designing learning spaces to meet the changing learning needs and expectations of staff and students

INFORMA - Learning Space Design Summit | Dec 2011 | Presented by helen.carter@mq.edu.au and danny.munnerley@canberra.edu.au

Designing learning spaces to meet the changing learning needs and expectations of students and staff

University of Canberra Dec 2011

staff and student commons"UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA"CASE STUDY

•  project overview •  the objectives •  hothousing ideas •  design principles •  evaluation •  lessons learnt

staff & student commons"project overview

• EIF Funded, ($3.7million)

• 1 of 3 campus development projects

• Collaboration between the University Architect, Teaching and Learning Centre, Jackson Architecture and Manteena project management

• 16 month project

2009 2010 JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV

Teaching & Learning Centre activity Project Timeline

project timeline

UC context

Student Commons

Staff Commons

Teaching & Learning

Staff Commons"floor plan

The idea is for a conceptual space in which communities of educators committed to inquiry and innovation come together to exchange ideas about teaching and learning, and use them to meet the challenges of educating students for personal, professional and civic life. "(Carter, 2009)

Student Commons floor plan The student commons will expand facilities for informal, formal and self-directed learning and provide access to collaborative learning spaces for students.

Teaching & Learning Centre floor plan Ensuring the TLC is outward focused by integrating academic (core business) and support with social and community components.

the objectives Provide a space that�

•  encourages active learning¹, inter-disciplinary study and collaboration

•  supports both students and staff as learners •  encourages learner centredness² as opposed

to teacher focussed •  can be accessed informally and booked when

required •  can be used independently, as a group or for

events, (including clubs & societies³) •  supports learners who ‘bring your own

device’ (BYOD) •  has considered ‘space and light and order’⁴ •  provides for the basic levels of human need⁵

(coffee)

1 .(McLennan and Keating, 2005; p.5 ), 2. (Dewey, Vygotsky, Piaget), 3. (Lave & Wenger), 4. (Corbusier), 5. (Maslow)

objectives | provide a space that..."encourages active learning, inter-disciplinary study and collaboration

Active learning requires students to take responsibility for their learning in both collaborative and independent learning situations, and is dependant on students developing and employing generic skills and attributes. (McLennan and Keating, 2005; p. 5)

objectives | provide a space that..."supports both students and staff as learners

objectives | provide a space that..."encourages learner centredness as opposed to teacher focussed

objectives | provide a space that..."can be accessed informally and booked when required

objectives | provide a space that... can be used independently, as a group or for events, (including clubs & societies)

objectives | provide a space that..."supports learners who ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD)

objectives | provide a space that..."has considered ‘space and light and order’

‘Space, and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep’ (Corbusier, 1923)

objectives | provide a space that..."provides for the basic levels of human need (coffee)

coming up next….

•  focus on staff commons

•  engagement (hothouse project)

• principles

•  evaluation

Develop a community of practice (ITaLLs) •  encourage ideas exchange •  academic project development •  disseminate ideas through leadership Experiment with new spaces, pedagogies & technologies Micro-funded innovation projects Aligned strategically to support the introduction of a new trimester and blended learning strategy

innovation & development projects

INFORMA - Learning Space Design Summit | Dec 2011 | Presented by helen.carter@mq.edu.au and danny.munnerley@canberra.edu.au INFORMA - Learning Space Design Summit | Dec 2011 | Presented by helen.carter@mq.edu.au and danny.munnerley@canberra.edu.au

principles

•  agile spaces (easily reconfigurable) •  lighten the space (brightness and

weight) •  user-centred (let staff and students

shape the space) •  maximise the active surfaces

(writeable and presentable) •  sustainable (materials and

operational) •  currators of space (not manage or

supervise)

principles"maximise writing surfaces

principles"lighten the space

principles"easily re-configurable

principles"let staff & students shape the space

evaluation"so far…

•  Review of usage data, captured via •  online booking system (name, area, event title, date/time/duration) •  student sign up sheets (room, ID, date/time/duration) •  observation (head counts)"

•  post-it polls •  whiteboard surveys •  email feedback"

•  Yr1 Survey, (awaiting ethics approval) •  Formal users (via booking system & ID’s) •  Informal user (general survey via Moodle) •  Interviews

evaluation"post-it…

comfortable

chairs please… too bright

I’m a sessional with no office, a locker would

be good

why are we writing

on post-it notes

when all the walls

are whiteboards

it locates events around people which really makes sense

giving up my office!

evaluation"teaching commons quantitative

•  formal usage (booked via calendar)

•  923 individual bookings in 12 months •  average meeting size x6.7 persons •  preferred time of day 9-11am"

•  informal usage (drop-in, ad-hoc use) •  647 uses recorded during 3 month observation •  average group size x2.3 persons

evaluation"who uses the teaching commons?

40x UNITS, CENTRES, OFFICES, FACULTIES, INSTITUTES��Academic Skills Centre, Accessability, Audit & Governance, Campus Living, Campus Planning and Development Unit, Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor of Education, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Early Career Academic Program, Faculty of Applied Science, Faculty of Art & Design, Faculty of Business and Government, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health, Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering, Faculty of Law, Human Resources Unit, Information Technology Management, INSPIRE centre, Library, Marketing and International, Media & Communication, National Security Institute, Office of Dean of Students, Office of Innovation and Advancement, Office of Registrar, Planning & Quality, Office of Pro Vice Chancellor of Development, Research Services, Research Services Office, Student Administration, Student Centre, Student Equity and Support Unit, Students, Teaching and Learning Centre, Timetable, UC English Language Institute, UC Events, UC Fit, UC Union, University of Canberra College

evaluation"what do they do?

meetings, discussions, workshops, forums, seminars, summits, planning days, working parties, steering groups, policy review groups, focus

groups, roundtables, network luncheons, receptions, video conferences, un-conferences, training, industry advisories, interviews, panels, consultations, poster sessions, open days, camps, brown bags,

longnecks, writing cycles, writing groups, write-in's and of course Keith Lyons ’exciting meetings'

evaluation"usage analytics

Hothouse Studio accounts for 40% of bookings

More bookings in the mornings, 9.00-12.00

evaluation"usage analytics

abilit

Top Ten Users" 1.  Teaching & Learning 2.  Faculty of Health 3.  DVC(E) 4.  Faculty of Art & Design 5.  UC Union 6.  Human Resources 7.  Marketing & International 8.  Applied Science 9.  Student Equity 10.  UC College

feedback

•  My initial impression is of a amazingly technically-supported range of flexible spaces for working away from the office. Amidst the latest in learning technologies, I loved the write-on wall. No white boards, but especially painted walls (those that have a sticker on) that give space to 'spread your mind'. "Faculty of Education

•  Its magical what a combination of technology, design and thoughtful planning can do. I am sure the staff and students will use it well."Research Office

•  The Nursing & Midwifery staff were so impressed with the teaching commons that our new Head of Disciplines has asked if we can use the space for all our Research and Scholarship workshops."Faculty of Health

•  Surrounded by whiteboard walls, any individual, regardless of where they were in the room, could be put in the position of group leader. The students were encouraged to turn around and jot ideas down whenever they felt so inclined – and they did. With no one at ‘the front’ designated as the authority figure, there was much more spontaneous input than I have experienced in a standard classroom.�Academic Skills

thankyou canberra.edu.au/tlc/teachingcommons flickr.com/photos/munnerley/collections CONTACTS danny.munnerley@canberra.edu.au helen.carter@mq.edu.au

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