document camera)
Remote interaction systems (e.g., videoconferencing, web cameras, application-sharing suites)
Room-scale peripherals (e.g., interactive displays, whiteboard capture systems, room schedule displays)
Mobile Devices
Personal information & communication devices (e.g., laptops, smart phones, Tablet PCs, iPods, digital cameras, USB drives, Wi-Fi finders)
Virtual Technologies
Online presence (e.g., email, websites, blogs, wikis, Skype, SMS, podcasts, e-portfolios, instant messaging)
Online resources (e.g., Google, digital libraries, online publications, electronic databases, courseware management systems)
Installed Appliances
Media presentation systems (e.g., videorecorder, DVD player, document camera)
Remote interaction systems (e.g., videoconferencing, web cameras, application-sharing suites)
Room-scale peripherals (e.g., interactive displays, whiteboard capture systems, room schedule displays)
Mobile Devices
Personal information & communication devices (e.g., laptops, smart phones, Tablet PCs, iPods, digital cameras, USB drives,Wi-Fi finders)
Pedagogy – theory and practice of teaching – the study and practice of how best to teach
Built Pedagogy (Torin Monahan of North Carolina University Chapel Hill) – refers to classrooms with active learning as goal
Focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – emphasized flexibility in curriculum and instruction
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the design of instructional materials and activities that allow learning goals to be achieved by individuals with wide differences in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and remember (Ivy Access Initiative, Brown University) The essential qualities of UDL include valuing each learner’s unique perspectives and accommodating individual differences in learners’ backgrounds, interests, abilities, and experiences. The cardinal rule of UDL is that there is no single method for representing information that will provide equal access for all students; no single method of expression that will provide equal opportunity for all students; no single way to ensure that all students are engaged in learning because any method that works for some students may present barriers to learning for others (ERIC/ OSEP, 1998; as cited by Mino , 2004). Accordingly Universal Instructional Design emphasize flexibility in curriculum and instruction.
redesign of teaching and learning whereby both face-to-face and online learning are made better by the presence of the other—achieving “the best of both worlds!”
A blended course is designed to integrate face-to-face and online activities so that they reinforce, elaborate on, and complement one another, instead of treating the online component as an add-on or duplicate of what is taught in the classroom. (http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/programs-courses/blended-learning.html) “Typically, your Mohawk courses are 3 hours per week. With blended delivery, you may have 2 hours of face-to-face time and 1 hour of class activities to complete online.”
“Blended learning has the potential to enhance and transform Canadian higher education in teaching and learning, in flexibility and access, and in the optimization of resources. It also helps to provide the digital literacies essential for a global graduate and knowledge worker.” – COHERE Report on Blended Learning
Some institutions define Blended Learning by distinguishing the reduced classroom contact hours (reduced seat time) resulting from the combination of face-to-face classroom instruction with online learning (e.g., University of Central Florida).
According to Garrison and Vaughan (2008), Blended Learning is “the organic integration of thoughtfully selected and complementary face-to-face and online approaches and technologies.” Communications technologies have the potential to support intense, varied, and continuous engagement in the learning process. Interactive technologies which have been integrated into Blended Learning environments to enhance students’ engagement and learning include use of wikis, social media, video/audio conferencing, lecture capture, discussion forums, and mobile technologies. Blended Learning also affords innovative use of collaborative signature pedagogies (e.g., case-based, inquiry-based, problem-based). Thus, interactive and collaborative learning experiences are at the heart of Blended Learning. In short, the premise of Blended Learning is to help learners achieve higher-order competencies through more in-depth engagement
Increase communication & collaboration
Increase interaction
One visual representation of Blended Learning which would be common in our campus settings.
Light colour circles focus on physical spaces; and dark colour circles focus on blending of virtual or online interactions with face-to-face.
Subset of Blended Learning
Emerging research data demonstrates that students participating in flipped classes are outperforming those participating in traditional classes in both quality and quantity of learning
“is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter.” (Flipped Learning Network, 2014)
http://fln.schoolwires.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=92
Sage on Stage to Guide on Side
Examples of repurposing class time
Watch video and then discuss in class
Read and then role-play in class
Webquest and then debate in class
4 Pillars of FLIP
Flexible environment – reconfigure space,
Learning Culture – teacher-oriented to student-centred learning; students involved in knowledge construction, explore topics in greater depth and application
Intentional Content – ways to maximize classroom time
Professional Educator – provide continuous feedback and modify learning activities as needed
Cite Mohawk College – 30% reduction of face-to-face
Educause initiative –
EDUCAUSE® is a nonprofit association and the foremost community of IT leaders and professionals committed to advancing higher education.
Membership is open to U.S. and international institutions of higher education, corporations serving the higher education information technology market, and other related associations and organizations.
(LSRS) seeks to provide a set of measurable criteria to assess how well classroom design supports and enables active learning activities. http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/03/05/how-do-your-learning-spaces-measure-up.aspx
Compatibility with Campus IT Infrastructure and Plans
Involve academic technology and IT professionals as part of planning teams
Include consideration of the institution’s approach to online learning and course delivery
Ensure that technology budgets provide for space upgrades, maintenance, and refresh cycles for equipment and furnishings.
Commitment to Evidence-Based Research & Assessment
Conduct a post-occupancy space performance evaluation, using the Learning Space Rating System or another instrument.
Provide regular, on-going forums for user feedback on a specific learning space to improve support and operations.
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholders could involve representatives from faculty, learners, curriculum development staff, academic technology, IT staff, facilities planning & administration.
Develop a communications plan to inform stakeholders of relevant information and to allow them to provide ongoing input.
Engage stakeholders through workshops, interviews, surveys, observational studies, photo diaries, town hall meetings, or other means.
Gather input after space occupancy to ensure programmatic and user needs continue to be met.
Engage stakeholders to give feedback on how well existing learning spaces are performing.
Solicit feedback during development of the planning and/or design process to provide feedback on concepts, progress plans, and/or pilot projects.
Best Practices in Planning & Design
Investigate literature on best practices in learning space design.
Benchmark successful spaces or inspirational examples (e.g., via tours, reports).
Learning Space as a Teaching Tool
Create a class or design competition for innovative learning space design.
Provide opportunity (through physical or technological means) to observe or demonstrate how the space is being used.
Who is best to inform about contemporary learning and learning space design? (PH may not be aware of learning practices.
Support
Potential Strategies & Approaches
Provide a support line so that users can have a direct communication to classroom support professionals.
Provide virtual support via remote desktop or similar technology such that media/technology configurations can be viewed and adjusted remotely.
Provide more than standard support during initial commissioning period for new spaces, and at the beginning of a new term (when faculty may be trying new approaches) for existing spaces.
Provide logging systems to collect analytics data on how features of the room are used by instructors and students.
Cluster learning spaces together and assign a learning space professional to act as main point of contact for managing furniture, technology, and equipment.
Create video resources that demonstrate potential activities and configurations of space, as well as frequently encountered issues and their solutions.
Create and implement a furniture management plan that provides direction on how furniture should “reset” to a default configuration and how it will be reconfigured and managed.
Space Orientation & Training
Offer a regularly scheduled orientation that introduces the functionality of the furniture, technology, and other equipment and environmental systems associated with the space.
Provide online tutorials with suggested room configurations, including explanations of feasible options and activities the room can support.
Potential strategies and approaches
Provide rehearsal space with equivalent technologies where faculty can receive an orientation and associated training and coaching. Rehearsal spaces may also provide video capture for later review.
Orientation sessions could include presentations or instructional scenarios to show how technology systems in the room could be utilized to support pedagogical activities.
Sustainability of Operations Over Time
Create, execute, and evaluate a resource management plan for learning spaces which covers anticipated expenditures for technology, furniture and operations.
Scheduling Systems
Gather information to discover why certain rooms might be more or less popular than others. Conduct data gathering in an ongoing way.
Investigate how different course schedules of schools or programs may be a deterrent or promote active learning pedagogies. For example, some active learning pedagogies may benefit from more extended class periods to enable collaborative group work or project activities.
Environmental Stimulation
Refer to benchmarks from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) such as those for “creating a supportive campus environment.”
Proximities within Space
Discussion-focused spaces: Minimize distance between all occupants and maximize participants’ ability to face each other.
Presentation-focused spaces: Optimize proximity between the speaker and the greatest percentage of the audience.
For presentation-focused spaces, make spaces wider than they are deep so as to minimize the distance between the speaker and the audience, while still providing for good sight lines.
Team-based spaces: Devote sufficient space for group participants to face one another and/or to access writable surfaces or shared visual displays.
Versatile spaces: Prioritize equal access from seats to writable surfaces, visual displays, and other seats.
Movement Through Space
Discussion-focused spaces: Enable participants to walk between table and walls in order to access writable surfaces, displays, and one another.
Presentation-focused spaces: Rows should not exceed 20 uninterrupted chairs in a row. Rows of 5 or more seats should have aisles on either side (no dead-ends).
Team-based spaces: Provide sufficient space and pathways for instructors and peers to circulate when the space is configured for group.
Versatile spaces: Provide adequate spaces between tables or work areas for all participants to circulate, interact, and recombine in different teams.
Seating Density
Discussion-focused spaces: provide at least 25 square feet per participant.
Presentation-focused spaces: provide at least 20 square feet per participant.
Team-based spaces: provide at least 30 square feet per participant.
Versatile space: provide at least 25 square feet per participant.
Furnishing Layout
Discussion-focused spaces: facilitate multiple options for small group or plenary session work (e.g., groups of 3 to 9 at a round table) with movable chairs.
Presentation-focused spaces: configure layout and aisles so that instructor(s) and peers can circulate and reach within 15 feet of every participant to facilitate interaction and dialogue.
Team-based spaces: same as discussion-focused
Versatile spaces: ensure furnishing are easily movable and configurable by users into small groups of various sizes, as well as alternative large group activities.
Potential Strategies
Fixed seats that swivel allow group conversations in lecture-style rooms.
Configure tiers to two rows of seats to allow participants to turn and face the row behind (e.g., with continuous counter work surfaces)
Work Surfaces
Potential Strategies
Work surfaces are recommended to be at minimum thirty inches wide by twenty-four inches deep minimum to accommodate mobile computers. For this reason tables and chairs are preferred over tablet armchairs.
Physical Storage
Potential Strategies
As a guide for flexible or multipurpose rooms with 50 seats or more, provide furniture and equipment storage equivalent to 5-10% of the room area.
Electrical Power – Ensure that participants in a space have access to electrical power to support the wide variety of technologies used in learning activities.
Charging stations
Network Connectivity – Enable adequate network performance and access for all participants and intended learning activities.
Visual Display – Enable robust sharing of visual data by making it easily available, visible, and/or readable by all participants.
Sound Amplification – Enable high quality audio reinforcement in support of learning and teaching activities.
Audio/Visual Interface and Control - Enable faculty and students to seamlessly manage audio/visual content across multiple output systems including installed displays, computers, and mobile devices
Distributed Interactivity - Enable full, synchronous participation in learning activities from groups in multiple, disparate locations
Sharing presentations between multiple sites
Ability for different participants to transparently switch between roles (e.g., presenter, editor) across multiple locations
Student questions/commentary to be shared between multiple sites
Student small group discussions to be shared between multiple sites.
Session Capture and Access – Record presentations, group interactions, or conversations with local and remote participants, and make these artifacts accessible asynchronously.
Capture presentation and synchronized audio in a format that can be redistributed to users outside the classroom (e.g., via a learning management system and/or mobile devices).
Integrate session capture controls with room AV controls.
Innovation in Technology and Tools – Enable new ways to interact among people and content with creative technological solutions and innovative tools.
The Flexible Learning Environments eXchange – FLEXspace – is a robust, open access repository populated with examples of learning spaces.
an interactive online database with images and videos of learning spaces, provides a searchable collection of best practices in active learning design,
It contains high resolution images and related information that describes detailed attributes of these spaces from institutions across the globe.
FLEXspace aims to showcase innovative design solutions and provide users with information that saves substantial time, money, and effort.
As the library of designs and community membership grows, so will the value of FLEXpace as a very useful planning resource and consulting network for education and partnering organizations and businesses.
The impetus for FLEXspace (the Flexible Learning Environments eXchange) started with recently retired State University of New York Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost David Lavallee, who noticed that every time SUNY built new classrooms it seemed that the designers were starting from scratch. In 2011 he charged an advisory group with investigating how SUNY could be more proactive in engaging faculty, instructional support personnel and facilities planners to share information about learning environment design. In 2012, as the group investigated how to share assets, its leaders engaged in a proof-of-concept solution using ARTstor's Shared Shelf media management software, which enables schools to manage and publish their institutional and faculty media collections within their institution or publicly on the Web.
The group built the FLEXspace database with taxonomies for three main areas:
Technology integration, to appeal to the instructional support professionals who select, install and maintain technology in the spaces.
Facilities integration, to appeal to architects and those charged with space planning and design.
Learning/assessment, to appeal to faculty and academics researching suitability of spaces and interested in measuring the impact.
One goal of FLEXspace is to help broaden the community of interest and allow people to more easily share their perspectives, according to Lisa Stephens, senior strategist in the Academic Innovation, Academic Technology and Information Services Office of the SUNY Provost. Too many decisions are made through the lens of facility people who have no opportunity to talk with faculty, she explained, and the faculty members don't talk to the tech integration people. "We have these three domains and this gives us an opportunity to look at content under one umbrella and to see the perspectives and challenges that the others face. This will help us find our priorities together."
http://flexspace.demo.artstor.org/library/iv2.html?parent=true#
Image Information
Translate
Title CSU-Chico California State University - Chico Building: Tehama Room: 116 Room ID: 116
Collection FLEXSpace
Academic Contact Name Tom Ussery Academic
Contact Email tussery@csuchico.edu Academic
Contact Phone 530-898-4535530-898-4535
Comments (Learning and Assessment) Experimental Collaboration Learning Space (U-Course)
Scheduling Administrative
Enrollment Capacity 120
Primary Room Utilization: Instructional
Specific Learning Objectives: U-Course (first year experience program)
Learning Activities Enabled
Physical movement Small group learning Collaborative Peer learning Informal Lecture Informal learning Remedial Problem Solving Demonstration
Support Multiple Pedagogies? Yes
Pedagogies Supported
Challenge-based learning Learner driven inquiry Visualizations Enabling: experimental Peer learning
Instructor-Student Relationships: Collaborative
Student Characteristics
Disabled Adult/College Able Bodied
Learning Location-modality: Face-to-face
Designed for Specific Discipline? Yes
Technology Integration
Technology Contact Name Brent Liotta
Technology Contact Email bliotta@csuchico.edu
Technology Contact Phone 530-898-3255530-898-3255
Comments (Technology Integration)
Technology Type Category Full Technology In-room Collaborative Technology
Technology Control Options Audio-Visual
Technology Power Student 120V; Instructor 120V
AV Control Interfaces Touchpanel, Wired; Mobile App
AV Sources
Document Camera Digital, Desktop Laptop/Mobile Device, VGA Laptop/Mobile Device, HDMI Installed PC DVD Disk
Displays and Encoders Other; Flat Panel
Displays and Encoders (Other) Sharp Aquos 60" Touch Display (12)
Number of Displays 12
Simultaneous Displays: Multiple Sources
Video Source Imaging: Aspect Ratio, 16:9; Resolution, 2K to Under 4K
Audio Source Imaging: Mixed Mono
Human Interaction Tools
Other Electronic Whiteboard Wireless Keyboard
Human Interaction Tools (Other): Display annotation
Accessible Technology: Assistive Listening; Other
Accessible Technology (Other): Accessible Display
Traditional Technologies: Whiteboards, Fixed/Mobile
Comments (Facilities)
Rights This image has been selected and made available by an institutional user of the ARTstor Digital Library using ARTstor's software tools. ARTstor has not pre-screened or selected this image, and therefore disclaims any liability for any use of this image. Should you have any legal objection to the use of this image, please notify ARTstor's Contact for Legal Notices. Download Size 1024,1024
Ryerson University
The upper floors consist of group work rooms equipped with WiFi, white boards, and LCD screens, communal areas with flexible seating, an entire floor of quiet space, and the Digital Media Experience (DME) Lab where students can access digital media equipment and new technologies
Students can go anywhere for their learning—in fact, more informal learning is happening because the test is in the application. Recognition of informal learning
Are informal learning spaces explicitly included in a capital building project?
Financial resources used to support computer traditional computer labs could be repurposed to create new forms of informal learning spaces.
Has learning space design caught up with the implications of new technologies?
How will Facilities Management meet student expectations and support evolving pedagogical approaches?
Any opportunities for collaboration among facilities management, IT, schools, LT, ILDC, Students in design of learning spaces?
The literature suggests that the facilities design team receives limited information about how learning spaces are used. Usually Program Heads are involved in space needs assessment. It may be worth considering data gathering about daily activity and future practices and involvement of stakeholders such as students, faculty, staff and those driving blended learning in Saskatchewan Polytechnic (e.g., LT, ILDC, educational technology consultant).
Research that relies on self-reporting from subjects rather than direct observation is inherently biased. A first step in designing improved learning space is to augment the interviews with information collected about students’ daily activities.
Milne, A. J. (2006). Chapter 11. Designing blended learning space to the student experience. Retrieved December 13, 2007, fromhttp://www.educause.edu/Chapter11.DesigningBlendedLearningSpacetotheStudentExperience/11909
Current design practices will need to change to meet student expectations and support evolving pedagogical approaches. Learning technologies are just one component of a complex ecosystem in which learning takes place. With the onward advance of technology, materials, and architectural concepts, academic institutions that hope to successfully leverage their facilities and technology assets will evolve their approach to learning space design. They will adopt flexible
prototyping methodologies, take steps to modernize funding approaches, and embrace student-centered participatory design practices in the same way that they have student-centered learning pedagogies.
Prepare for the change!
in the case of learning spaces, design is both a noun and a verb; design outcomes and processes intertwine. New forms of blended learning space will evolve over time as technologies change, people adapt, and new practices emerge. Academic institutions that reconsider how
campuses are designed, in both a physical and technological sense, will position themselves to exploit future technologies. Among the most successful institutions will be those that find ways to infuse student ideas into the design process, harnessing the energy and talents of the Net Generation.
Milne, A. J. (2006). Chapter 11. Designing blended learning space to the student experience. Retrieved December 13, 2007, fromhttp://www.educause.edu/Chapter11.DesigningBlendedLearningSpacetotheStudentExperience/11909
