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The Campus as a Place of Learning – New Learning Spaces

Professor Mike KeppellDirector, The Flexible Learning Institute &

Professor of Higher EducationCharles Sturt University

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Overview

Distributed spaces

Ecological university

Principles

Diversity of spaces

Aligning with curriculum

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Distributed Spaces

Growing acceptance that learning occurs in different ‘places’

Proliferation of approaches emerging including ‘flexible’, ‘open’, ‘distance’ and ‘off-campus’ that assist the ubiquity of learning in a wide range of contexts (Lea & Nicholl, 2002).

Growing acceptance of life-long and life-wide learning.

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Barnett, R. (2011). Being a university. New York: Routledge.

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Ecological University

Global connectedness and dependence on world around them

Instead of ‘having an impact’ on the world which can be both positive and negative ecological universities seek sustainability

They adopt a ‘care for the world’ as opposed to an ‘impact on the world’ approach (Barnett, 2011).

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Higher Education Principles

Access and Equity & Equivalence of Learning

Outcomesethical obligations

Student Learning Experience

traverses physical, blended and virtual learning spaces.

‘place’ of learning is diverse

Constructive Alignment

learning outcomes, subject, degree program, generic

attributes

Discipline Pedagogiesspecific needs of

disciplines

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Key principle throughout the presentation is ‘design’

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Learning Spaces Physical, blended or virtual ‘areas’ that:

enhance learning

that motivate learners

promote authentic learning interactions

Spaces where both teachers and students optimize the perceived and actual affordances of the space (Keppell & Riddle, 2012).

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PhysicalPhysical VirtualVirtual

FormalFormal InformalInformal InformalInformalFormalFormal

BlendedBlended

MobileMobile PersonalPersonal

OutdoorOutdoorProfessionProfession

al al PracticePractice

Distributed Distributed Learning SpacesLearning Spaces

AcademicAcademic

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Seven Principles of Learning Space DesignThe SKG project has established seven principles of learning space which support a collaborative and student-centred  approach to learning:

Comfort: a space which creates a physical and mental sense of ease and well-being

Aesthetics: pleasure which includes the recognition of symmetry, harmony, simplicity and fitness for purpose

Flow: the state of mind felt by the learner when totally involved in the learning experience

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Seven Principles of Learning Space Design

4Equity: consideration of the needs of cultural and physical differences

5Blending: a mixture of technological and face-to-face pedagogical resources

6Affordances: the “action possibilities” the learning environment provides the users, including such things as kitchens, natural light, wifi, private spaces, writing surfaces, sofas, and so on.

7Repurposing: the potential for multiple usage of a space (Souter, Riddle, Keppell, 2010) (http://www.skgproject.com)

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Albury-Wodonga Learning Commons

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ComfortAesthetics

FlowEquity

BlendingAffordancesRepurposing

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Wallenberg Hall - Stanford University

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ComfortAesthetics

FlowEquity

BlendingAffordancesRepurposing

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MIT – STATA Center - EDDY Spaces

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Technology-enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) Centre Affordances - Blending

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Discipline

Pedagogies

‘Plasma to Chalkboar

d ’ for Physics

Professors

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Affordances

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Virtual Learning Spaces

Virtual learning spaces provide unique opportunities that are unavailable in physical learning spaces

These affordances or ‘action possibilities’ allow a richer range of learning interactions

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Informal Informal Virtual Virtual Learning Learning SpacesSpaces

Formal Formal Virtual Virtual Learning Learning SpacesSpaces

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Flexible learning

“Flexible learning” provides opportunities to improve the student learning experience through flexibility in time, pace, place, mode of study, teaching approach, forms of assessment and staffing.

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Blended & Flexible Learning

“Blended and flexible learning” is a design approach that examines the relationships between flexible learning opportunities, in order to optimise student engagement and equivalence in learning outcomes regardless of mode of study (Keppell, 2010, p. 3).

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Mobile Learning Spaces

With its strong emphasis on learning rather than teaching, mobile learning challenges educators to try to understand learners’ needs.

Understanding how learning takes place beyond the classroom, and

Intersection of education, life, work and leisure” (Kukulska-Hulme, 2010, p.181).

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Academic Learning Spaces

Physical, blended or virtual ‘areas’ that:

enhance academic ‘work’

that motivate academic ‘work’

enable networking

Spaces where academics optimize the perceived and actual affordances of the space.

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Academic Spaces

Barnett (2011) suggests that “today’s university lives amid multiple time-spans, and time-speeds” (p. 74).

Constant email...

Committee meetings......

Historians who focus on the past

Researchers who may focus on the future

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Academic SpacesUniversities may need to be conscious of the 24/7 existence of their students across the globe, each in their own unique time-span.

Virtual spaces

Residential students

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Academic Spaces

Barnett (2011) suggests that academics may be active in university spaces that may include:

Intellectual and discursive space which focus on the contribution to the wider public sphere.

Epistemological space which focuses on the “space available for academics to pursue their own research interests” (p. 76).

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Academic Spaces

Pedagogical and curricular space focuses on the spaces available to trial new pedagogical approaches and new curricular initiatives.

Ontological space which focuses on ‘academic being’ which is becoming increasingly multi-faceted beyond the research, teaching and community commitments. In fact “the widening of universities’ ontological spaces may bring both peril and liberation” (p. 77).

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Personal Learning Spaces

Personal learning environments (PLE) integrate formal and informal learning spaces

Customised by the individual to suit their needs and allow them to create their own identities.

A PLE recognises ongoing learning and the need for tools to support life-long and life-wide learning.

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Connectivism

PLE may also require new ways of learning as knowledge has changed to networks and ecologies (Siemens, 2006).

The implications of this change is that improved lines of communication need to occur.

“Connectivism is the assertion that learning is primarily a network-forming process” (p. 15).

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Outdoor Learning Spaces• These pathways, thoroughfares and occasional rest areas are generally given a functional value in traffic management and are more often than not developed as an after thought in campus design. As such the thoroughfares and rest areas are under valued (or not recognized) as important spaces for teaching and learning (Rafferty, 2012).

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Putting it all

together

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ConclusionA global revolution is taking place in tertiary education. The traditional concept of the lecture room is being redefined as digital and distance education becomes the "new normal" (Mark Brown, Dominion Post).

It is time that we begin changing our thinking about the ‘place’ of learning for both learners and staff.

We need to let go of the tradition of universities as being a ‘singular place’ where learning and teaching occurs.

Distributed learning spaces are the future.

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Further Information

SKG Report: http://documents.skgproject.com/skg-final-report.pdf

Book Chapter: http://www.slideshare.net/mkeppell/distributed-spaces-for-learning

Mike’s Blog: http://mike-keppell.blogspot.com.au/

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