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Spaces for learninga review of learning spaces infurther and higher education
A report for the Scottish Funding Council prepared by AMA Alexi Marmot Associates in association with haa design
Foreword i
1.0 Executivesummary 1
2.0 Introduction 3
3.0 Trendsinlearningandteaching 4
4.0 Newenvironmentsforlearning 64.1 Groupteaching/learningspaces 64.2 Simulatedenvironments 74.3 Immersiveenvironments 84.4 Peer-to-peerandsociallearningspaces 84.5 Learningclusters 94.6 Individuallearningspaces 104.7 Externalspaces 10
5.0 Theeffectivenessoflearningspaces–researchevidence 15
5.1 Outcomemeasures 155.2 Designandspecification:scale;
air/heat/light;lookandfeel 155.3 Sustainability 165.4 Utilisationandspacemanagement 165.5 Density,spaceutilisationandspace
management 16
6.0 Creatingimprovedlearningspaces 186.1 Opportunitiesforindividualcolleges
anduniversities 186.2 OpportunitiesfortheSFC 186.3 Actionsforthedesignand
supplierindustries 18
Contents
Appendices
APPENDIX1Researchmethodology 19
APPENDIX2Peopleandorganisationsconsulted 20
APPENDIX3Educationaltrends 20
APPENDIX4Thelearningandteachingtrendssurvey–findings 25
APPENDIX5Summaryofinterviewswithkeyorganisations 32
APPENDIX6Casestudiesfourinstitutions: 33JohnWheatleyCollege,EasterhouseandEastEnd 33UniversityofStrathclyde,JamesWeirBuilding 36Edinburgh’sTelfordCollege,WestGrantonRoad 38GlasgowCaledonianUniversity,SaltireCentre 41
APPENDIX7Abbreviationsandglossary 43
APPENDIX8ConferenceOctober2005-Summary 44
APPENDIX9References 46
FiguresFigureA1:Changesinstudentnumbers
byinstitution 22FigureA2:Maturityofstudentsbyinstitutiontype 22FigureA3:Perceivedchangesinstudent
demographics 25FigureA4:Studentdemographics,1998–2004 26FigureA5:Perceivedchangesinteachingmethods 26FigureA6:Perceivedchangesintechnologyin
learningenvironments 27FigureA7:Perceivedchangesinteachingand
learningspaces 28FigureA8:Trendsbyinstitutiontype 29FigureA9: Perceivedimportanceofphysical
environmentonstudentlearningexperience 30
FigureA10:Projectsidentifiedinsurveyoflearningandteachingtrends 31
Foreword
I’mdelightedtointroducethisreportonSpacesforlearning.Over£600millionisbeinginvestedinFurtherandHigherEducationestatesoverthenextfewyears.Severalentirelynewcampusesareindevelopment,aswellasvariousnewbuildsandupgrades.Soit’sagoodtimetoreflectonwhatpeoplearetryingtoachievewiththeirnewbuildings,andtodiscussthisthinkingwitheachother.
Thesebuildings,thesespaces,areforlearning.Wehearalotabouthowmuchlearningischanging.Wealsoknowthatlearnerstooarechanging;therearemanymorelearnersinScottishfurtherandhighereducationthanthereweretenyearsago,andtheyaremorediverse–intermsofage,abilityandbackground.Theyhavedifferentexpectationsoflearning:somepeoplestillwanttolistentolectures,whileotherswanttolearnusingnetworkedandmobiledevices.Butbuildingslastlongerthantenyears,andincreasinglytheyhavetobeabletomeetawiderangeoflearnerneeds,bothnowandinthefuture.
In2005,theScottishFundingCouncilcommissionedAMAAlexiMarmotAssociates,withhaadesign,toconsiderthesekindsoftrends,astheyaffectthedesignanduseofspaceinfurtherandhighereducation,andtoreflectontheresearchliteratureonthelinkbetweenphysicalspaceandeffectivelearning.AMA’sreportincludescasestudiesofcampusdevelopmentsatScottishinstitutions,aswellasnotinginternationaltrends.Itisintendedtosetthescene,andpromptdiscussion.
Scotland’scollegesanduniversitiesarediverse,withdifferentmissions,contextsandcultures.Butthereisalotwecanlearnbybringingcolleaguestogether,toshareexperiencesandthinkaboutourbuildings.InOctober2005weheldanationalconferencewhichwasattendedby130stafffromScotland’scollegesanduniversities.Colleaguesdiscussedtheirideasaboutspacesforlearning:planneddevelopments,therationaleforparticulardesigns,andsomeofthekeyconsiderations–intermsofspace,cost,andaboveall,moreeffectivelearning.
Theconferenceshowedthatcolleaguesareveryinterestedintheseissuesandkeentolearnfromeachother.Wewanttoencouragethosediscussions,toinformthebuildinganddevelopmentoflearningspaces.IamverygratefultoAMAandhaadesignforproviding–inthisreport–suchausefulstartingpointforthosediscussions.
IanHMurningChair,ScottishFundingCouncilPropertyandCapitalInvestmentCommitteeFeb2006
i
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• AsignificantamountofestatesdevelopmentiscurrentlyunderwayinScottishcollegesanduniversitiesatatimeofmajorchangeineducationaltechnologyandinlearningandteachingmodes.
• Thisreportisintendedtoencouragediscussionbetweenestatemanagementandacademicstaffonthebestformofcampusdevelopments,inlightofemerginglearningtrendsrelevanttotheirinstitutions.
• Itsummarisesafive-monthprogrammeofresearchwhichincludedaliteraturereview,interviewswithrepresentativesofnationaleducationalorganisations,fourcasestudiesofnewlearningenvironmentsincollegesanduniversities,andanonlinesurveyoneducationaltrendssenttoallfurtherandhighereducationalinstitutionsinScotland.
• Traditionalteacher-centredmodels,wheregoodteachingisconceptualisedasthepassingonofsoundacademic,practicalorvocationalknowledge,arebeingreplacedwithstudent-centredapproaches.
• Theshifttoaknowledge-driveneconomy,withlessemphasisonfactualknowledgeandgreateremphasisontheabilitytothinkcritically,isdrivingdemandforamorequalified,highlyskilled,creativeandflexibleworkforce.
• Theincreasingdiversityofstudentpopulationshaspromptedanew,moretailored,approachtolearning.Theshifttowardsstudent-centredteachingmodeshasbeensupportedbyagrowingbodyofresearchandtheorypointingtothebenefitsofarangeoflearningstylesandindividualpreferences.
• Threekeylearningstyles,supportedbyastrongknowledgebase,areusefulinconceptualisingnewlearningspaces:
– Learningbyreflection – Learningbydoing – Learningthroughconversation
• E-learningandm-learningcontinuetoexpandlearningopportunities.Thetrendtowardsstudent-centredlearninghasandisbeingenabledbyubiquitouscomputingonandoffcampus,informalandinformallearningsettings.E-learning,m-learningandincreasinguseofsophisticatedaudio-visualtoolscancomplementtraditionalteachingmodestocreatesuccessful‘blendedlearning’.
• Anewsurveyonlearningandteachingtrends,developedforthisresearchachieveda51%responserate.Respondentsselectedtrendsthattheyexpectedtoincrease;thetopfiveallinvolvedtheapplicationofIT.Insomecasesthishadadirectrelationshiptophysicalspace,suchastechnologyenhancedsocialspacesanduseofwirelessnetworkingacrosstheinstitution.
• Newenvironmentsforlearningarebeingdesignedorreshaped,inresponsetochangingpedagogicalstyles,toincorporatenewinformationtechnologyandtoadapttochangingnumbersandabilitiesoflearners.
• Formalteachingspacesforlargegroupswitha‘sageonastage’arebecominglesscommonthansmaller,lessformalsettingswherestudentslearnfromoneanotheraswellasfromtheirappointedteachers.
• Seventypesofnewenvironmentsforlearningaredescribedinthisreport:groupteaching/learning;simulatedenvironments;immersiveenvironments;peer-to-peerandsociallearning;clusters;individuallearning;andexternalspaces.
• ThefourcasestudiesofnewlearningenvironmentsinScotlandcovergrouplearningspaces,peer-to-peerandsociallearningspacesandlearningclusters.TheseweredrawnfromJohnWheatleyCollege;theUniversityofStrathclyde;Edinburgh’sTelfordCollegeandGlasgowCaledonianUniversity.
• TheresearchhasrevealedawealthofexperimentationintheEnglish-speakingworldanddescribesmanyexamplesofinnovativelearningspacesthatintegratetechnologyandpedagogicpractices.
• Theeffectivenessoflearningspacesisnoteasytoexploreindependentlyofthelearningtechniques,teacherstyle,informationsystemsemployed,andmanyotherfactors.
• Wehaveunearthedasmallnumberofinterestingstudiesonlearningspaces,mostlyfromtheUSA,coveringtheteachingofscientificsubjects,especiallymaths,physicsandengineering.Wenote,however,thatmanydevelopmentsinimprovedlearningoccurdailythroughthoughtfulexperimentationanddevelopmentbyteachers,andareneverformallyevaluated.
1 Executivesummary
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• Comparedtocontrolgroups,maths,scienceandengineeringstudentsusingtechnology-enabledcollaborativelearningmodesinpurposedesignedspacesshowedanimprovedabilitytosolveproblems,increasedconceptualunderstandingandreducedfailurerates.
• Theliteraturereviewfoundnoexamplesofoutcomemeasuresonwhethercitizenshipvalueshavebeenalteredthroughdifferentlearningmodesorindifferentlearningenvironments.
• Literatureevaluatinglearningenvironmentsindicatesoverwhelminglythatmanyeducationalbuildingsfailasspacesforlearningduetopoorairqualityandinadequateenvironmentalfeaturessuchaslightandacoustics.
• Thereissomeevidencethatstudentsandstaffrespondparticularlypositivelytoenhancedbuildingsandlandscaping.
• Teachingspaceshouldalsobebuiltforlong-termsustainabilitytoprovidefacilitiesthatarenotonlycomfortableandcost-effectivetooperateandmaintain,butthatimprovethelearner’sunderstandingofsustainabilityaspartoftheirwidercitizenshiplearning.
• Dataondensityataninstitutionallevelindicatethatuniversitiesarebecomingmorespaceefficient,atatimewhennewstudent-focussedlearningmodesarebeingintroduced.
• Intypicalteachingrooms(suchaslecturetheatres,classrooms,andseminarrooms),newlearningstylessometimeshavetheeffectofincreasingthespaceperseat,eithertoallowfordifferentfurniturearrangementsatdifferenttimes,orfordifferentlearningmodesinoneteachingsession.
• Furtherinvestigationoftherelationshipbetweendensity,spaceefficiencyandlearningmodeisneeded.
• Lookingahead,itislikelythatrelativelyfewerseatswillbeprovidedinlectureroomsandclassrooms.Howevertheareaperseatwillincreasesignificantlyaswillthecost,especiallyfortechnology.Overall,lectureroomsandclassroomswillrequiremorespaceperstudentthantheydonowandspaceformoreinformal,unscheduledlearningspaceswillincrease.
• Littleisknownabouttherelationshipbetweennewlearningmodes,density,costinuse,spacemanagementandstaffresources.
• Learningspaceisonlyameanstoanend.Themissionoffurtherandhighereducationinstitutionsiseffectivestudentlearning,thecreationofaneducated,skilledworkforcewithstrongsocialvaluesandcitizenshipskills.Ifthiscanbeachievedbyinvestingmoreinspaceandsupportingtechnologyitmaybeapriceworthpaying.Ifbysodoing,moreefficientusecanbemadeofacademicstafftime,thenitwouldcertainlybewelljustified.
• WehaveidentifiedseveralideasthatwouldhelpencouragemoreexperimentationandthedevelopmentofeffectivelearningspacesinScotland.SomewouldbebestundertakenbyindividualinstitutionsandothersbythedesignandITsector.
• SFCcanplayakeyroleinpromotinginitiatives,promotingpost-occupancystudyandsponsoringfurtherresearch.
• Fromourinvestigationswehavedistilled12keystepstohelpinstitutionscreateandevaluateeffectivelearningspaceswithoutdelay.
Twelvekeystocreatingsuccessfullearningspaces
1 Articulatealearningplan.
2 Integrateyourplans–learning,strategicdevelopment,estates.
3 Involveallstakeholders–academic,IT,estates,learners.
4 Selectaninformeddesignandimplementationteam.
5 Learnfromothers–sitevisits,casestudies,discussionforums.
6 Experimentwithnewideas.
7 IntegratesuitableICTandaudiovisualtools.
8 Introduceflexibilityfordifferentlearningmodesovertime.
9 Re-skilluserstomakebestuseofnewspacesinnewlearningmodes.
10 Managethespacewell–bookings,layout,maintenance.
11 Insistonlearnerandteacherfeedbackonlearningeffectiveness.
12 Publicisethefindings.
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A significant amount of estates development is currently underway in Scottish colleges and universities, at a time of major change in educational technology and in learning and teaching modes. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has commissioned research to ensure that investment in estates and estate management is informed by research into effective learning and student-centred approaches.
Thisreportsummarisesthefindings.Itisintendedtoencouragediscussionbetweenestatemanagementandacademicstaffonthebestformofcampusdevelopments,inlightofemerginglearningtrendsrelevanttotheirinstitution.Aseminarmarkedthelaunchofthereport,andsignalledtheimportancethatshouldbegiventoimprovinglearningenvironmentssoastoaideducationaloutcomesinScotland.
TheresearchwasconductedoverafivemonthperiodbyAMAAlexiMarmotAssociates,architecturalspaceconsultantsandhaadesign,anarchitecturalpracticebasedinGlasgow.TheirworkwasablyguidedbyDavidBeards,SandyMcAllisterandRobertMcGregoroftheScottishFundingCouncil.Invaluableinsightsweregivenby62peoplein29institutionswhorespondedtoaspeciallydevisedquestionnaireonteachingandlearningtrends,andbypeopleinthefourcollegesanduniversitieswhoallowedustostudyrecentdevelopmentsdemonstratingnewlearningapproaches.InterviewsandconversationswithpeopleinseveralotherScottisheducationalorganisationsandacademicinstitutionselsewherecontributedtoourthinking.Ourthanksareduetothemall.
Thereportgivesanoverviewoftrendsinlearningandteachingthatplayamajorroleinshapingthephysicallearningenvironment(section3).FeaturesofnewlearningenvironmentsinScotlandandotherpartsoftheEnglish–speakingworldaredescribedandillustrated(section4).Evidenceontheeffectivenessoflearningspacesissummarised,togetherwithimplicationsforsustainability,density,utilisationandspacemanagement(section5).Actionsthatcanbetakenbycollegesanduniversities,suppliersandtheSFCareoutlined(section6).
Appendicesdescribetheresearchmethodology(appendix1),andthepeopleandorganisationscontacted(appendix2).EducationaltrendsinScotland,psychologicalinsightsande-learning(appendix3),andthemaintrendsperceivedbypeopleinScottishinstitutionsthatrespondedtothesurveyaresummarised(appendix4).Ideasofpeopleinterviewedineducationalbodiesformappendix5.CasestudiesofnewlearningspacesinfourScottishcollegesoruniversitiesaredescribedinappendix6.Thereportcloseswithabbreviations,aglossary,andreferences(appendix7and9).
2 Introduction
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3 Trendsinlearningandteaching
Approachestolearningineducationalsettingsarechanging.Traditionalteacher-centredmodels,wheregoodteachingisconceptualisedasthepassingonofsoundacademic,practical,orvocationalknowledge,arebeingreplacedwithstudent-centredapproacheswhichemphasizetheconstructionofknowledgethroughsharedsituations.BarrandTagg(1995)1suggestthatthisshiftfroman‘instructionparadigm’toa‘learningparadigm’haschangedtheroleofthehigherandfurthereducationinstitutionfrom‘aplaceofinstruction’to‘aplacetoproducelearning’.
Thisispartlydrivenbychangingeducationalrequirements.Theshifttoaknowledge-driveneconomyisdrivingdemandforamorequalified,highlyskilled,creativeandflexibleworkforce.Thereislessemphasisonfactualknowledge,andmoreontheabilitytothinkcriticallyandsolvecomplexproblems.Knowles(1984)2arguesthat,inthemodernworld,themostsociallyusefulthingtolearnistheprocessoflearning.
Theconsequentneedforongoingskilldevelopmentresultsinagrowthinadultlearners.InScotland,participationratesofyoungpeopleintertiaryeducationarealreadyover50%withenrolmentsincreasingannually.Manystudentsarestudyingonapart-timebasis,particularlywithinfurthereducation.Thelife-longlearningstrategysetoutbytheScottishExecutive3,highlightsthekeyroleitsHEandFEinstitutionswillneedtoplayinwideningparticipation,improvingsocialinclusion,andinthecreationofanenterprisingworkforceinScotland.
Theincreasingdiversityofstudentpopulationshaspromptedanew,moretailored,approachtolearning.Theshifttowardsstudent-centredteachingmodeshasbeensupportedbyagrowingbodyofresearchandtheory,pointingtothebenefitsofarangeoflearningstylesandindividualpreferences.
Therehasbeenalongtraditionofpsychologicalinquiryintolearning,fromearlybehaviouristapproachesfocusedonsimplestimuli-responsereactions,tomorerecentconceptualisations,whichplacelearninginasocialanddevelopmentalcontext.Atheoryoflearningthatprevailstoday,social
constructivism,holdsthatallmeaningandknowledgeiscreatedthoughsocialinteraction.Centraltothistheoryistheideathatnewknowledgeandunderstandingarecreatedbasedonwhatpeoplealreadyknowandbelieve,andthatlearningisaprocessofidentifying,challengingandchangingthesebeliefs.
AnextensiveliteraturereviewbytheNationalAcademyofSciences4identifiedthreekeylearningstylesthataresupportedbyastrongknowledgebase:
1) Learningthroughreflection:Studiesintocognitivesciencehavedemonstratedthatindividualswhohavetheopportunitytoreflectoninformation,toevaluatetheirownlearningprocessandtoidentifyforthemselvesnewdirectionsforstudy,aremoreeffective.Learningthroughreflectionisbynecessityasoloactivity.
2)Learningby‘doing’:OriginatingwithseminalworksbyPiagetinthe1950sthereisnowmuchevidencethatactivelyengaginginandworkingthroughpracticaltaskscanassistlearning.Thismightincludecomputer-basedsimulationsorphysicalsimulationofreal-lifeenvironments.Learningofthistypecanincludebothgroupandsoloactivities.
3) Learningthroughconversation:Centraltothetheoryofsocialconstructivism,learningfromactivediscussionwithteachersandotherstudents,isanincrediblyeffectivewayofimprovinglearningoutcomes.Learningthroughconversationisbynecessityagroupactivity.
Unfortunatelytherearefewempiricalstudiesthatlinkthisbodyofresearchtotheenvironmentinwhichlearningtakesplace.However,muchoftheresearchdoeshavebroadimplicationsforthedesignoflearningenvironmentstosupportthesethreemainlearningstylesandthisisdiscussedfurtherinsection4.
1Barr,RandTagg,J(1995)AnewparadigmforUndergraduateEducationFromTeachingtoLearning,Change,November,p13-252Wilson,Jenny,2004,Understandinglearningstyles:implicationsfordesigneducationintheuniversity,UniversityofTechnology,Sydney,January,p3943ScottishExecutive,2003,Lifethroughlearning:Learningthroughlife,ThelifelonglearningstrategyforScotland,ScottishExecutive,February.4Bransford,JohnD,Brown,AnnL,Cocking,RodneyR,2000,HowPeopleLearn:brain,mind,experienceandschool,NationalResearchCouncil,NationalAcademyPress,WashingtonDC.
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5ScottishFundingCouncils,2005JointSFEFC/SHEFCE-LearningGroup:FinalReport,SHEFC.6JISC,2005Howinnovativetechnologiesareinfluencingthedesignofhysicallearningspacesinthepost16sector7ScottishFundingCouncils,2005JointSFEFC/SHEFCE-LearningGroup:FinalReport,SHEFC.8Anderson,Paul,Blackwood,Adam,2004,MobileandPDAtechnologiesandtheirfutureuseineducation,JISCTechnologyandStandardsWatch:04-03,November.
ThefutureoftechnologyThetrendtowardsstudent-centredlearninghasandisbeingenabledbyubiquitouscomputingonandoffcampus,informalandinformallearningsettings.E-learning,m-learningandincreasinguseofsophisticatedaudio-visualtoolscancomplementtraditionalteachingmodestocreatesuccessful‘blendedlearning’.
Definedas‘networkedaccesstodigitallearningmaterialsandcommunicationsystemstodeliverandsupportlearning’5,thepotentialfore-learningtorevolutionisethedeliveryofeducationhasbeenmuchvaunted.Asthecostofhardwarecontinuestofall,connectivitybecomesfasterandsimpler,andmoresophisticatedsimulationtechnologiesaredeveloped,thereislittledoubtthatthisprovestobethecase.
Whiletherearemanyexcellentexamplesofe-learninginitiatives,theimpactofdigitaltechnologyonpedagogywithintraditionalteachingspaceswillinthelongrunbemoresignificantformanypeopleineducation.
ArecentstudybyJISC6intotheimpactoftechnologyonphysicalspacesuggeststhatschools,collegesanduniversitieswillretainaphysicalpresence,althoughthespacewillbeusedinamoreflexibleway.Equally,lecturers,teachersandtutorswillremainattheheartofthelearningprocessbuttheirroleswillevolve.TheJISCstudyalsosupportsfindingsfromareportintothefutureofe-learninginScotlandbySFC7,whichpointtotheimportanceofpedagogicalratherthantechnologicaldriversinthedevelopmentofeffectivee-learningapproaches.
Asmaller,butrapidlygrowing,trendistheapplicationoftechnologiesbasedonmobiletechnology,‘m-learning’.AreportbyJISC8
intothefutureofmobiletechnologiessuggeststhattheywillplayanimportantroleinthefutureofeducation,asmoststudentsalreadyownalaptop,handheldorsophisticatedmobilephone.Moreover,theysupporttheaimsofthelifelonglearninginitiativebygivingaccesstonewaudiencesandtheyallowinformationandlearningtobetailoredtoindividualpreferences,agrowingtrendbasedonconstructivistpedagogy.
LearningandteachingtrendssurveyAshortquestionnairewasdevisedforthisprojecttoexploretheextenttowhichthemaintrendsidentifiedduringourresearchwereperceivedtobetakingplacewithinScottisheducation.37keytrendswereselectedrelatingtochangesinthe:
• demographicdiversityofstudentintake
• institutionalapproachtoteachingandlearning
• ITprovision,useofmultimediaandcampusconnectivity
• provisionoftraditionalandinnovativeteachingandstudyspaces.
Thesurveywassentto121individualsfromeachofthe64Scottishinstitutions.Aresponserateof51%wasachieved.Keyfindingsaresummarisedbelow,withafulldiscussionofresultsinAppendix4.
Mosttrendsidentifiedinthesurveywereperceivedtobeontheincrease.Theexceptionsweretheuseoflecturestyleteachingmethodsandthenumberoftaughtcontacthoursperstudent.DetailedanalysisofthedatabyinstitutiontyperevealedthattheperceiveddeclineintheuseoflecturestyleteachingmethodswasspecifictoHEinstitutions.
ThetopfivetrendsidentifiedallinvolvedtheapplicationofIT.Insomecasestheyhadadirectrelationshiptophysicalspace,suchastechnologyenhancedsocialspacesanduseofwirelessnetworkingacrosstheinstitution.WhilethisgeneralviewwassharedbetweenFEandHEinstitutions,thereweresubtlevariations.WhereHEinstitutionsfocusedontheuseofinteractivetechnologyintheclassroom,FEcollegesfocusedontheuseofmultimediatechnology.
Acomparisonofthetopfivetrendsidentifiedbyrespondentsfromdifferentprofessionalgroupsidentifiedsignificantlydifferenttrends.ITprofessionalssawIT-relatedtrendsasthegreatestgrowtharea,whileestatesmanagementprofessionalswerefarmoreinclinedtopredictchangesinthenatureofthephysicalspacesbeingprovided.Seniormanagersappearedtotakeamoreholisticview,incorporatingsomeaspectsofIT,physicalspace,sustainabilityandcitizenship.
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Wearenowinwhathasbeendescribedasthefourthphaseintheevolutionofbuildingsfortertiaryeducation.Theearliestwastheinceptionofuniversities,communitiesofscholarsintegratedintotheurbanfabricincentressuchasOxford,Cambridge,StAndrews,Glasgow,AberdeenandEdinburgh.Redbrickuniversitiesofthenineteenthcenturywerethesecondphase.Thethirdwasthepost-warcreationofcampusenvironments.Nowistheeraofexpandedaccesstoeducation,lifelonglearningandpedagogicalchangesfromateaching-basedculturetoastudent-centredlearningenvironmentforstudent‘consumers’whotakeafarmorepro-activeroleinshapingtheireducationthanearliergenerations9.Itisalsotheerawhenrealandvirtuallearningspacescoexist.10
Newenvironmentsforlearningarebeingdesignedorreshapedinresponsetochangingpedagogicalstyles,toincorporatenewinformationtechnology,andtoallowforchangingnumbersandabilitiesoflearners.Formalteachingspacesforlargegroupswitha‘sageonastage’arebecominglesscommonthansmaller,lessformalsettingswherestudentslearnfromoneanotheraswellasfromtheirappointedteachers.
Newbuildingsarenotessentialforthecreationofnewlearningenvironments.Radicallearningapproachescanalsobecarriedoutinintelligentlyrefurbishedacademicorotherurbanbuildings.
Manynewmodelsofspacesforlearninghaveemergedoverthelastfewyears.Importantexamplesaredescribedandillustratedbelow,drawnfromthefourScottishcasestudiesexaminedforthisproject(appendix6),examplesfromelsewhereintheUK,andinnovationsinothercountries.11Sometakeafreshandradicalapproachtoeducationalbuildingdesign.However,mostarevariantsonknownspacetypesenhancedbytheintroductionofnewtechnologyandflexiblefurniturefordifferentlearningmodes.
Wehaveclassifiedlearningspacesintosevenspatialtypes:groupteaching/learning;simulatedenvironments;immersiveenvironments;peer-to-peerandsociallearning;clusters;individuallearning;andexternalspaces.Importantconceptsforeachtypearedescribedbelow,andimplicationsfortheirsizeandform,technologyandfurniturearedrawnout.
4 Newenvironmentsforlearning
4.1Groupteaching/learningspacesLectureroomsandclassroomsformalargecomponentoftheestateinfurtherandhighereducationinstitutions,andwillcontinuetodominateinthefuture.Howeverthetraditionalformatofthesespacesisbeingtransformedtoincorporatemultiplelearningmodes.Theroleofacademicteachersisgraduallymovingfromthatof‘sageonthestage’to‘guidebytheside’,whilethestudentiscombiningtheroleofquietlyreflectiveabsorberofideaswiththatofactiveparticipant.
Sizeandform
– Movinglearnersawayfromaformatthatfocusesallseatsonasingleteacher,toone,whichallowslearnerstositclosertotheteacherand/ortoviewandlearnfromeachother.Long,rectangularspaceswithateacherfocusatoneendareout.Squarershapesarein.
– Casestudyroomsinbusinessschools,typicallydesignedwithtiered,u-shapedseatingsothatstudentscanseeoneanotheraswellasthelecturer,provideabalanceofpeer-to-peerlearningwithinterventionsfromthecoursefacilitator.HenleyCollegeofManagementisagoodexampleofthistypeoflearningenvironment.12
– StrathclydeUniversity(seecasestudyinappendix6)hasarrangedfurnitureinasmalltieredlectureroomsothatstudentscanswivelforwardtoseethelecturerandprojectionscreen,orbacktoworkonaPC.Thisallowsthemtoalternatebetweenlearningfromthe‘sage’andactivesoloorgrouplearningaidedbyacomputeranddigitallearningmaterial.
– AtVirginiaTech,theMathEmporiumhasbeenoperatingsince1997asasinglevastspacewithinaformerdepartmentstore,open24/7,with500computersinpodsofsix.Itwasdesignedtosolveaseriousresourceshortfall,aresultofanincreaseinstudentsenrollingwithoutcommensurateadditionalstaff.Manyparallellearningactivitiestakeplacethereincluding’lectureless’onlinelearning,withstaffonhand15hoursdaily.Spacesforoneononetuition,tutoriallabs,regularlecturesandrefreshments,surroundthemainemporium.
– NorthCarolinaUniversity’sSCALE-UPprojecthasconverteda100personlectureroomforphysicsstudentsintoaclassroomwheretheysitinthreegroupsofthreearoundlargeroundtables,whichhaveatleastthreenetworkedlaptops.Thesettingis
9Pearce,M(ed)2001,UniversityBuilders,London,Wiley-Academy.10Brown,BandLippincott,J(2003),‘Learningspaces:morethanmeetstheeye’,EducauseQuarterlyNo.1,pp14-16.11Fisher,KRubidaResearch(March2005)TEFMAseminar’Mappingpegagogyandspace:theemerginghybridcampus’12ibid
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likeabanquethallwithlivelyinteractionbetweenstudentsandtheirrovinginstructors.SCALE-UP(Student-CentredActivitiesforLargeEnrolmentUndergraduatePrograms),aimstoestablishahighlycollaborative,hands-on,computer-rich,interactivelearningenvironmentespeciallysuitedtophysicsandengineeringsubjects.13ItispartofthePER(Physicseducationresearch)initiativethatdesignsinstructionalenvironmentsandcurricularmaterialsbasedonknowledgeofhowlearnerscanbetterunderstandphysics.
– MIThasdevelopedtheTEALprogram(TechnologyEnabledActiveLearning)toaidphysicsteaching.LiketheNorthCarolinaexample,itusescollaborativelearninginteamsofthree,groupedaroundlargetablesofninepeopleinaroomfor120learners.Eachteamhasanetworkedlaptopconnectedtosurroundingprojectionscreens.Desktopexperimentsandvisualisationsdevelopedbytheteamcanbeshowntothewholeclass14.Thirteencamerasrecordtheactivityateachtable.Theinstigator,ProfessorJohnBelcher,believesthatthisisasuperiorwaytoteachphysicsandshouldbeadoptedmorewidely,evenincheaper,scaled-downformatswithlessintensivetechnology.Themainbarrieristheinertiaofsomeacademicstaffinadaptingtonewteachingmodes.
Technology
Thesespacesoftenincorporate:
– Technologyformoreactivelearningmodes,suchaspersonalresponsesystems(PRS)thatallowlearnerstovoteonquestionsposedbypresentersandeveryonetoseetheresults.
– Installationofoneormorecomputerprojectors,largeprojectionscreensorinteractivewhiteboardsonmorethanonewallsurface.
– Infrastructureforwirelessbroadbandormobiletelephonytoallowindividualaccesstotheinternetviapersonalcomputersorhandhelddevices.
– Installationofcamerastofilmtheproceedingssotheycanlaterbeviewedbylearnersattheirowntimeandpace.
– Installationofequipmentforreal-timetransmissionofinformationfromelsewhere.
Furniture
– Thesize,mobility,stackabilityandadjustabilityoffurnitureareimportanttothesuccessofthesespaces.
– Forefficientspace-use,lectureroomseatsandwritingsurfacesweretraditionallyfixedinrowsandboltedtothefloor.Thisdiscouragesusingthespaceforalternatelearningmodes.
– Learner-centredlayoutsfrequentlyseatstudentstogetheratsmallgrouptables,suchasstarclusters,banquetstylecirculartablesorotherforms.Thefurnitureencouragessmallgroupconversationstoaidlearning.
– AttheUniversityofStrathclyde,banana-shapeddeskswereintroducedinsomeroomstoencourageteamsofthreeorfourengineeringstudentstoworktogetherbetweenwholegrouplearning(seecasestudy).Inotherrooms,straightsmalldesksservethesamepurpose.
4.2 SimulatedenvironmentsActivemodes,learningbydoing,takeplaceinsimulatedenvironmentswherelearnerscanbetaughtsafelyandpreparedfor‘realworld’environments.Disciplinessuchasnursingandhealth,whichwereformerlylearntonthejobthroughanapprenticeshipsystem,areincreasinglybeingtaughtfirstinanacademicenvironment.Thishascreatedademandformoresimulatedenvironmentsincollegesanduniversities.Examplesinclude:
– skillslaboratoriesfornursingandmedicalhealthsciencesthatemulatehospitalandhomecareenvironments.Somemakeuseofpatientrobotsprogrammedtosignaltheirailmentsandtocomplainiftheyarepoorlyhandledbylearners.RecentclinicalskillsclassroomsincludetheHealthandWellbeingCentreatSheffieldHallamandtheUniversityofNewMexico15.
– classroomsfortrainingstudentschoolteachers;
– officeenvironmentsforteachingreceptionistandsecretarialskills;
– hairdressingandbeautysalons;
– cateringkitchensandrestaurantforteachingskillstopeoplewantingtoworkinthehospitalityandcateringindustries;
– workshopsforteachingmechanicalskills(egcarrepairs).
13www.ncsu.edu/per/scaleup.html;www.physics.ncsu.edu:8380/physics_ed/Room_Design_files/frame.htm14Informationcanbefoundonhttp://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/teal_tour.htm.TheauthorsaremostgratefultoProfessorJohnBelcherfortheenthusiasticemailcommunicationonMIT’sTEALprogram.15FisherK,(opcit)
8
Significantissuesinnewsimulatedlearningenvironmentsare:
Sizeandform
– Selectionofsizesandproportionssothatsimulatedroomsthatareusedinfrequentlycanberedeployedforotherpurposes.Forexample,aschoolhallthatisnormallyusedtodemonstratehowprimaryschoolchildrencanbetaughtsports,danceandmusic,candoubleasagymforthetraineeteacherstousefortheirownhealthandwellbeing,aslongasadequatelockersandshowersareincorporated.
– Someroomsneedtobeoversizedcomparedtotheirrealworldequivalentstoaccommodateaclassoflearners.Forexample,askillsroomfortrainingsocialworkersorcommunitynursesinhandlingtheelderlyathomemayhaveanoversizedbedroom,bathroom,kitchenandlivingroom.
– Observationofpeopleusingthesimulatedenvironmentthroughone-waymirrorsisoccasionallyarequirement.
Technology
– Everyoneoftheaboveexamplesrequireswirelessbroadband,fixedcomputers,and/orincreasingamountsoftechnologyforthefacilitator/demonstratortouse.Datacabling,computerprojectorsandscreen,and/orsmartboardsareneeded,forexample,inprimaryschoolclassrooms.
– Insomesimulatedenvironments,videocamerasarerequiredtorecordhowstudentsperform,sotheycanbedebriefedontheirlevelofcompetence.Camerasdemandspecialattentiontoheights,anglesofvisionandlighting.Insomeinstancestheyalsoneedaworkstationandstorageareaforamediatechniciantocontrolandmanagethefilm.
Furniture
– Mobileorstackingfurnitureisagreatadvantageinthesespacestoallowmultipleroomuse.However,muchofthistypeoffurnitureisbulkyorheavy,whichdiscouragesrearrangement.
– Simulatedprimaryclassroomsneedtobalancetherequirementofprovidingseatssizedforsmallchildrenagainstthefactthattheywillbeusedmainlybyadultlearners.
4.3 ImmersiveenvironmentsImmersiveenvironmentsarethosewherevirtualrepresentationsplayanimportantroleindrawinglearnersintocontactwithcomplexinformation.Theinformationmaycomeinrealtimefromanotherlocation,orfrompreparedsources.Theyareanalogoustotelevisionnewsrooms,IMAXcinemas,largeentertainmentvenueswithhugescreensshowingparalleleventsand‘HIVES’(highlyinteractivevirtualenvironments)usedbythepetrochemicalandminingindustries.Typicalimmersiveenvironmentsineducationarerelativelysmallspacesfortentotwentypeople,withseverallarge,possiblycurved,screensforprojectinginformationsothatoccupantsareliterallysurroundedbythedata.Insomecasestheviewercaninteractwiththeprojectedinformation.Three-dimensionalsimulationsaresometimesincluded.A‘pilot’workstationforaskilledcomputertechniciantocontrolthedatastreamsisnormallyneeded.Examplesineducationarerarebecauseofthehighcostoftheinfrastructure.TheStanfordCenterforInnovationsinLearning,SCIL,iscreatinganinternationalnetworkofsmall,immersiveenvironments,‘iSpaces’,forcollaborative,project-drivenlearningandworking.ThegoalofiSpace,collaborationbetweenStanfordUniversityandKTHStockholm,istodesignandimplementtheinfrastructurethatwillallowmultiplegroupstouseiSpacesoversustainedperiodsoftime.OtherexamplescomefromNorthAmericanmedicalcoursesandTexasTechUniversity.
4.4 Peer-to-peerandsociallearningspacesSpacesthatfacilitatepeer-to-peerlearning,andthepositiveeffectofbeinginalearninggroupthatispartofalearningcommunity,areofgrowingimportanceinmanycollegesanduniversities.Seminarroomshavetraditionallycontainedthe‘groupconversation’formoflearning.Theyarebeingovertakenbymoreinformalgatheringplacesforsociallearning,‘aphysicalrelaxationoftheacademic‘institution’…witha‘soft’zoneofinformalareaforsitting,informalteachingandflexibleseminarspaces…’16
Thesespacesoftenincorporate:
– Computercommons,cybercafésorInternetcafés,thatprovidescomputeraccesstotheInternetwithorwithoutrefreshments.ExamplesincludetheUniversityofPaisley’sInternetcafé,StrathclydeUniversity’sJavaCafé;theRealLearningCaféatGlasgowCaledonianUniversity.
– Grouproomsinlibrariesandlearningresourcecentresdesignedforcollaborativeworkingandtalking,ratherthanthetraditionallibrarysilenceforsolowork.
16Cook,Peter(2005),BlueprintNo236,November2005,p84ontheproposedLondonSchoolofEconomicspostgraduatebuildingconversion.
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– Studiolearningforartanddesigncourses,wherelearnersworkindividuallyorinteamsinanenvironmentthatencouragescommentanddiscussionabouteachperson’swork.
– Shared-accesscomputerroomsinresidentialhalls,toalleviatethedigitaldividebyprovidingcomputersinroomswherediscussionisallowed.
– TheUniversityofQueenslandcompletedtheCollaborativeLearningCentreintheSirJamesFootBuildinginMay2005.SimilarinconcepttotheSaltireCentreatGlasgowCaledonianUniversity,itisusedforscheduledclasses,informallybystudentsandasaconferenceandworkshopvenueforexternalorganisations.Itcontainsacaféandhasextendedthelearningenvironmentintotheadjacentcourtyard.Evaluationsofthenewfacilityarebeingactivelysought.17
Size,formandlocation
– ComputercommonsandInternetcafésareincreasinglybeinginstalledinspacesnearlecturetheatres,onmaincirculationroutesandgatheringnodes,andonthegroundflooroflargeeducationalbuildings.
– Insomeexamples,interminglingbetweenstudentsandfacultyisencouraged(forexampleintheLearning-TeachingCenter,UniversityofDayton,whichincludesacaféandfireplaceloungeaimedatbecomingthe‘heartandsoulofthecampuscommunity’).18
– QueenMargaretUniversityCollegeisnowconstructinganewfacilityinMusselburgh,EastLothian,wherewelcoming,creativespacesforminglingandgatheringareakeypartofthedesign.
Technology
– Theneedfortheinstitutiontoprovidelargenumbersofcomputerswilleventuallydiminishastechnologypricescontinuetodrop,allstudentshavebeenexposedtocomputingfromearlychildhoodeducation,andaccesstoinformationispervasive.
– Theneedforcomputer-equippedsociallearningspacesisofgrowingimportanceintheFEsectorwherecomputerownershiptendstobelowerthaninHE.
– Thesophisticationofhardwareandsoftwareneedstobehighersoastoexceedthatofindividuallyownedcomputers.
Furniture
– DesksandchairsincomputercommonsandInternetcafésareusuallyquitesmallandbasicasmostareusedforshortstaysonly.Somemaybeatstandingheight.
– Instudiosandworkshops,robustfurnitureandfinishesareneededtowithstandlonghoursofuse,andoccasionaldangeroussubstancesorimplements.
4.5 LearningclustersLearningclustersaregroupsoflearningspacesdesignedfordifferentlearningmodes.Learningclustershavecomeintobeingsinceresearchhighlightedthebenefitsofusingmultiplelearningmodestoreinforceunderstanding.Theyalsohelpcopewiththefactthatadifferentnumberoflearnersregisterforeachcourse.Traditionalclustersincludelargegrouplearningspacesandsmallseminar(or‘syndicate’)rooms.Newerclustersincorporateinteractiveandgrouplearningspaces,sociallearningspacesaswellasmoretraditionallecturehallsorclassrooms,albeitwithenhancedtechnology.
Thecharacteristicsoflearningclusterscaninclude:
– Withinonelargesinglespace,someinterestingareashavebeencreatedformultiplelearningmodestobeusedsimultaneously.
– Theabilitytoteachseveralgroupssimultaneouslyusingdifferentlearningmodesisaccommodatedinroomssuchasthe‘teachingpods’inWolverhamptonUniversity.Acknowledgingthatstudentsoftodaymulti-taskandareabletoconcentrateinenvironmentsthathavemultiplestimuli,theyhavecreatedaspacedesignedwithasmallareaoffixedseatingintiers,andanotherareawithgroupeddesksequippedwithPCsforsolowork.
17Cook,Peter(2005),BlueprintNo236,November2005,p84ontheproposedLondonSchoolofEconomicspostgraduatebuildingconversion.18http:www.uq.edu.au/facilities;UniversityofQueensland(14/15March2005)‘FutureLearningEnvironmentsWorkshop’.
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– Openlearningenvironmentsonavastscalehavebeencreatedrecently.SouthEastEssexCollege’svastnewbuildingintegratessocialspaceswithaseriesofflexible500m2teachingmodulesthatcanbelinkedandsubdividedwithmoveablepartitionwallsinnumerouscombinationstosupportchangingcurriculumneeds19.
– StowCollegehascreatedtheSuperFlexandEngineeringTechnologyCentrewhichhas100networkedPCsusedforICTbasedlearningactivitiesforindividualsorgroups.Groupsofuptotwentypeoplecanbetaughttogetherfromonemobilecontrol-teachingunit.
– TheUniversityofStrathclydehasexcelledinpromotinglearningclustersinseveralbuildings(seecasestudy).
– InGlasgowUniversity,theGibsonStreetchurchhasbeenrestoredtocreatealearningclustercomprisingalecturetheatreandsmallgroupsspaceswithmoveablewalls,fullyequippedwithinteractivewhiteboards.
– Similarly,theCottrellBuildingatStirlingUniversityincludesa100-seatlecturetheatre,twoforty-personroomswithdemountablewalls,andabreakoutspace,allenhancedwithexcellentnewaudio-visualfacilities.
– WestLothianCollegehasestablishedthe‘hub’,ateachingenvironmenttoencouragestudentstofeelateaseandstimulatedinreturningtoformallearning.Itisacolourful,flexiblespacewithfixedandmobileelementsthatcanbereconfiguredrapidly.
– Furtheraway,SingaporePolytechniciscreatingalargecampusbasedontheconceptofidentical‘learningpods’forgroupsoffiftystudentstoworktogetherinteams,inlargegroupswithalecturer,orsolo.20
4.6 IndividuallearningspacesEffectivelearningusuallyinvolvestimeinactive,solostudyandwritingorcreationmode.Thespacesinwhichthisoccursaretypicallyinlibraryareas,computerroomsandstudybedrooms.Somepeoplearecapableofconcentratinginmanyotherenvironments,buttheyaretheexception.Themainchangestothesetraditionalspacesaretheintroductionofmorecomputingtechnology(ormobiletelephonyservingthesamepurpose),andattentiontobetterergonomicandenvironmentalconditions.
– AtPerthCollegewirelesslaptopsareavailableforuseinthelibraryandthecoreteachingspace,enhancingflexibilityofusewithorwithouttechnology.
– InsomeinstancessuchasCoxHall,EmoryUniversity,largefloorcushionsandmonitorsatfloorsittinglevelhavebeenprovidedindeferencetothepreferredpositionadoptedbysomestudents.21
– Goodlightingandadjustablechairsarethemostimportantelementstogetherwithquietacousticsandindoorairquality.Poweranddataareessentialformostspaces,althoughmuchofthetimebooksandpapermayalsobeused.
– Multimediaequipmentforvideoandmusicviewingoroutputisingrowingdemand.Highqualityprintersaresometimesrequired.Instudioandworkshopenvironments,manydifferentformsofoutputmaybeused.
4.7 ExternalspacesExternalspaces,especiallyspacebetweenbuildings,canplayanimportantroleinaidinglearning.Freshairhelpsinkeepingpeoplealertandthereforemoreabletolearn,thoughtheamountoftimethatpeoplecanuseexternalspacesforlearningisnaturallylimitedbyclimaticandweatherconditions.Wirelessbroadbandsuppliesinformationtothesespacesinamannerthatwasformerlyimpossible.IntheUK,littleteachingandlearningtakesplaceatallduringthemorebenignsummermonths.Externalspacesincollegesanduniversitiesaremostlyusedinformallybyindividualsforreflectivelearningandbysmallgroups.Examplesfrommilderclimates,suchasexternalamphitheatresforlecturesandperformances,areunlikelytobeappropriate.However,somespacesforoccasionalgrouplearningcanbeformedthroughsensitivemicro-climaticdesignofshelteredcourtyardsandgardens.MITinCambridge,Massachusettshasmanagedtoincorporateanexternalamphitheatreandahighlevelopenplaza,aspartofthe2004StataCenter,designedbyFrankGehry,forcomputerscience,artificialintelligenceandphilosophyteaching.
19LearningandSkillsCouncil,(March2005),WorldClassBuildings:Designqualityinfurtherediucation,LSCandRIBAClientForum.20Fisher,K(opcit)21HermanMillerInc.(2004)Aviewofthechangingcampus:Howlearningenvironmentscansupportchangesinhighereducationp2.
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Group teaching / learning spaces
JamesWeirBuilding,UniversityofStrathclyde(photo:AMA)
Technologyenabledactivelearning(TEAL)classroomforengineering,MIT,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(Image:MarkBessetteoftheCenterforEducationalComputingInitiatives)
PeterF.DruckerGraduateManagementCenter,ClaremontUniversity(photo:courtesyofCOArchitectsformerlyAnshen+AllenLosAngeles)
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Immersive environments
Simulated environments
Healthskillslab,UniversityofWolverhampton(photo:AMA)
Sportsskillslab,Fossbuilding,YorkStJohnCollege(photo:AMA)
Healthskillslab,UniversityofWolverhampton(photo:AMA)
Immersiveenvironment(photo:courtesyofAmericonUSA)
Customisedlearningspace,StanfordUniversity(photo:courtesyofStanfordCenterforInnovationsinLearning)
Customisedlearningspace,StanfordUniversity(photo:courtesyofStanfordCenterforInnovationsinLearning)
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Peer-to-peer social learning spaces
Learning clusters
Cafeteriacomputerdropin,SheffieldHallamUniversity(photo:AMA)
Computercluster,Fossbuilding,YorkStJohnCollege(photo:AMA)
Wificafeteria,UniversityofWolverhampton(photo:AMA)
Diningdecks,SouthEastEssexCollege(photo:courtesyofSouthEastEssexCollege)
Computerstations,AngliaPolytechnicUniversity(photo:AMA)
MathEmporium,VirginiaTechUniversity(photo:RickGriffiths,VirginiaTechUniversity)
‘Learningpod’,classroomofthefuture,UniversityofWolverhampton(photoAMA)
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External learning spaces
Individual learning spaces
Studybedroomsneedconnectivitymorethanspecialfurnitureorfixtures(photo:RowanHuppertforAMA)
Outdoorlectureamphitheatre,AlbertsonCollege,Idaho(photo:courtesyofAlbertsonCollege)
Outdoorlearningenvironment(photo:RowanHuppertforAMA)
Individuallearningspace(photo:RowanHuppertforAMA)
Outdoorlearningenvironment(photo:RowanHuppertforAMA)
Outdoorlectureamphitheatre,AlbertsonCollege,Idaho(photo:courtesyofAlbertsonCollege
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5.1 ComplexrelationshipsTheimpactofdifferentlearningspacesisnoteasytoexploreindependentlyofthelearningtechniques,teacherstyle,informationsystemsemployedandmanyotherfactors.ArecentreportsponsoredbytheScottishCouncilforResearchinEducation,(SCRE)intotheeffectofclassorclassroomsizeonlearningoutcomes,acknowledgesthedifficultyofreachingdefiniteconclusionsontheeffectofclasssizealone.Evenifarelationshipwerefound,theremaybemoreresource-effectivewaysofproducingthesameeducationaloutcome.22
Tosomeeducationalresearchers,builtspaceisnotevenacknowledgedasapossiblecontributingfactortostudentlearningoutcomes.TheETLproject(EnhancingTeaching-LearningEnvironmentsinUndergraduateCourses)modelspotentialinfluencesonstudentlearningbutexcludesthephysicalenvironment.23
Fromourliteraturereviewwehaveunearthedasmallnumberofinterestingstudiesonlearningspaces,mostlyfromtheUSA,coveringtheteachingofscientificsubjects,especiallymaths,physicsandengineering,thataredescribedbelow.Wenotehoweverthatmanydevelopmentsinimprovedlearningoccurdailythroughthoughtfulexperimentationanddevelopmentbyteachers,andareneverformallyevaluated.
5.2 OutcomemeasuresFormalresearchgivesfeedbackonmeasuressuchasclassattendancerates,dropoutratesfromcourses,subjectunderstandingandthelong-termretentionofspecificinformation.Studentsatisfactionisalsomonitored.Somestudiesarewelldesigned,exploringoutcomesforanexperimentalandacontrolgroup.Forexample,theiCampusprojectatMIT,sponsoredbytheUniversityandMicrosoftresearch,foundthatfirstyearphysicsstudentstaughtwithmedia-richvisualisationsoftwareinaclassroomredesignedtofacilitategroupinteraction,improvedtheirconceptualunderstandingofthesubjectmatter.24
5 Theeffectivenessoflearningspaces
Evaluationoftheoutcomesformorethan800studentsinexperimentalandcontrolgroupsshowthatMITstudentsintheTEALgroupdescribedearlier,improvedtheirconceptualunderstandingofthesubjectmattercomparedtothecontrolgroup.Themajorityofstudentsappreciatethebenefitsofinteractivity,visualizationandhand-onexperimentsandwouldrecommendthecoursetoothers.25
Dataon16,000traditionalandSCALE-UPstudentsatNorthCarolinaUniversity,showthatthelatterhaveanimprovedabilitytosolveproblems,increasedconceptualunderstanding,betterattitudesandreducedfailurerates,especiallyforwomenandminorities.26
EvaluationofVirginiaTech’sMathEmporiumshowedimprovedscoresonstandardtests,andreducedfailureratescomparedtoearliergroups.43%ofstudentsstronglyagreedthattheyhadmoreinteractionwithotherstudentsandinstructorsthaninotherclasses.27
AnOhioStateUniversitystudyenrolled3250studentsoveroneacademicyear.Traditionalmodesofcourseinstructionincludedthreelargeweeklylecturesplustwice-weeklylaboratorysessions.Partwaythroughthecourse,studentswereseparatedintothreegroupswhichusedteachingspacesappropriatetotheirpreferredlearningstyle,asassessedfromaquestionnaire.Onegroupwastaughtvialargelectures;anotherusedsmallgroupdiscussions,andthethirdindependentonlinelearning.Therewerenosignificantdifferencesinlearningoutcomesbymodeofdelivery.However,theendofyearresultsshowedhighergrades,lowercourseattritionandincreasedcoursesatisfaction,comparedtoearlieryeargroups.28
Theliteraturereviewfoundnoexamplesofoutcomemeasuresonwhethercitizenshipvalueshavebeenalteredthroughdifferentlearningmodesorindifferentlearningenvironments.
22Wilson,V,2002,Doessmallreallymakeadifference?Areviewoftheliteratureontheeffectsofclasssizeonteachingpracticeandpupil’sbehaviourandattainmentSCREResearchreportNo.10723Entwistle,N,(Aug2003),Universityteaching-learningenvironmentsandtheirinfluencesonstudentlearning:AnintroductiontotheETLproject,24SyllabusMediaGroup,2003,DesigningtheSpace:AconversationwithWilliamJ.Mitchell,CampusTechnology:FromSyllabusMediaGroup,June2005,http://www.campus-technology.com/article
25Dori,YandBelcher,J(2004),Howdoestechnologyenabledactivelearningaffectundergraduatestudents’understandingofelectromagneticconcepts?TheJournaloftheLearningSciences,Vol14(2)26www.ncsu.edu/per/scaleup.html;27www.math.vt.edu;www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/nli0012.pdf28AckerR,Miller,M,2005,CampusLearningSpaces:investinginhowStudentsLearn,EducauseCentreforAppliedResearch,ECARResearchBulletin,Vol2005,Issue8,April12.
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EducationalfacilitiesgenerallyInthefurthereducationsector,itisheldthat‘excellentdesignhasthecapacitytoenrichthelearningexperience,toraisetheaspirationsofteachersandlearnersandhelpeducationandtrainingtoflourish’,and‘makeslearningstimulating’.29Justificationforthisviewisrarelyfoundinformalresearchstudies.However,thevaluetotheinstitutionofwell-designedbuildingshasbeenrecentlyexploredbyCABEandHEFCE.Theirstudyconcludedthatstaffappreciatedwell-designedfacilitiesmorethanstudents.30Arelatedstudyindicatesthatthequalityofthefacilitieshasaconsiderableinfluenceonastudent’schoiceofuniversity31.
RecentsurveysofstudentopinionaspartoftheTeachingQualityInformationsurveyshowthatstudentsgenerallyevaluatecollegeanduniversityfacilitiesfavourably.Scotland’sOnTracksurveyofmorethan7,000HEandFEgraduates32askedseveralquestionsaboutthelearningexperience.66%ofrespondentssaidtheyhaveadequateaccesstocomputerfacilities.60%thoughtthecontacthourswithteachingstaffweregood,and70%thoughtthesizeofthegroupinwhichtheyweretaughtwasgood.Thequalityofequipmentinlaboratoriesandworkshopswasratedpositivelybyonly41%.Thebalanceoftimebetweenformalattendanceandprivatestudywasfelttobepositiveby52%ofpeople.Infutureyears,itwouldbeusefultoincludespecificquestionsontheadequacyofdifferentlearningspacesinthesurvey.Nevertheless,theavailabledatahighlightsareaswhereimprovementsinfacilitiesandlearningcanbemade.
5.3 Designandspecification:scale;air/heat/light;lookandfeel
Literatureevaluatinglearningenvironmentsshowsoverwhelminglythatmanyeducationalbuildingsfailasspacesforlearningduetopoorairqualityandtoinadequateenvironmentalfeaturessuchaslightandacoustics.ThishasbeenshowninPROBEstudiesintheUK33,byChrisWatsoninmanyevaluationsmadeinAustralia,NewZealandandtheUK34,andinanexcellentUSreviewofwhetherschoolfacilitiesaffectacademicoutcomes.35
AtMIT,BillMitchelloftheMediaLab,a‘cyberguru’hasconcludedthatyouneedto‘buildspacearoundthepeopleratherthantechnology’.DespitethehugeinvestmentbyMITintotheiCampusproject,hefoundthat‘fundamentalhumanneedslikecomfort,naturallight,operablewindows,goodsocialambience,nicesortofqualityandviewsoutthewindowarestillextremelyimportantincreatinggoodeducationalfacilities.36
5.4 SustainabilityTeachingspacesshouldalsobebuiltforlong-termsustainability.Sustainabilityincollegesandhighereducationisincreasinglyexpectedtoprovidenotonlyfacilitiesthatarecomfortableandcost-effectivetooperateandmaintain,butthatalsoaffectthelearner’sunderstandingofsustainabilityaspartoftheirwidercitizenshiplearning.Bydemonstratingsustainableoperationsandspaces,themessageofhowcarefulusecanbemadeofresourcescanbetransmittedindirectly,asanimportantgoaltobeincorporatedthroughouttheirlives37.
SustainablepracticehasbeentotheforefrontinmanyrecenteducationalbuildingsinScotlandincludingJohnWheatleyCollege,LauderCollegeAspireCentre,andEdinburgh’sTelfordCollege.
5.5 Density,spaceutilisationandspacemanagement
DensityDataondensityataninstitutionallevelindicatethatuniversitiesarebecomingmorespaceefficient,atatimewhennewstudent-focussedlearningmodesarebeingintroduced.EMSdataforhighereducationinstitutionsshowaconsistentlydownwardtrendinthenetinternalareaperstudentFTE.38Inindividualbuildings,however,itislikelythatnewlearningstylesmayrequiremorespaceperstudentFTE,allotherthingsbeingequal.Wehavefoundlittlediscussionofthistopicintheliterature.
Intypicalteachingrooms(suchaslecturetheatres,classrooms,andseminarrooms),newlearningstylessometimeshavetheeffectofincreasingthespaceperseat,toallowfordifferent,flexiblearrangementsoffurnitureatdifferenttimes,orfordifferentlearningmodesinoneteachingsession.TheStrathclydeUniversitycasestudydemonstratesthat,comparedwithtypicalspaceinarakedlecturetheatreofabout0.8m2to1.0m2perseat,upto3m2perseatisneededwhenPCpositionsandswivelchairsarealsoincluded.InmanyFEclassrooms,afigureof5m2perseatisoftenrequired,dependingonthelearningformatanddiscipline.Thisvarietysuggeststhatspace
29LSC,op.cit.pp5,6.30CABE,2005,DesignWithDistinction:Thevalueofgoodbuildingdesigninhighereducation,theCommissionforArchitectureandtheBuiltEnvironment,ODPM,London,March.31Price,F,Matzdorf,Fetal(2003),Theimpactoffacilitiesonstudentchoiceofuniversity,facilities,Vol21,No10,pp212–222.32Seewww.mori.com/ontrackforresultsofstudentsatisfaction.33www.cibse.org/pdfs/8dbordass.pdf;www.usablebuildings.co.uk:ProbeStudies,post-occupancyevaluation,Mar.–Apr.2001,BuildingResearch&Information,Vol.29,No.2.34www.postoccupancyevaluation.com35Schneider,Mark,2002,Doschoolfacilitiesaffectacademicoutcomes?,NationalClearinghouseforEducationalFacilities,November.36SyllabusMediaGroup(opcit)37Bartlett,P,andChaseG,2005,SustainabilityonCampus:Storiesandstrategiesforchange,CambridgeMass.,MITPress.38EstateManagementStatistics,ThefifthEMSAnnualReport,2003-04.
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normsshouldbesufficientlyflexibletoallowinstitutionsthefreedomtoplanlearningspacestomatchtheirspecificpedagogicalvision.
Whilegrouplearningspacestypicallyrequiremorespaceperseat,sociallearningspacescanbeprovidedefficientlywithin‘balance’areasconvertingpartoftheseareasintomoreuseablespace.Thishappens,forexample,whengroupsofcomputersarelocatedadjacenttomaincirculationroutesorinmillingspaceoutsideclassroomsandlecturetheatres.TheSaltireCentreatGlasgowCaledonianUniversitytakesthisprinciplestillfurther,asdoestheproposednewfacilityforJamesWheatleyCollege.However,thedetaileddesignofsuchspacesneedstoprovidecirculationareasgenerousenoughtoallowegressinthecaseoffire,andtoavoidunpleasantovercrowding.
Furtherinvestigationoftherelationshipbetweendensity,spaceefficiencyandlearningmodeisneeded.
UtilisationUtilisationineducationalfacilitiesistypicallymeasuredasthenumberofhoursa‘classroom’isusedcomparedtotheavailablehours,multipliedbythenumberofoccupiedseatscomparedtocapacity.Atargetof30–40%isusuallyadopted,acrossa40hourweek.Veryfewinstitutionsattainthatlevel,evenwithincreasingnumbersofstudentsanddiminishingspaceperstudentoverall.
Wherearethestudents?Theexplanationmaybefoundpartlyinthegradualintroductionofmorelearner-centrededucationalmodes.Aslongasmany,ifnotmost,lectureroomsandclassroomsarestillusedinmoreteacher-centredmodes,studentsarealsolearningintheirownstyle,intheirowntime,elsewhere.Teacherswhoaresensitivetomorelearner-orienteddiscoverymodes,maysometimeschoosetoleavetheirallocatedroomemptyandtakethelearnergroupelsewhere.Part-timework,familyresponsibilitiesandhighdropoutratesamongstudentsalsoreduceroomutilisation.
Lookingahead,itislikelythatrelativelyfewerseatswillbeprovidedinlectureroomsandclassrooms.However,theareaperseatwillincreasesignificantly,aswillthecostespeciallyfortechnology.Overall,lectureroomsandclassroomswillrequirerelativelymorespaceperstudentthantheydonow,whileatthesametime,spaceformoreinformal,unscheduledlearningspaceswillincrease.Tomaintainspaceefficiencyacrosscollegeanduniversityestates,officespaceforacademicandadministrativestaffwillbecomemoreefficient.39
SpacemanagementClassroomsdesignedfornewlearningmodessometimeshaveadaptablefurniturethatcanbeusedindifferentformats.Teachersneedtospecifytherequiredlayoutwhentheroomisbooked,andtimeneedstobetimetableforfacilitiesstafftoalterthearrangement.Thismayhavetheeffectofslightlyreducingtheutilisationofsuchrooms.Asanalternative,furniturethatcanberelocatedrapidlyandsafelybyusersavoidsthisproblem.
Mostnewlearningmodesalsorelyonahigherlevelofinvestmentincomputinginfrastructureandaudio-visualequipmentthanintraditionalteachingmodes.Ideally,suchinfrastructureneedstobesimpletouse,withstandard,robustcontrolfeatures,toavoidrelianceonIToraudio-visualstaff.
Tohelpnewlearningspacesworkwell,inputfromallpartiesinvolvedintheiroperationshouldbewelcomedindesigningandspecifyingnewbuildingsoralterationstoexistingspaces.Thisincludesacademicandtechnicalstaff,learners,ITandaudio-visualpeople,estatesandfacilitymanagers,roomtimetablersandthepeoplewhosetuptheroomsasrequired.
Littleisknownabouttherelationshipbetweennewlearningmodes,density,costinuse,spacemanagement,andstaffresources.SomeoftheUSAexamplesofnewlearningenvironmentsshowthattheywereintroducedbecauseoftheneedtouseacademicfacultytimemoreeffectively,atatimewhenstudentnumbersweregrowingandstaffnumbersdecreasing.Moreresearchisneededinthisareatounderstandthecomplexrelationships.
Learningspaceisonlyameanstoanend.Themissionoffurtherandhighereducationinstitutionsiseffectivestudentlearning,thecreationofaneducated,skilledworkforcewithstrongsocialvaluesandcitizenshipskills.Wehavefoundnoevidencethatcitizenshipisimprovedbybetterlearningenvironments.However,ifthedeliveryoftheSFCmissionprovedtorequiregreaterinvestmentinspaceandfacilitymanagementthanhasbeentraditional,togetherwithhigherlevelsofinvestmentinICTinfrastructureandtechnology,itmaybeapriceworthpaying.Ifbysodoing,academicstaffmakebetteruseoftheirtime,thenitwouldcertainlybewelljustified.
39Forafurtherdiscussionofspaceefficiency,seetheSpaceManagementGroupwebsitewww.smg.ac.ukandtheworkingpaperbyAMAAlexiMarmotAssociatesandDavisLangdon(2005),Assessmentoftheimpactofdesignonspaceefficiency.
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Inthecourseofthisresearchproject,wehaveidentifiedanumberofideasthatwouldhelptoencouragemoreexperimentationanddevelopmentofeffectivelearningspacesinScotland.Someactionsarebestundertakenbyindividualinstitutions,othersbythedesignandITsector,whileSFCcanplayakeyroleinpromotinginitiativesandsponsoringresearch.
6.1 Whatindividualcollegesanduniversitiescando– Articulatealearningandteachingplanlinkedto
thestrategicdevelopmentandestateplans.– Auditthelearningstylesthatarepossible
withintheexistingestateandtechnologicalinfrastructure,andidentifyanygaps.
– Encourageexperimentationinnewlearningmodesfromenthusiasticmembersofstaffandlearners.
– Whennewdevelopmentsorrefurbishmentsareplanned,encouragediscussionbetweenpeopleinacademicdepartments,educationaldevelopment,estatesandIT,onthemostsuitablelearningenvironmentsfortheirteachingandlearningstyles.
– Usetoolstohelpacademicstaffreflectonhowbesttheywishtoteach,andhowbesttohelpstudentslearn.Questionnaires,visioningworkshopsandvisitsareallhelpful40.
– Visitgoodexampleselsewheretolearnfrombestpractice.
– Seekoutandselectarchitecturalanddesignteamsforcapitalprojectsbasedpartlyontheirfamiliaritywithnewlearningmodes.IncorporatethisrequirementintotheOJEUprocurementprocess.
– Introducemodestchangesintotraditionallecturetheatres,classroomsandseminarroomstoimprovethelearningenvironment.
– Provideappropriatetrainingandsupportforacademicstaffinlearninghowtousenewfacilitiesdesignedfordifferentlearningmodes.
– Helpinitiatenewlearnersintheuseofdifferentenvironmentsandresourcestoaidtheireducation.
– Workactivelywiththepeopleresponsiblefortimetabling,facilitymanagement,ITandaudiovisualequipmentandroomsetup,toagreehowspaceswillbemanaged.
– Seekfeedbackfromstudentsandstaffontheirresponsetodifferentlearningenvironments.
– Conductpost-occupancysurveyseverytimeamajorcapitaldevelopmentiscompletedinordertolearnlessonsandtherebyimprovingthenextinvestment.Thebestsurveysembracemanyaspectsofthebuiltenvironmentandlearningoutcomes.
– Seekfundingfromoutsidesuppliersandotherbodiestoexperimentwithlearningspacesina‘learninglaboratory’.
6.2 Whatthedesignandsupplierindustryneedstodo
– Developergonomicfurniture,whichismobile,easilyconfigurable,efficientlystackable,robustandattractive.
– Designtablesforsmallgroupstoworkcollaboratively.– InvestinthedesignofrobustICTandaudio-
visualequipment,withstandarduserinterfaces,thatisintuitivetousebyfacultyandlearners.
– Sponsorresearchtotestandevaluatenewfurniture,equipmentandsoftwaredesignedtoimprovelearning.
– Providefundingtouniversityresearcherstodevelopandtestlearningconceptsandproductsina‘learninglaboratory’.
6.3 OpportunitiesforSFC– Urgeinstitutionstoarticulatealearning
andteachingplanlinkedtothestrategicdevelopmentandestateplans.
– Encouragetheexplorationofnewideasandinnovativepilotprojectsinthedesignofneworrefurbishedlearningspaces.Forexample,makeanannualawardforthemostinnovativelearningspacecompletedinthepastyear.
– Considercreatingawebpagepublicisingthelatestinnovationinlearningspaces,linkedtorelatedwebsites.
– Supporttheexchangeofinformationwithinternationalgroupsworkingonnewlearningenvironments.
– Fosterinterdisciplinarydebatewithacademics,learningdevelopmentunits,ITandestatesgroups.
– ConsiderincorporatingmorequestionsonthequalityoflearningspacesintotheannualOnTrackstudentsurvey.
– Encouragepost-occupancyevaluationofallrecentlycompletedprojects,andtheuseofguidancefromtheHEDQF.
– Stimulatelearningfrompost-occupancyevaluation.– Sponsorfurtherinvestigationintothe
relationshipbetweendensity,spaceefficiency,spacemanagementandlearningmodes.
– Supportthedevelopmentofbriefingnotesforlearningspaces–technicaldescriptionsoftypicalnewlearningenvironments,theirfeatures,technology,furnitureandmanagement.Makethebriefingnotesavailabletoallinstitutions,inprintand/orviatheweb.
6 Creatingimprovedlearningspaces
40SeeforexamplethePrototypeLearningSpaceDesignSurveyfromtheTLTGroup(Teaching,LearningandTechnology)www.tltgroup.org
19
APPENDIX1:Researchmethodology
Severaldifferentmodesofenquirywereusedtoexplorethistopic,asdescribedbelow.KnowledgeofthedesignofeducationalspacesgainedfromprofessionalpracticeandresearchcarriedoutforHEFCEonspace-managementinuniversitieshasalsobeenincorporated.
Literaturereview:• Anextensivereviewofliteraturesourcedthroughweb
andprintwasconductedoverafour-monthperiod.
• Keyareasoffocusincluded: – trendsinhigherandfurthereducation – howpeoplelearnbest – therelationshipbetweentechnologyandlearning – theimpactofphysicalspaceupon
learningoutcomes
• Inaddition,ananalysisofstudentprospectusesfrommanyHEandFEinstitutionsinScotlandwasconductedtoexplorehownewpedagogicalapproachesandspacesforlearningarebeingmarketedtopotentialstudents.
Interviews:• Telephoneinterviewswereconducted
withrepresentativesoffournationaleducationalorganisations:
– HMInspectorateofEducation(HMIe) – ScottishFurtherEducationUnit(SFEU) – HigherEducationAcademy(HEA) – QualityAssuranceAgency(Scottishoffice)
• Thepurposeoftheinterviewswasto: – obtainexpertopiniononchangestaking
placeintertiaryeducation,withspecificreferencetotheScottishcontext
– obtainviewsontheimpactofphysicalspaceonlearningoutcomesandanybestpracticeexamples
– identifyadditionalrelevantresearch/materials.
• Anumberofintervieweesfromadditionalinstitutionswerecontactedbutwereunavailableforinterviewduringthestudyperiod.
Casestudies• Fourcasestudieswereconductedtoprovide
adetailedperspectiveonthequalityofnewerlearningenvironmentscurrentlybeingdesignedandbuiltinScotland.
• AlistofinstitutionswithrecentlycompletedorongoingbuildingprojectsofinterestwasdrawnupincollaborationwithSFC.Fromthese,ashortlistofeightwasreached,fromwhichspacesatthefollowingfourinstitutionswerefinallyselected:
– JohnWheatleyCollege,EasterhouseandEastEnd – UniversityofStrathclyde,JamesWeirBuilding – Edinburgh’sTelfordCollege,WestGrantonRoad – GlasgowCaledonianUniversity,SaltireCentre
• Eachinstitutionwascontactedbyletter/emailandaskedifitwouldbehappytoparticipateinthestudy.Allwerekeentobeinvolvedandweresubsequentlyvisitedbymembersoftheprojectteamwhospentseveralhoursateachsiteobservingandanalysinglearningspacesandconversingwithkeymembersofstaff.
• Eachvisitwassupplementedwithdeskresearch,floorplananalysis,andcheckingoffactswiththeinstitution.
Learningandteachingtrendssurvey• Basedonfindingsfromtheliteraturereview,a
shortonlinesurveywasdevisedtoexploretheextenttowhichwidelyquotedtrendsinhigherandfurthereducationareperceivedtobeimpactingtheScottishtertiaryeducationsector.
• Thesurveyfocusedontrendsinfourkeyareas: – studentdemographics – teachingmethods – technology – teachingandlearningspaces.
• Respondentswerealsoaskedtoratetheimpactofcertainspacesonstudentlearningoutcomesandtoprovideexamplesofanyexemplarylearningspaceswithintheirowninstitution.
• Aseriesofemailsinvitingresponsestothesurveyweresenttorepresentativesfromeachofthe65Scottishinstitutions.Intotal,121individualswerecontacted,encompassingabroadrangeofrolesandresponsibilities,including:
– Principals,ViceChancellors,otherseniormanagers – EstatesManagers – Roomtimetablers – Peopleinteachingandlearningdevelopmentunits – Peopleininformationand
communicationstechnology.
• Thesurveywasmadeavailablefortenweekstoallowpeopletorespondduringorafterthesummerrecess.Severalremindersweresentout.
• Resultswereanalysedtoexploretheoverallrateofchangepredicted.PerceiveddifferencesbetweenHEandFEinstitutionsandbetweenpeopleindifferentroleswithintheinstitutionwereinvestigated.Wherepossibleresultshavebeencomparedagainstavailabledatasources.
• AfulldescriptionoftheresultsisshowninAppendix4.
20
APPENDIX2:Peopleandorganisationsconsulted
Wewouldliketothankthepeoplewecontactedaspartofthisstudyandwhokindlygaveusmuchoftheirtimeandprovidedvaluableinformationandinsights.
JimBoyle ProfessorofMechanicalEngineering,UniversityofStrathclyde
BruceHeil DeputyPrincipal,Edinburgh’sTelfordCollege
BobHunter UniversityofBirminghamPeterJamieson UniversityofQueenslandIanGraham Principal,JohnWheatleyCollegeAlexKirk DeputyPrincipal,John
WheatleyCollegeIainLowson HMInspectorateofEducationJohnMcCann DeputyChiefExecutive,Scottish
FurtherEducationUnitEleanorMagennis AssistantDirectorSpace-
managementandPlanning,UniversityofStrathclyde
NormanSharp DirectorQualityAssuranceAgency(Scotland)
ChristineSiebelt ClusterManager,JordanhillCrawfurdComplex,UniversityofStrathclyde
BrendaSmith AssistantDirectorofProgrammesDivision,HigherEducationAcademy
ChrisWatson Director,Post-occupancyEvaluation,Wellington,NewZealand
LesWatson ProViceChancellor,GlasgowCaledonianUniversity
Wewouldalsoliketothankthe60individualsfromthefollowinginstitutionswhotookthetimetocompletethesurveyoflearningandteachingtrends:
Banff&BuchanCollegeBellCollegeCardonaldCollegeCumbernauldCollegeDumfriesandGallowayCollegeGlasgowCaledonianUniversityGlasgowSchoolofArtHeriotWattUniversityJamesWattCollegeofFurther&HigherEducationJewel&EskValleyCollegeJohnWheatleyCollegeKilmarnockCollegeNapierUniversity
OatridgeCollegePerthCollegeRobertGordonUniversitySabhalMorOstaigStowCollegeUHIMillenniumInstituteUniversityofAberdeenUniversityofAbertay,DundeeUniversityofDundeeUniversityofEdinburghUniversityofGlasgowUniversityofPaisleyUniversityofStAndrewUniversityofStirlingUniversityofStrathclydeWestLothianCollege
APPENDIX3:Educationaltrends
Thissectionsummariseskeytrendsthatinfluencethecreationofeffectivelearningspaces.Itisnotintendedtobeanexhaustivereviewoftheenormousbodyofliteratureavailableoneducationalpolicy,e-learningandotherrelevanttechnologies,orthepsychologyoflearning.Relevantpolicies,theoriesanddatathatinformdesignhavebeenselected.Educationintheneweconomy
• Knowles(1984),“Themostsociallyusefulthingtolearn[ing]inthemodernworldistheprocessoflearning”.41
• Approachestowhatconstituteseffectivelearninghavechangedoverthepast50years,fromtherotememorisationoffactsandfigurestoanabilitytoproblem-solveandapplyknowledgetonewsituations.
• Whileearly20thcenturyeducationfocusedontheacquisitionofknowledgeandspecificskills,thereistodayagreaterfocusoncriticalthought,clarityofexpressionandcomplexproblem-solving.Hence,thecomplexityandrangeoflearningrequirementshavechanged.
• Thisisprimarilydrivenbychangesintheskillsrequiredforworkinthenewknowledgeeconomy,whichdemandsamorequalified,highlyskilled,creativeandflexibleworkforce.
• Asaconsequence,theeducationsectorwillcontinuetoplayanincreasinglyimportantpartinmostpeople’slives.Tomorrow’sworkerswillneedtobemorepreparedthaneverbeforetochangeemployersandrolesregularlyandtocontinuelearning,trainingandacquiringskillsthroughouttheirlifetime.
• Sinceemployabilityisakeygoalformostlearners,itfollowsthat‘oneoftheprimaryobjectivesofcollegesandhighereducationinstitutionsmustbetohelplearnersto[buildon]theirpreviousexperience,and[givethem]opportunitiestodevelopenterprisingskillsandattitudes’42.
41Wilson,Jenny,2004,Understandinglearningstyles:implicationsfordesigneducationintheuniversity,UniversityofTechnology,Sydney,p394,January.42SFCHE/SFCFELearningtoWork,EnhancingemployabilityandenterpriseinScottishfurtherandhighereducation(2005),p10.
21
• InlinewiththetargetsoftheScottishExecutive,thefundingcouncilhasavision‘tocreateanddevelopanoutstandingandsustainablesystemoftertiaryeducation,learning,trainingandresearch’focusedon:theimprovementoflearningandskillsinScotland;fairaccess,participationandprogressioninandthroughtertiaryeducation;thecreationandtransferofknowledge;acoherentsystemofwell-led,innovativeandresponsivecollegeandhighereducationinstitutions.
• Tofurthertheseaims,theformerlytwofundingcouncilsforFurtherandHigherEducationhaverecentlymerged,creatingtheunifiedScottishFundingCouncil(SFC).
WhostudiesinScotland?
• ThetotalnumberofstudentsinvolvedinhigherandfurthereducationinScotlandisontheincrease.TheparticipationratewithinScotlandisalreadyover50%46andScottishuniversitiesarepopularwithinternationalstudents.
• AsshowninFigure1thereareapproximately402,000studentsstudyinginFEcollegesinScotland(anoverallincreaseof5%from1998-99figures)andapproximately196,000studentsstudyinginHEinstitutions(anoverallincreaseof11%from1998/99figures).
• Parttimestudentsaccountfor27%ofstudentsatHEinstitutions,and82%ofstudentsinFEcolleges(figure1).
• StatisticspublishedinareportbytheScottishExecutive47showthat:
– 76%ofallstudentsinScotlandareScottish. – Themajorityofnon-Scottishstudentsare
fromotherpartsoftheUK,withapproximately2%fromotherpartsoftheworld.
– SlightlymorethanhalfofstudentsinScotlandarefemale.
– 94%ofScottishstudentsareCaucasian.
• AsillustratedinFigure2,maturestudentsover25yearsofagewithinFEcollegesmakeup56%ofthestudentbody.
• Unfortunately,therearenodirectlycomparabledataforHEinstitutions.However,figuresshowthat60%ofthestudentbodyareagedover21.
PolicyandeducationalcontextofScottishFurtherandHighereducation
• Thereare43furthereducationcollegesand21highereducationinstitutionsinScotland.
• FundingwithinthetertiaryeducationsectorisdistributedviatheScottishFundingCouncil(SFC)–non-departmentalpublicbodyresponsibleforthedistributionofmorethan£1.5billioneachyear.
• TheScottishExecutiveholdsresponsibilityforeducationalpolicy.TheExecutivehassetoutanagendaforthemodernisationofthetertiaryeducationsectorinScotland.ItemphasisestheroleofeducationandtraininginthegrowthoftheScottisheconomyanditsroleintheprovisionoflifelonglearning,socialinclusionandcitizenshipandthecreationofanenterprisingworkforce.
• Thelife-longlearningstrategydevelopedbytheScottishExecutivehighlightsthegrowingimportanceofskilldevelopmentincreatingacompetitiveeconomyasScotland’sworkingpopulationages.Thestrategyisaimedatachieving‘thebestpossiblematchbetweenthelearningopportunitiesopentopeopleandtheskills,knowledge,attitudesandbehaviourswhichwillstrengthenScotland’seconomyandsociety’.43
• Inlinewiththisstrategy,Scottishuniversitiesandcollegesaremakingeducationaccessibletoawideningbandofstudentsbyofferingagreaterrangeofflexibleorparttimestudyoptions.Manyoftheseinstitutionsoffer‘flexiblelearning’opportunities,someofwhicharealsomarketingtheironlineanddistancelearningcoursestofurtherwidenpotentialparticipationrates.44
• Toimprovetheopportunitiesforlife-longlearningandsocialinclusion,theScottishExecutiveislookingtothefurthereducationsectortoimprovecollaborationandinnovation,highlightedinagrowingtrendtowardsmergersbetweencolleges.InanarticlepublishedbytheScottishFurtherEducationUnit,Irons(2003)45suggeststhatwillingnessandabilitytocollaboratewillbeanecessaryelementinthedevelopmentofcolleges.
• Thereisalsoadrivetoblurtheboundariesbetweenfurtherandhighereducationthroughinitiativessuchasthe‘2+2’model.Morethan40%ofScottishhighereducationiscurrentlydeliveredthroughfurthereducationinstitutions.
43ScottishExecutive,2003,Lifethroughlearning:Learningthroughlife,ThelifelonglearningstrategyforScotland,ScottishExecutive,February.44Analysisof2005availableScottishprospectusesconductedbyAMAaspartofthisresearch.45ScottishFurtherEducationUnit,2003,Collaborationandthecollegeestate,Iron,A
46Brown,Mike,2005,Mergersurge:Scottishcollegesarefindingstrengthinunity,TheGuardian,7thJune,pp21.47ScottishExecutiveStatisticsPublicationNotice,11May2005
22
Waysoflearning:theoreticalapproachesineducationalpsychology
• Early20thcenturyattemptstostudylearningsystematicallytookanobjectiveapproach,viewingitasaprocessofformingconnectionsbetweenstimuliandresponse(behaviouristapproach).
• Whilethisapproachservedtoexplainsimplecauseandeffectlearntresponses,itfailedtocapturethemorecomplexrelationshipsbetweenemotion,cognition,motivationandlearning.
• Duringthe1950’s,aseriesofseminalstudiesintochildcognitionbyJeanPiagetillustratedthatlearningisadevelopmentalprocessinwhichfixedconceptualisationsoftheworld(‘schemas’)canbechallenged–andultimatelychanged–throughtheactiveexplorationofconcepts.Insimpletermsthiscanbeunderstoodas‘learningthroughdoing’.
• Piagetwasoneofthefirsttheoriststorecognisetheimportanceofsocialcontextinthelearningprocess.Piaget’swork(1962)builtuponearlierworkbyVygotsky(1896–1934),whose‘socialdevelopmenttheory’recognisedcognitivedevelopmentasalife-longprocess,drivenbysocialinteractionandsociallearning.
FigureA2:Maturityofstudentsbyinstitutiontype,1998–2004
(1) FiguresforstudentsinSHEFCfundedinstitutionsHESA2003-04byheadcount. FiguresexcludetheOpenUniversityinScotlandandtheUHIMillenniumInstitute.(2) FiguresprovidedbytheSFCinhousestatistics. Note:FiguresforHEdefine‘mature’asagedover21.FiguresforFEdefine‘mature’asagedover25.
• Vygostky’stheoryisofparticularrelevancetoeducationasherecognisedthekeyrolethatteachersandpeerscanplayinwideningthegapbetweenknowledge(attainablethroughindependentlearning),andin-depthunderstanding(attainablethroughdirectedandcollaborativeproblemsolving).Inotherwordshedemonstratedthatstudentsareabletoperformtaskswithadultguidanceorpeercollaborationthattheycouldnotachievealone.
• MorerecentconceptualisationsofVygostsky’sworkcanbeseeninthetheoryofsocialconstructivism,whichholdsthatallmeaningandknowledgeiscreatedthroughsocialinteraction.Centraltothistheoryistheideathatnewknowledgeandunderstandingarecreated,basedonwhatpeoplealreadyknowandbelieve.Translatedintoaneducationalsettingthispowerfullysuggeststwothings.Firstly,successfultuitionrequiresanunderstandingoftheviewsanindividualorgroupalreadyhold.Secondly,thatactiveparticipants,betheystudentorteacher,areengagedinthelearningprocess.
FigureA1:Changesinstudentnumbersbyinstitutiontype1998–2004
(1) FiguresforstudentsinSHEFCfundedinstitutionsHESA2003-04byheadcount. FiguresexcludetheOpenUniversityinScotlandandtheUHIMillenniumInstitute.(2) FiguresprovidedbytheSFCin-housestatistics.
Type Mode source1998–99 2003-04
%growthheadcount % headcount %
HE
Fulltime 1 131,239 74.3% 143,134 73.0% 9.1%
Parttime 1 45,365 25.7% 53,053 27.0% 16.9%
TOTAL 1 176,604 196,187 11.1%
FE
Fulltime 2 66,268 17.4% 71,807 17.9% 8.4%
Parttime 2 314,496 82.6% 330,410 82.1% 5.1%
TOTAL 2 380,764 402,217 5.6%
Type Age source1998–99 2003-04
%growthheadcount % headcount %
HE
Young 1 70,189 39.7% 72,765 37.1% 3.7%
Mature 1 106,415 60.3% 123,422 62.9% 16.0%
TOTAL 1 176,604 196,187 11.1%
FE
Young 2 154,523 43.8% 155,134 41.9% 0.4%
Mature 2 198,017 56.2% 214,993 58.1% 8.6%
TOTAL 2 352,540 370,127 5.0%
23
• Advancedstudiesofcognition,mostnotablyinthefieldofcognitivescience,havedemonstratedthatsuccessfullearnersalsoengagein‘metacognition’–theydemonstratean‘awarenessoftheprocessoflearning’.Studiesintothedifferencesbetweenexpertsandnovicesinsubjectareassuchasmathematicsandphysicshaveillustratedthatexpertsaremoreabletoreflectontheirprogresswhilelearning,makechangesandadapttheirlearningstrategiesiftheyarenotperformingwell.
• Therehasbeenmuchdebatewithinpsychologyandeducationastotheimportancethatindividualdifferences(suchasgenderandage)haveonpreferencesforlearningstylesandcomprehensionlevels.Whilemanystudieshavebeenconductedinthisarea,therelationshipbetweentheseandothervariablessuchasmotivation,IQ,andsocialcontextareverycomplexandthereforenoconclusivefindingscanbereported.
• AnextensiveliteraturereviewbytheNationalAcademyofSciences(2000)48identifiedthreekeylearningstyles,consistentwiththetheoriesoutlinedabove,whicharesupportedbyastrongknowledgebase.Thesecanbesummarisedas:
– learningthroughreflection– learningby‘doing’– learningthroughconversation.
• Consistentwiththetheoriescitedabove,approachestolearningarechanging.Traditionalteacher-centredmodels,wheregoodteachingisconceptualisedasthepassingonofsoundacademic,practicalorvocationalknowledge,arebeingreplacedwithstudent-centredapproaches,wherecontentandknowledgeareconstructedthroughasharedunderstanding.ThisiswelldescribedbyBarrandTagg(1995)astheshiftfroman‘instruction’paradigmtoa‘learning’paradigm49.
Empiricalandappliedresearchfindings
• Whiletherearemanystudiesofcognitivesciencethatexplorelearningstyles,therearefewempiricalstudiesthatlinkthisbodyofresearchtotheenvironmentinwhichlearningtakesplace.However,muchoftheresearchquotedbelowhasbroadimplicationsforthedesignoflearningenvironments.
• Studieshaveshownthatwithoutabreak,themaximumconcentrationspanofstudentsinlecturesisabout10–15minutes50.
• Bligh(1998)51concludedfromanextensiveliteraturereviewofstudieswhichcompareteachingmethodsthatlecturesare:
– nomoreorlesseffectivethanothermethodsintransmittingfactsandinformation
– notaseffectiveasdiscussionmethodsinpromotingthought
– relativelyineffectiveforteachingvalues,inspiringinterestinasubjectorforpersonalorsocialadjustment
– relativelyineffectiveforteachingskills.
• Researchinotheracademicenvironments,includingprimaryandsecondaryschools,canprovidesomeindicationastohowlearningoutcomesareinfluencedbyspacetypes.KeyresearchconductedinAmericanschoolsexploringtheimpactofsizefoundthat,ingeneral,studentsinsmallerclassesperformedbetter52.
• Manystudiesalsopointtotheuseofspacetofacilitategroupdiscussionandinformaltuition.Student-ledsessionshavebeenfoundtoresultinwider-rangingdiscussionsandmorecomplexlearningoutcomes(Tang,1998),andsomeresearchindicatesthatgroupproblem-solvingissuperiortoindividualproblem-solving(Evans,1989)53.
• Evidencefromarchitecturalcoursessuggeststhatstudentslearntechnicalskillsmoreefficientlyandincorporatethemmorereadilyintothebuildingdesignprocesswhentheyareacquiredonanas-neededbasisduringongoingdesignprojects(Allen,1997)54.
• Thereisalsoevidencethatsuggestsprivatestudyspaceisimportant.Teachingpracticescongruentwithametacognitiveapproachtolearning(thatfocusonsense-making,self-assessment,andreflectiononwhatworkedandwhatneedsimproving)havebeenshowntoincreasethedegreetowhichstudentstransfertheirlearningtonewsettingsandevents.
• Differencesinlearningstylessuggestthatarangeofteachingapproachesisappropriate.A10-yearresearchprogrammeattheUniversityofTechnology,Sydney,demonstratedthatbyhelpingstudentstounderstandtheirownlearningstyles,improvedcomprehensionlevelsandreducedattritionrateswereachieved.55
• Insummary,evidencesuggeststhatarangeofteachingandlearningenvironmentsshouldbeavailable.Thesespacesshouldbeaviewedbyacademicprofessionalsastoolssuitedtoparticulartasksanddesignedtosupporttheparticularmodeofrequiredlearning.
48Bransford,JohnD,Brown,AnnL,Cocking,RodneyR,2000,HowPeopleLearn:brain,mind,experienceandschool,NationalResearchCouncil,NationalAcademyPress,WashingtonDC.49Barr,RandTagg,J(1995)AnewparadigmforUndergraduateEducation,FromTeachingtoLearning,Change,November,p13-2550Bligh,Donald,2000,What’stheuseoflectures?,Jossey-Bass,SanDiego,California.
51Bligh,Donald,2000,What’stheuseoflectures?,Jossey-Bass,SanDiego,California.52Pate-Bain&Achilles,1992,Classsizedoesmakeadifference,PhiDeltaKappan,November53AllstudiesquotedinBransford,JohnD,Brown,AnnL,Cocking,RodneyR,2000,HowPeopleLearn:brain,mind,experienceandschool,NationalResearchCouncil,NationalAcademyPress,WashingtonDC.54Allen,Edward.(1997).Secondstudio:Amodelfortechnicalteaching.JournalofArchitecturalEducation,V51,Issue#2,November.55Wilson,Jenny,2004,Understandinglearningstyles:implicationsfordesigneducationintheuniversity,UniversityofTechnology,Sydney,January.
Type Mode source1998–99 2003-04
%growthheadcount % headcount %
HE
Fulltime 1 131,239 74.3% 143,134 73.0% 9.1%
Parttime 1 45,365 25.7% 53,053 27.0% 16.9%
TOTAL 1 176,604 196,187 11.1%
FE
Fulltime 2 66,268 17.4% 71,807 17.9% 8.4%
Parttime 2 314,496 82.6% 330,410 82.1% 5.1%
TOTAL 2 380,764 402,217 5.6%
24
Technology,e-learninganddistance-learning
• Theterm‘e-learning’hasbeenusedtocoverabroadrangeofissues.ItwasrecentlydefinedinanSFCreportas‘networkedaccesstodigitallearningmaterialsandcommunicationsystemstodeliverandsupportlearning’56.
• Thepotentialroleofe-learninginrevolutionisingthedeliveryofeducationhasbeenmuchvaunted.Asthecostofhardwarecontinuestofall,connectivitybecomesfasterandsimpler,andmoresophisticatedsimulationtechnologiesaredeveloped,thereisnodoubtthiswillcontinue.
• AdiscussionpaperfromProjectKaleidoscope57,aUSnetworkofscience-basedteachingprofessionals,citesanumberofareasinwhichtechnologycanbeusedtoenhancelearning,including:
– developingauthenticproblemsparalleltothoseadultsfaceintherealworldandfacilitatingreflectiveinquiry
– usingmodellingtobridgebetweenexperienceandabstraction
– providingarangeofmediaandtoolstosupportindependentlearning
– facilitatingincreasedinteractionbetweentutorsandstudentsthroughtheuseofemailanddiscussionforums
– enablingstudentstolearnfromadiversepopulationoftutorsandpeersthroughthecreationofvirtual‘cyberlabs’
– increasingthequalityandavailabilityoflearningresourcesbycreatinginterdisciplinaryonlinetoolssharedwithotherinstitutions.
• Scotlandhasbeenparticularlyinnovativeintheuseoftechnologyande-learningtosupportdistance-learninginitiatives,possiblybecauseitscollegesanduniversitiesaredistributedacrossadiverselandscape,fromlargecitiestoremotehighlandareas.
• OneScottishuniversity,theUHIMillenniumInstitute,isavirtualnetworkof15collegesandresearchinstitutionslocatedthroughouttheHighlands&Islands.Theinstitutesupportsalargeremotepopulationandhasbeendesignatedahighereducationinstitutionsince2001.
• Statisticssuggestthatthenumberofstudentsindistancelearninghasbeenincreasingsteadilyoverthepastfiveyears.10%ofhighereducationstudentsinScotlandarecurrentlydistance-learners.Interestingly,thenumberofstudentsintheOpenUniversityinScotlandgrewby21%between1998and2004.
• Whiletherearemanyexcellentexamplesofe-learninginitiatives,thereisatendencytoexaggeratetheanticipatedrateandnatureofchange.Tomanyeducationalists,theimpactthatdigitaltechnologyishavingonpedagogywithintraditionalteachingspaceswillbemoresignificantinthelongrun.
• ArecentstudybyJISCintotheimpactoftechnologyonphysicalspaceconcludesthatlearninginthefutureislikelytobetailoredtoindividualneeds.However,therewillstillbeschools,collegesanduniversitieswithaphysicalpresence,albeitusedinamoreflexibleway.Lecturers,teachersandtutorswillstillbeattheheartofthelearningprocessbuttheirrolewillevolve.58
• TheJISCstudyalsosuggeststhatitisimportanttounderstandfullythepedagogicandoperationaldriversbehindtechnologicalinnovationinspace.Wheretherearenopedagogicdriversinthecreationoftechnology-enhancedspaces,effectivenewteachingstylesareunlikelytodevelop.
• ThisisinlinewithconclusionsinarecentreportbySFC59exploringthefutureroleofe-learninginScottishtertiaryeducationwhichstatethate-learningtendedtosucceedwhendrivenbypedagogicalneeds,notbytechnology.Giventhateducationisasocialprocess,thereportrecommendsthatinstitutionsshouldconsiderhowe-learningtechniquescouldbebestintegratedwithtraditionalteachingmethodsinordertoachievea‘blendedlearning’approach.
• TheSFCreportintothefutureofe-learningalsonotesthat,forScottishinstitutionstotakeadvantageofe-learningopportunities,thereisaneedforcontinuedinvestmentintheJANETnationalinfrastructure(JointAcademicNETwork).Italsostatesthatfore-learningtohavethepotentialtotransformtheeducationallandscape,thereisaneedforgreatercollaborationbetweeninstitutionsandothernationalorganisations.
• Investmentisalsoneededintechnologiesbasedonmobiletechnology–‘m-learning’.AreportbyJISC60onthefutureofmobiletechnologiescitesthreereasonswhytheywillplayastrongroleineducation:prevalenceofownershipinthe16-24agegroup;supportofthelifelonglearninginitiativethroughaccesstonewaudiencesandwideningparticipation;andthattheysupporttheprevailingconstructivistpedagogy.
56JointSFEFC/SHEFCE-LearningGroupFinalReport,2005,p1157PKALRoundtableoftheFuture,2001,InformationTechnologyIntheServiceofStudentLearning,ProjectKaleidoscope.58JISCstudy(2005)Howinnovativetechnologiesareinfluencingthedesignofphysicallearningspacesinthepost16sector59JointSFEFC/SHEFCE-LearningGroup:FinalReport(2005)60Anderson,Paul,Blackwood,Adam,2004,MobileandPDAtechnologiesandtheirfutureuseineducation,JISCTechnologyandStandardsWatch:04-03,November.
25
APPENDIX4:Learningandteachingtrendssurvey
Whoresponded?
• Atargetresponserateof51%wasachieved(62responsesto121invitations)
• Responseswerereceivedfromatotalof29individualinstitutions:
– 16colleges – 13HEIs
• ThemajorityofresponseswerereceivedfromSeniorManagers,EstatesManagersandITprofessionals.
Summaryofkeyfindings
• Thesurveyidentified37keytrendsrelatingtochangesinthe:
– demographicdiversityofstudentintake – institutionalapproachtoteachingandlearning – ITprovision,useofmultimedia
andcampusconnectivity – provisionoftraditionalandinnovative
teachingandstudyspaces.
• Mosttrendsidentifiedinthesurveywereperceivedtobeontheincrease.However,therewasaperceivedreductionintheuseoflecture-styleteachingmethodsandinthenumberoftaughtcontacthoursperstudent.
• AdetailedanalysisofthedatabyinstitutiontyperevealedthattheperceiveddeclineintheuseoflecturestyleteachingmethodswasspecifictoHEinstitutions
• ThetopfivetrendsidentifiedallinvolvedtheapplicationofIT.Insomecasesthishadadirectrelationshiptophysicalspace,suchastechnology-enhancedsocialspacesanduseofwirelessnetworkingacrosstheinstitution.
• WhilethisgeneralviewwassharedbetweenFEandHEinstitutionsthereweresubtlevariations.WhereHEinstitutionsfocusedontheuseofinteractivetechnologyintheclassroomenvironment,FEcollegesfocusedontheuseofmultimediatechnology.
• Acomparisonofthetopfivetrendsnotedbyrespondentsfromdifferentprofessionalgroupsidentifiedsignificantlydifferentkeytrends.ITprofessionalssawIT-relatedtrendsasthegreatestgrowthareaandestatesmanagementprofessionalswerefarmoreinclinedtopredictchangesinthenatureofthephysicalspacesbeingprovided.Seniormanagersappearedtotakeamoreholisticview,incorporatingsomeaspectsofIT,physicalspace,sustainabilityandcitizenshipissues.
• Morethanthree-quartersofrespondentsperceived
thatthediversityofstudentsenrolledattheirinstitutionwouldincreaseovertime,withincreasesinthenumberofinternationalstudentsandpart-timers,culturally-diverseandmaturestudents.
FigureA3:Perceivedchangesinstudentdemographics
Percentageofinternationalstudents(n=54)
Percentageofparttimestudents(n=54)
Culturaldiversityofstudents(n=54)
Studentsatoutreachcentres(n=54)
Percentageofmaturestudents(n=54)
Percentageofstudentsenrolledonvocationalcourses(n=54)
Percentageofstudentscompletingpartoftheircourseatoneormoreotherinstitutions(n=53)
significantincrease slightincrease remainthesame slightdecrease signifcantdecrease don’tknow
41 48 7 4
31 50 11 2 6
30 44 22 4
26 20 37 15
24 56 11 2 7
13 28 44 13
6 53 21 2 19
%ofrespondents
2
2
Source:AMAlearningandteachingtrendssurvey,September2005Note:Percentagesmaynottotal100percentduetorounding
26
• Thepercentageofinternationalstudentswasperceivedasthemaingrowthtrend,with41%ofrespondentsanticipatingasignificantincrease.
• Morethanhalfoftherespondentsfeltthatstudentswereincreasinglylikelytocompletepartoftheircourseatmorethanoneinstitution.
• Almosthalffeltthatagrowingnumberofstudentswouldbetaughtthroughoutreachcentres,althoughasimilarnumberfeltthiswouldremainunchanged.
• Slightlylessthanhalfoftherespondentsexpectedincreasedenrolmentsonvocationalcourses.
• FigureA4illustratestheactualtrendsinstudentdemographicsforasix-yearperiodfrom1998.Itisinterestingtonotethatthecurrentpercentagesofpart-timestudents,maturestudentsandnon-Scottishandnon-UKentrantshavenotchangedgreatlyovertime.Thepercentageofnon-Caucasianstudentsinhighereducation,whichhasalmostdoubledinbothHEandFE,isthemaindiscernibletrend.
• Theuseoflecture-styleteachingmethodsandthenumberoftaughtcontacthoursperstudentarethemaindownwardtrendsnotedbyrespondents.Norespondentsfeltthateitherwouldincreasesignificantlyovertime.
Datasourcedfrom(1)HESAStatsand(2)SFCStatsand(3)ScottishExecutive*Note:ForHEmaturestudentsare21oroveron31stofAugustoftheacademicyear**Note:forHEmaturestudentsincludethosestudentsaged25andolder
FigureA5:Perceivedchangesinteachingmethods
Source:AMAlearningandteachingtrendssurvey,September2005
Useofmultimediaforteachingorassessment(n=51)
Useoftaskandproblembasedteachingmethods(n=50)
Useofgroupassessmentteachingmethods(n=50)
Teachingduringtwilighthours(6pm-9pm)(n=51)
Useofsmallgrouptutorials(n=49)
Useofapprenticeshipteachingmethods(n=50)
Numberoftaughtcontacthoursperstudent(n=50)
significantincrease slightincrease remainthesame slightdecrease signifcantdecrease don’tknow
Type DataSource 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04
%ParttimeHE 1 25.7 27.0
FE 2 82.6 82.3 82.9 83.9 83.1 82.1
%MaturestudentsHE 1 60.3 62.9
FE 2 56.2 56.8 57.2 57.2 58.1 58.1
%Non-caucasianHE 1 5.0 9.0
FE 2 2.4 2.9 2.9 3.4 4.2 4.5
%Non-ScottishstudentsHE 3 29.6
FE 2 3.1 2.2 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.5
%Non-UKstudentsHE 1 7.6 13.7
FE 2 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.0
%MaleOverall
3 46 45.6 44.8 44.5 44.4 44.2
%Female 3 54 54.4 55.2 55.5 55.6 55.8
FigureA4:Studentdemographics,1998–2004
Provisionofdistancelearning(n=50)
Roleoftheinstitutioninthedevelopmentofcitizenshipskillsamongststudents(n=50)
Useoflecturestyleteachingmethods(n=50)
61
%ofrespondents
31 4 4
40 42 12 6
26 38 26 10
20 54 14 2 10
16 42
16
30 2 10
51 25 4 4
14 33 33 10 10
8 30 18 6 2 36
6 16 48 24 6
4 14 56 16 10
Note:Percentagesmaynottotal100percentduetorounding
27
• Theuseofmultimediaforteachingorassessmentandtheprovisionofdistancelearningwereperceivedtobeincreasingsignificantly.
• Increaseswerealsoanticipatedintheuseoftaskandproblem-solving-basedteachingmethods,smallgrouptutorialsandgroupassessment,althoughthelatterwereconsideredtobelesssignificant.Resultsalsosuggestedthatanumberofrespondentsfeltthesepracticeswouldcontinueatthesamelevel,whichmayindicatethattheyhadalreadybeenintroduced.
• 67%ofrespondentsfeltthatteachingbetween6pm-9pmwaslikelytoincreaseinthefuture,althoughmostfelttheincreasewouldonlybeslight.
• Allrespondentsfeltthattheirinstitutionwouldcontinuetoplayaroleinthedevelopmentofcitizenshipskillsamongststudents.
• Theprovisionandsubmissionofcoursematerialsonlinewasseenasasignificantgrowthtrendbythemajorityofrespondents.Thisisalliedwithasignificantgrowthintheuseoftechnologytodelivercoursestoremotestudents.
• Almostallinstitutionsanticipategrowthintheuseofwirelessnetworking,with85%anticipatingthatthiswillincreasesignificantly.Thisisparalleledbyaslightlysmallernumberofrespondentswhoindicatedthattheprovisionofhighspeedbroadbandinstudentresidenceswasontheincrease.
• Theuseofstudentcommunicationdevices,includinginteractivetechnologyintheclassroomenvironment,andtheprovisionofcourserelatedmaterialsviatextmessagewerealsoperceivedtobegrowthtrends,althoughlesssignificant.
• Resultsalsosuggestthat,whiletheprevalenceofstudentowneddevicesisincreasingsignificantly,institutionsarealsothinkingaboutmakinginstitutionowneddevicesavailabletostudents,with49%seeingthisasagrowingtrend.
• Almostallrespondentsfeltthattheprovisionoftechnology-enabledsociallearningspaceswouldincrease,with67%believingtheincreasewouldbesignificant.
• Theresultsstronglyindicatedthatmanyinstitutionsunderstoodtheimportanceoftheflexibilityofspace,astheyforeseeincreasedprovisionofroomsthataccommodatemultipleusesandmultiple,concurrent,teachingactivities.
• Theprovisionofspecialistspaces,includingsimulationenvironmentsandsoundprooffacilitiesformultimediaspaces,wasalsoperceivedtobeincreasing,althoughlesssignificantly.
FigureA6:Perceivedchangesintechnologyinlearningenvironments
Provisionofcourse-relatedmaterialsonline(n=48)
Submissionofcourseworkonline(n=45)
Prevalenceofstudentowneddevices(n=49)
Useoftechnologytodelivertaughtcoursestophysicallyremotestudents(n=49)
Provisionofhighspeedbroadbandinuniversity-providedhallsofresidence(n=44)
Useofinteractivetechnologyintheclassroomenvironment(n=49)
Provisionofinstitution-owneddevicestostudents(n=49)
significantincrease slightincrease remainthesame slightdecrease signifcantdecrease don’tknow
Percentageofinstitutionwhichiswireless-enabled(n=44)
Provisionofcourse-relatedmaterialsviamobilephones/textmessaging(n=48)
85
%ofrespondents
10 22
81 15 22
74 17 6 2
65 33 2
55 31 8 6
47 13 21 19
39 53 6 2
33 46 17 4
18 29 39 6 8
Source:AMAlearningandteachingtrendssurvey,September2005Note:Percentagesmaynottotal100percentduetorounding
28
numberofstudentsinoutreachcentresandthenumberofstudentscompletingpartoftheircourseatmorethanoneinstitution.
• FEcollegesalsoanticipatedamoresignificantgrowththanHEinstitutionsinthenumberofstudentscompletingvocationalcourses.Theyalsoperceivedthemselvesasplayingafargreaterroleinthedevelopmentofcitizenshipskillsamongsttheirstudents.
• Theprovisionofinstitution-owneddevicestostudentswasperceivedtobeagrowingtrendbytwiceasmanyrespondentsfromFEcollegesasfromHEinstitutions.
• Withregardtochangesinthetypesofteachingspacesprovided,FEcollegesperceivedagreaterincreaseinboththeprovisionofroomsabletoaccommodatemorethanoneteachingactivityatthesametimeandtheprovisionoflargeaccesscomputerroomswithfixedPCs.
• Whileincreasesintheamountofteachingduringtwilighthours(6pm-9pm)wasseenasagrowthareabybothtypesofinstitution,thetrendwasperceivedtobegreaterwithintheHEsector.
• Moretraditionalteachingandlearningspaces,includingenclosedspacesforgrouplearning,largeaccesscomputerrooms,andspacesforindividualandinformalstudywereperceivedtobeontheincreasebysome,althoughroughlyaquarterofrespondentsanticipatedthatprovisionwouldremainthesame.
• Therewasgreateruncertaintyregardingtheprovisionofspacesforgrouplearningwithinstudenthallsofresidence,with33%ofrespondentssuggestinganincrease,butothersanticipatingthatitwouldremainthesameorthattheysimplydidnotknow.
• 86%ofrespondentssawtheprovisionofsustainableenvironmentsasakeytrend.
HowdoperceptionsdifferbetweenFEandHEinstitutions?
• FigureA8providesacomparisonofthenumberofrespondentsperceivinganincreaseforeachtrendincludedinthesurvey.Themostsalientpointsidentifiedareoutlinedbelow.
• FEinstitutionssawamorediversefutureintermsofthelocationsinwhichstudentsmightcompletepartoftheireducation,withover20%ofrespondentsidentifyinganincreaseinthe
FigureA7:Perceivedchangesinteachingandlearningspaces
Provisionoftechnology-enabledsociallearningspaces(n=49)
Provisionofroomsabletoaccommodatemorethanoneteachingactivityatthesametime(n=48)
Provisionofenclosedspacesforgrouplearning(n=48)
Provisionofspacesforinformalstudy(n=49)
Provsionoflargestudentaccesscomputerrooms(n=48)
Provisionofsimulationenvironments(n=48)
Provisionofspacesforgrouplearningwithinstudenthallsofresidences(n=46)
significantincrease slightincrease remainthesame slightdecrease signifcantdecrease don’tknow
Provisionofflexibleteachingspacetoaccommodatemultipleuses(n=49)
Provisionofsoundprooffacilitiesformultimedia(n=46)
Provisionofsustainableenvironments(n=48)
Provisionofspacesforindividualstudy(n=49)
67
%ofrespondents
29 4
50 38 6 6
42 44 6 8
40 35 17 8
33 38 23 2 4
33 41 22 22
27 27 23 13 8 2
25 46 15 15
22 49 24 4
14 39 37 6 4
7 26 35 33
Source:AMAlearningandteachingtrendssurvey,September2005Note:Percentagesmaynottotal100percentduetorounding
29
Howdoperceptionsdifferaccordingtorespondents’roles?
• Estatesstaffweremoreinclinedtopredictchangesinthenatureofphysicalspacesbeingprovided.Inparticular,theysawgreaterincreasesintheuseoftwilighthoursforteachingandtheprovisionofmoreflexibleteachingspace.
• Conversely,ITprofessionalssawIT-relatedtrendsasbeingthegreatestgrowtharea.
• Seniormanagerswereslightlymoreinclinedtoperceivechangesinarangeoffactors,includinggreatervariationinstudentintake,someaspectsofIT,physicalspace,sustainabilityandcitizenshipvalues.TheywerealsomorelikelytopredictanincreaseintheuseofapprenticeshipteachingmethodsandsmallgrouptutorialsalthoughthismayreflectthefactthatmoreseniormanagerrespondentscamefromtheFEsector.
FigureA8:Trendsbyinstitutiontype(percentageofrespondentsperceivinganincrease)
Overall HE FEVariationbetweenHEandFE
Provsionoflargestudentaccesscomputerrooms(withfixedPCs) 54 37 83 46
Roleoftheinstitutioninthedevelopmentofcitizenshipskillsamongststudents(valuesskillsandunderstandingnecessarytoactandbehaveasanactivecitizeninsociety)
64 48 89 41
Provisionofhighspeedbroadbandinuniversity-providedhallsofresidence 60 73 35 38
Provisionofinstitution-owneddevicestostudents(e.g.laptops,mobilehandsets) 47 33 68 35
Percentageofstudentsenrolledonvocationalcourses 41 30 57 27
Provisionofroomsabletoaccommodatemorethanoneteachingactivityatthesametime
75 66 89 23
Designoftheplaceofresidence 57 50 73 23
Percentageofstudentscompletingpartoftheircourseatoneormoreotherinstitutions 58 50 71 21
Studentsatoutreachcentres 46 39 57 18
Provisionofspacesforinformalstudy 73 80 63 17
Provisionofsustainableenvironments(e.g.reclaimedbuildingmaterials,energyuse,recycling)
85 79 95 16
Provisionofspacesforindividualstudy 53 47 63 16
Percentageofmaturestudents 80 85 71 14
Teachingduringtwilighthours(6pm-9pm) 67 72 58 14
Useofsmallgrouptutorials 47 42 56 14
Provisionofspacesforgrouplearningwithinstudenthallsofresidences 33 38 24 14
Provisionofenclosedspacesforgrouplearning(e.g.seminarrooms,groupworkroomsinlibraries)
71 76 63 13
Useofmultimediaforteachingorassessment(videoclips,flashanimations) 92 88 100 12
Campus(environmentgenerally) 76 71 83 12
Provisionofsoundprooffacilitiesformultimedia(training,recording,playback) 71 67 79 12
Useoftechnologytodelivertaughtcoursestophysicallyremotestudents(eitherinreal-timeorrecorded)
86 90 79 11
Provisionofsimulationenvironments(e.g.skillslabs,HIVES) 71 67 78 11
Numberoftaughtcontacthoursperstudent 4 0 11 11
Othersocialfacilities 50 54 44 10
Connectivityintheplaceofresidence 76 72 81 9
Provisionofcourse-relatedmaterialsviamobilephones/textmessaging 79 76 84 8
Useoftaskandproblembasedteachingmethods 74 71 79 8
Useofgroupassessmentteachingmethods 58 55 63 8
Useoflecturestyleteachingmethods 6 3 11 8
Locationfactors 60 58 65 7
Useofapprenticeshipteachingmethods 38 35 42 7
Submissionofcourseworkonline 91 89 95 6
Percentageofinternationalstudents 89 91 86 5
Provisionofdistancelearning 82 84 79 5
Useofinteractivetechnologyintheclassroomenvironment(e.g.audienceresponsesystems) 92 93 89 4
Prevalenceofstudentowneddevices(e.g.laptops,mobilehandsets) 98 97 100 3
30
Whatattributesofthephysicalenvironmenthaveapositiveimpactonthestudentlearningexperience?
• Thequalityoftheoverallcampusenvironmentandtheprovisionofinternetconnectivitywithinstudenthallsofresidencewereconsideredtohavethehighestimpact.
• Thelocationoftheinstitution,theprovisionofothersocialfacilitiesandthedesignoftheplaceofresidencewerealsoperceivedasimpactingonlearningexperiencesbyapproximatelyhalfoftherespondents.
• TherewerenosignificantdifferencesinopinionbetweenrespondentsfromHEandFEinstitutionsinrelationtophysicalenvironmentattributes.
• Whileseniormanagersperceivedagrowthintheprovisionoflargeaccesscomputerrooms(withfixedPCs)andtheprovisionofsimulationenvironments,thisviewwasnotsharedbyrespondentsfromITdepartments.
• Overall,seniormanagersweremorelikelytorespondthatmostaspectsoftheenvironmenthadapositiveimpactonthestudentexperience.
• Respondentsfromestatesmanagementperceivedafargreaterimpactofthedesignofthestudenthallsofresidencethanotherrespondents.
ExemplaryprojectsAspartofthesurveyintrendsinlearningandteaching,respondentswereaskedtoidentifyanyrecentprojectstheythoughtdemonstratedaninnovativeapproachtotheprovisionofspacesforlearning.FigureA7belowliststheseprojectstogetherwithdetailsoftheinstitutionandthetypeofspacetheyrepresent.
– Over27projectsinmorethanthirteeninstitutionsweredescribedbyrespondents.
– Manyoftheseinvolvedthecreationofsociallearningspacesforinformalcollaborativegroupwork.Café-stylefacilitieswereintegralcomponentsofseveral.
– ManyinstitutionsalsoreportedthecreationorrefurbishmentofLearningandResourceCentre(LRC)environments.
– Projectsincludedtheuseofwirelessnetworkingandtherefurbishmentoflecturetheatreswithstate-of-the-artIT.
– Mostprojectsreportedatleastsomeformofstudentconsultationinboththedesignandevaluationofthespace.
FigureA9:Perceivedimportanceofphysicalenvironmentonstudentlearningexperience
Campus(environmentgenerally)(n=46)
Connectivityintheplaceofresidence(n=45)
Designoftheplaceofresidence(n=37)
Othersocialfacilities(n=46)
Town(n=43)
significantincrease slightincrease remainthesame slightdecrease signifcantdecrease don’tknow
Locationfactors(n=43)
Cateringoutletswithinthecollege/university(n=44)
28
%ofrespondents
48 24
24 51 22 2
22 35 38 5
17 33 41 9
15 40 45
14 27 41 14 5
7 35 40 12 7
Source:AMAlearningandteachingtrendssurvey,September2005Note:Percentagesmaynottotal100percentduetorounding
31
FigureA10:Projectsidentifiedinsurveyoflearningandteachingtrends
Fullnameofinstitution:Typeofinstitution:
Nameofproject: SpaceCategory
Banff&BuchanCollege College Improveflexilearningcenre Individuallearningspace
Banff&BuchanCollege College NavigationControlSimulation Simulatedenvironment
Banff&BuchanCollegeofFE College VentilatedCateringKitchen Simulatedenvironment
BanffandBuchanCollege College FlexibleLearning Learningcluster
BellCollege HEI Creationoftrainingward Simulatedenvironment
GlasgowCaledonianUniversity HEIEnhancedmultimediapresentationfacilitiesinlabs
Groupteaching/learningspaces
GlasgowCaledonianUniversity HEI LearningCafé Learningcluster
GlasgowCaledonianUniversity HEI SaltireCentre Learningcluster
GlasgowCaledonianUniversity HEI Real@Caledonian Peer-to-peerandsociallearning
GlasgowCaledonianUniversity HEI LearningCentre various
Heriot-WattUniversity HEI HallsofResidence Individuallearningspace
Heriot-WattUniversity HEI ResidencesBar Peer-to-peerandsociallearning
JamesWattCollegeofFurther&HigherEducation
College CommunityLearningCentre Learningcluster
JohnWheatleyCollege College EastEndCampus various
NapierUniversity HEI Groupteaching/learningspaces
NapierUniversity HEI AVProvisioninteachingrooms Groupteaching/learningspaces
NapierUniversity HEI JackKilbyComputerCentre Learningcluster
NapierUniversity HEI CraiglochartCampus Learningcluster
PerthCollege College WirelessLaptopProject Peer-to-peerandsociallearning
PerthCollegeUHI HEI OpenAccessITCentre Learningcluster
PerthCollegeUHI HEI CampusLink Peer-to-peerandsociallearning
StowCollege CollegeSuperFlexandEngineeringTechnologyCentre
Learningcluster
StowCollege College TheLearningHub Peer-to-peerandsociallearning
TheGlasgowSchoolofArt HEI LightingWorkshops Simulatedenvironment
TheUniversityofStirling HEIUpgradingandExpansionofStudentIT/LanguageFacilitiesinPathfootBuilding
Groupteaching/learningspaces
TheUniversityofStirling HEIUpgradeofFacultyofManagementandRelatedTeachingFacilitiesinCottrellBuilding
Learningcluster
UniversityofDundee HEI TowerExtensionLectureTheatre Groupteaching/learningspaces
UniversityofDundee HEI NewTeachingBlock Groupteaching/learningspaces
UniversityofGlasgow HEI GibsonStreetChurch Learningcluster
UniversityofPaisley HEI InternetCafé Peer-to-peerandsociallearning
UniversityofStAndrews HEI SchoolIIILectureTheatreRedesign Groupteaching/learningspaces
UniversityofStAndrews HEI ButePCLaboratoryredevelopment Groupteaching/learningspaces
UniversityofStirling HEI LectureRoomrefurbishment Groupteaching/learningspaces
UniversityofStrathclyde HEI WirelessLawn Externalspaces
UniversityofStrathclyde HEI JamesWeirTeachingCluster Groupteaching/learningspaces
UniversityofStrathclyde HEI JohnAndersonteachingcluster Groupteaching/learningspaces
32
APPENDIX5:Summaryofinterviewswithkeyorganisations
Telephoneinterviewswereconductedwiththefollowingindividuals:
BrendaSmith HigherEducationAcademyNormanSharp QualityAssurance
AgencyScotlandJohnMcCann ScottishFurtherEducationUnitIainLowson HMInspectorateofEducation
Thecommonthemesthatemergedfromtheseinterviewsaredescribedbelow.
• The1990ssawarevolutioninteachingmethods,particularlywithintheFEsector.Themaindevelopmenthasbeenamovetowardsastudent-centredapproach.
• ThisisreflectedinevaluationandassessmentmethodsinScotlandwherethemainfocusisonhowwellthestudentissupportedinthelearningprocess.
• Thereisahugeamountofliteratureandpublishedresearchontheprocessbywhichpeoplelearnwhichhassupportedthisdevelopment.Thisisprimarilyfocusedondeliveryandoperationalissues.
• Thereislittlepublishedresearchontheimpactspacemayhaveoneffectivelearningoutcomes.Mostevidenceiseitheranecdotalorbasedonmeasuresofstudentsatisfactionwithcourses,anddoesnotdirectlyaddressissuesrelatingtotheimpactoftheenvironment.
• Inspatialterms,theearlyforerunnersofstudent-centredapproacheswereLearning&ResourceCentres,whichfocuseddirectlyonstudentrequirements.
• Thereisacleargrowthintheprovisionofsociallearningspaces,particularlycafés,inbothHEandFE.Thesespacesaresuccessfulbecausetheyaresocial,accessible,friendlyandproviderefreshments.Theybestsupportinformallearningstylesandsmallgroupwork.
• Themosteffectivenewlearningenvironmentsseeninthesectorhaveinvolvedjointplanningfromallinvolvedpartiesattheoutsetoftheproject.
• InFEtherehasbeenagrowthintheprovisionofroomstoaccommodatemultipleactivitiesandlargeaccessITroomstosupportindependentlearning.However,therearesomeconcernsthatthereistoogreatafocusonindependentlearninginFE.
• Spacehasapsychologicalimpact–highqualityfixturesandfinishescanincreasemotivationtoattendcourses.
• Forteachingspaces,theoverridingrequirementisflexibilityofuse.Thiswillincreaseinimportance,andisakeyrequirementofnewbuildorrefurbishedspaces.
• Thereisaneedforinclusivedesign,bothintermsofphysicalaccessibilityandtechnologicalcompetence.Whiletechnologyisheraldingchangeinthesector,supportmustbeprovidedtothosewhoareleastcompetent–amongbothstudentsandstaff.Technologywillnotremovetheneedforphysicalspaceforlearning.Itwillbemostsuccessfulinaugmentingteachingmethods(blendedlearning)andinmaintainingqualityconnectionswithstudentswhoareremotefromtheirinstitutions.Thereisaneedformorestructuredresearchintotheimpactofspaceandtechnologyonlearningoutcomes.
33
Establishedin1989,JohnWheatleyCollege(JWC)isaFEcollegelocatedinthesociallydeprivedareasofEasterhouseandGlasgow’sEastEnd.Describedasa‘collegewithoutwalls’,itsprimarymissionistomakeeducationaccessibletopeoplewhohavemissedoutontraditionalroutes.Itputsgreateremphasisontheteachingrelationshipthanonthephysicalenvironmentinwhichteachingtakesplace.
JWCspecialisesinnon-advanced,mainlypart-timeeducationandpaysparticularattentiontostudentswithlearningdifficultiesanddisabilities.Itsbroadcurriculumincludesbuildingandconstructiontrades,businessadministration,childcare,computingandinformationtechnology,hairdressing,hospitality,photographyandgraphicart.
Themaincampus,onWesterhouseRoad,inEasterhouseandcurrentlyJWC’sonlypurpose-builtbuilding,isbeingenlargedtoincorporateacommunitylibrary,theatreandswimmingpool.ThedesignbothofthisandofitsproposednewEastEndcampusbuildinginHaghillisdrivenbytheeffectthelearningspacehasonstudentattitudesandbehaviour.
TheWesterhouseRoadbuildingTheWesterhouseRoadbuildingwascompletedin2001totheadministration’sspecificationwithinSFEFCfundingguidelines.Itisa4,700m2concreteframebuildingconstructedona6mmodule,withdemountablestudpartitioningorsliding/foldinginternalwalls.Itiseasilynavigableandnon-institutionalinfeel,despiteitstraditionalcentralliftlobbyandcorridorwith‘classrooms’downeitherside.Keepingthefiredoorsinthecorridoropenonmagneticreleasescreatesabright,lightcirculationspacewithaclearviewdownitslength.
The40m2classroomsofferreasonablelayoutflexibility,at7.3mdeepand(around40m2).Ceilingheightis2.7m,givinganeasydomesticfeelandprovidinggoodvisibility.Mostareequippedwithanelectronicwhiteboardandceilingmountedprojector.DadotrunkinggivesaccesstoafullynetworkedICTsystem.
Overall,thespacesarearrangedinawaythatmeetstherequirementsofthetypeofteachingJWCoffers.However,insomeinstancesflexibilityofroomsizeishinderedbecausepoweranddataservicesarefixedtowallsbetweenclassrooms,andtherearenoisetransferenceproblemsbetweenrooms.Also,thecollegefeltthattheprescriptive
Casestudy1JohnWheatleyCollege,EasterhouseandEastEnd
ExternalperspectiveofthenewbuildingnowunderconstructionintheEastEnd.(image:courtesyofABKArchitects)
natureofSFEFCfundingpreventeditfrommakingthemostofthecorridorspace,aproblemithastriedtoovercomeinthenewEastEndcampusbuilding.Interestingly,theleastusedroomsaretheoneformallecturetheatreandtheoneseminarroomtoosmallforagrouplayout.
TheEastEndCampusThisbuilding,locatednexttoTheForgeshoppingcentreandcurrentlyunderconstruction,istheresultofaspecificbriefingprocessinvolvingallstaff.ComparedwithotherJWCbuildingsitisamajorstepforward.Itislargerandmore‘special’thanthelow-keyWesterhouseRoadbuildingandgoesbeyondwhattheCollegewasabletoachievethere,yetfeelsmoreestablishedandinstitutional.
ThemaindifferencetotheWesterhouseRoadbuildingisthewaythecirculationspacehasbeenconfiguredtoprovideinformallearningandinteractivespaces.
NewEastEndcampussouthelevation.(image:courtesyofABKArchitects)
NewEastEndcampusgroundfloor.(image:courtesyofABKArchitects)
Whilerespectingthe50/50teaching/non-teachingspaceratioofthefundingcriteria,thisbuildingmovesawayfromthestraight-jacketofanarrowcorridorfeedingtraditionalclassrooms.Insteadithasacentralconcourse,whichincorporateswirelesslearning‘hotspots’withinformallearningfacilitiesincludingover40workstations,inlinewithJWC’saccessibilitymission.
TheclassroomsdifferfromthoseatWesterhouseRoadinthatmostofthemarebigger(49.5m2).Theyaresimilarlyequipped,withceilingmountedprojectors,interactivewhiteboards,videostreaming,andsimple,stackabletables.Raisedfloorsallowflexibilityinthearrangementofcomputerfacilitiesandanimprovedcable-managementsystemallowsforeasierupgrades.Recognisingtheimportanceoffurnitureandfittingout,£700,000ofthe£12millionbudgetisallocatedtothis.
34
ConclusionTheEastEndcampusbuildingisanimprovementonJWC’sotherbuildings.Itislikelytobebetterlookinganditslivelyconcoursewillbecomeitssocialheart.However,theclassroomsdifferlittlefromthoseinotherbuildingsorinEdinburgh’sTelfordCollege(seecasestudy3).Whilethecablemanagementsystemwillincreaseflexibility,higherspecification(egbettersoundproofing)mayreduceit.Providingapplied-skillslearningspacesalmostalwayscompromisesflexibility.Theadvantagesofdrawingstudentstogetherandencouraginganoverlapbetweendisciplinesneedstobeweighedagainstthedifficultiesofaccommodatingbuilding-specificteachingspaceswithinaloose-fitenvironment.
Thatthesimple,robustteachingspacesaresimilartothoseintheWesterhouseRoadbuilding,evenafterextensivediscussionswithstaff,isanendorsementoftheirfunctionality.Itisinterestingtonotethattheflexiblelearningspacesdonotdiffermuchfromthegeneralteachingclassrooms,againafterextensiveconsultation.
JWC’sheadwantedtomaintainanddevelopthecollege’sexcellentrelationshipbetweenstaffandstudents.Asyouwouldexpectwithitsmissiontoattractyoungpeoplefromdeprivedbackgroundsintoeducation,JWCisgoodatthisandplaceshumanrelationships,ratherthanstate-of-the-artequipmentandstylisharchitecture,atthecentreofwhatitdoes.
JohnWheatleyCollege,WesterhouseRoad.(photo:AMA)
Simulatedenvironment:physiotherapyandbeautysalon.(photo:AMA)
Simulatedenvironment:kitchen.(photo:AMA)
Simulatedenvironment:hairdressingsalon.(photo:AMA)
Simulatedenvironment:teachingkitchen.(photo:AMA)
35
Foundedin1796andconstitutedasauniversityin1964,theUniversityofStrathclydehasamixtureofbuildingtypes,agesandquality.Althoughconstrainedbythecharacterofitsbuildingstock,ithasnonethelessencouragedinnovationsintechnologythatextendbeyondthecampusandofferaflexibilitydifferenttothatbeingpioneeredinotherinstitutions.
TheinnovationsatStrathclydestartedwiththeDearingCommittee’sreviewofhighereducationin1995,whichhighlightedtheneedtorefocusonteachingandlearningandthefactthatfewHElecturersweretrainedtoteach.ProfessorArbuthnot,fromStrathclyde,satonthesubcommitteelookingattheuseoftechnologyinteachingandchallengedtheuniversity’sfacultiestorespondtothis.Thedepartmentofmechanicalengineering,basedintheJamesWeirbuilding,successfullyrequestedfundingtotrialtheclassroom-basedfeedbacksystemthenbeingpioneeredbyHarvardandtheUniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst.Afurtherinfluencewasthegrowthofcustomised,user-orientatedteachingmaterial,whichthestaffinthemechanicalengineeringfacultywerequicktoadopt.
Also,despiteitsinternationalreputationandfiercecompetitionforplaces,thedepartmentwasconcernedbythedropoutrateofover25%ofstudentsinthefirsttwoyears.Theyattributedthistoafailuretoengagetheinterestsofstudents,andinparticulartothelargelectureroomswherestudentsatthebackfeltalienatedfroma‘chalkandtalk’lectureratthefrontwithoftenindifferentteachingskills.
Therewasalsoadesiretointroduceawidervarietyofteachingmethods,eitherinoneplace,orinaclusterofcloselyrelatedspaces.Thishasbeenachievedbyusingtechnologytofreeupsometraditionalspacesfordifferentusesplus,inresponsetothechangingprofileofcourses,asuiteofspacesmadeavailabletolecturersonanadhocbasis.SpacesofthistypenowexistintheJamesWeirandGrahamHillbuildings,intheCrawfurdComplexandontheJordanhillCampus.
TheJamesWeirbuildingConstructedin1964asastate-of-the-artmechanicalandchemicalengineeringteachingfacility,theJamesWeirbuildingisagoodillustrationofhowflexibilityisdictatedbythestructuralanddimensionalcharacteristicsofabuilding.Itisbuiltonasteephillandhasbespokeengineeringlaboratoriesinthebasementandgroundfloors.Therequirementforbothspecificandgenericteachingspacesresultedinaconcreteframebuilding21metreswide,witha3metrewidecirculationcorridorgivingaccessto8.8metredeepteachingspacesoneithersideandaslightlydifferentconfigurationontheupperfloors.
Someconventionalauditoriumstyle-seatinghasbeenreplaced.Oneauditoriumnowhasswivelchairs,allowingstudentstoturnroundandaccesscomputerworkstationsonaworksurfacebehindthem;inanother,seatsaredividedintofourpersonbanana-shapedtablesforgroupworking.Intheremainingconventionallecturetheatres,largerwritingtableshavebeeninstalledtoallowforlaptopsaswellasA4writingpads.Similarprincipleshavebeenappliedtootherrooms,suchastheBusinessDepartmentandtheseminarroomsintheCrawfurdComplex,whereloosefurniturecanbeconfiguredingroupsoffourtosixtoallowteamworkinginaninformalatmosphere.
Atthestartoftheircourse,studentsareassessedontheirsubject,computingability,personality,wheretheyarelivingorwheretheyarefrom,andplacedin‘cohorts’fortheyear.Studentsineachcohortthengettoknowandhelponeanother,andworktogether.The‘banana’seatingconfigurationwasdevelopedtoaccommodatethesecohortsoffourpersons.Itencouragesstudentstolearnfromandinteractwitheachother,enablesthemtoswitcheasilybetweengroupworkandformalteaching,andusestechnologytofacilitatethepresentationofinformation.Theformula,whichhasbeeninplaceforfouryears,isconsideredtobehugelysuccessful,with90%continuingattendance,comparedwith50%fortheold-styleclasses.
Casestudy2TheUniversityofStrathclyde,JamesWeirBuilding
Groupteaching,JamesWeirBuilding.(photo:AMA)
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Itssuccesspromptedtheuniversitytodevelopsimilarsuitesofspace,usingtechnologyandinnovativeseatingarrangements,whenitrefurbishedthethirdandfourthfloorsofthebuilding.
ProfessorJimBoyle,HeadoftheMechanicalEngineeringDepartment,saysthatinanidealworldhisdepartmentwouldhaveathirdofitsspaceforstudiowork,athirdforcoreengineeringteachingandathirdforproblem-basedlearning.AtStrathclyde,itwasnotpossibletoaccommodatethisinonelarge,flexible,multi-functionalstudiospaceandthechangesmadetotheJamesWeirBuildinghaveachievedagoodcompromise.Theflexiblespacesaregenerallyfullybooked,eventhoughtheywouldfunctionbetteriftheywereclosertogether.
Lightingthecentralcirculationareas(3and4.5metreswide)hasbeenimproved,thewallsrepaintedandthespacemademoreuseablebyremovinglockersandinstallingseatingforoccasionalworkinginsomeoftherecesses.Thishasimprovedstudents’attitudestothebuildingbyprovidingausefulfacility.Unfortunately,theseatingisofpoorqualityandisshowingsignsofwear.
ConclusionsWhilethechangesareasuccess,theyhavebeenrestrictedbybudgetandbythebuildingitself.Mostroomsstilloperateasconventionallecturetheatres(althoughimprovedbytheinstallationofinteractivetechnologyincludingpersonalresponsevotingsystems).
However,Strathclydehasthoughtthroughwhatitcanachieveandimplementediteffectively.Ithastakenthesophisticateduseoftechnologyastagefurtherthanmostotherinstitutions,bothintermsofhowteachingspacescanbestbeused,andinthewaythatcoursematerialcanbedrawnfromarangeofsources,compiledtoahighstandard,tailoredforindividualsanddistributedelectronically.Thereduceddropoutratesillustrateclearlythebenefitsofengagingwithstudentsandtheimportanceofhavingavarietyofteachingspacestosupportthedifferentmodesofteachingandlearning. Doubleprojectionscreen,JamesWeirBuilding.
(photo:AMA)
Grouplearning,JamesWeirBuilding.(photo:AMA)
Bananashapeddesksassignedtofourpersonstudentcohortstofacilitateinteraction.(photo:AMA)
Floorplanoftherefurbishedspaces,JamesWeirBuilding.(image:courtesyofUniversityofStrathclyde)
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With20,000students,Edinburgh’sEdinburgh’sTelfordCollegeisoneofthelargestFEcollegesinScotland.Establishedinthe1960s,itcurrentlyextendsacrossthreecampusesinthesociallydeprivedareasofPiltonandMuirhouseandafourthsiteattheGyle.However,anewcampusatWestGrantondueforcompletionin2006willreplacethese.
WestGrantonRoadCampusLikemanyFEestablishments,Edinburgh’sTelfordCollegeneedstobreakdownbarriersagainsteducationamongpeopleforwhomformaleducationhasfailed.WhileEdinburgh’sTelfordCollegeseekstopreparesomestudentsforhighereducation,thefocusisfirmlyonvocationaltrainingandgainingemploymentwithinlocalindustry.
ThecollegerecognisestheimportanceofmakingfulluseofflexiblelearningandICT,particularlywithregardtomakinglearningasaccessibleaspossible.Itgoesfurther,helpingstudentslearncommunallybygearingteachingspacesforinteractionanddiscussion,andblurringtheboundariesbetweenformalteachingcirculationandsocialspaces.This
playstothepsychologyofagenerationthatseestechnology-driveninteractionasfun,therebymakinglearningmorefashionableandattractive.
TheWestGrantonRoadcampusimplementstheabovestrategywithintheconstraintsofthesiteandthishasresultedinatightlypacked,four-floorbuilding.ThebuildingisU-shaped,withtwolongarmsextendingaroundanopencourtyard.Thereisthedramaticsocialspace,thehub–asignificantshiftawayfromthelowstatuscanteenontheoldcampus.Onthetwoupperfloorsofthebuildingareopenplanstaffareaswherethemajorityofstaffwillbehotdesking,somethingnewineducationbuildings.
TheLearningResourceCentre,aflexible,openplanspace,isasignificantimprovementontheequivalentspaceintheoldcampus.Itcombinesatraditionalbookandcomputer-orientedlibrarywithenclosedandsemi-enclosedworkandprojectareas.ItislikelytobemorestructuredandquieterthaneithertheGlasgowCaledonianUniversitySaltireCentre(seecasestudy4)orthecentralconcourseoftheWesterhouseRoadCampusatJohnWheatleyCollege(seecasestudy1).Thespaceis18x70mandsimilar
Casestudy3Edinburgh’sTelfordCollege,WestGrantonRoad
ModelofthenewEdinburgh’sTelfordCampus,WestGrantonRoad.(image:courtesyofHOK)
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incharacterandstrategicapproachtoalarge,openplanoffice.Itmakesefficientuseofspaceandintroducesanatmosphereofinnovationthatspillsoutintothecollegeasawhole.
Fromhere,extendingdowneither‘arm’aretwo‘learningstreets’,whichservicethefirstfloorclassroomsthatmakeatransitionfromindependentlearningtoteaching.Thestreets,generouscentralcirculationspaces,incorporatealcovesfor‘purposefulsocialisation’equippedwithcomputerworkstations,liketherestofthecampus,andwirelessdataaccess.Thelearningstreetsarekeytothecollege’sflexiblelearningplanandwillensurethatlearningisnotrestrictedtoformalclassrooms–theywillhelpcreateanatmosphereofpervasivelearning.
Thestreetsandteachingclassroomsareequippedwithraisedfloorstoaccommodatefuturetechnology.Verticalductsandthearrangementofpermanentandmoveablewallswilldeterminetheconfigurationoffuturemodifications.ThroughoutthecollegeandwhereverInternetaccessisavailable,studentscan‘enter’theVirtualLearningEnvironment,throughwhichtheycancommunicatewiththeirtutorsandfellowstudentsaswellasaccesslearningmaterials.
Flexibilityhasbeenincorporatedintothegeneralteachingspacesinavarietyofways:
- raisedfloorsprovidecablingtoallareas- studwallsbetweenclassroomsenable
easyremovalormodification- sliding/foldingdoorsareprovided
betweensomeclassroomsforflexibilityinclassroomsize
- mainsserviceswithinwallsisrestrictedtocorridors,(althoughinafewinstanceselectronicwhiteboardsandotherequipmenthasbeenlocatedoncrosswalls,limitingtheirflexibility)
- wetservicesareprovidedwherepossibleforflexibleuses
- cablemanagementiskeptseparatefromloosefurniture(exceptinspecificcomputertrainingareas)soitcanberearrangedquickly
- roomsizesvaryfrom30m2to72m2.- Computerlaboratoriesarepaired,with
glazedwalls,andmaybeeitherusedastwoseparatelabs,orasonelargeteachingspace.
Adistinctioninpossibleflexibilityisdrawnbetweenspacesforpracticaltradesandgeneralteachingspaces.Simulatedenvironments,suchasthehairdressingsalons,havespecificdesignrequirementsfordrainage,specialventilationoradditionalfloorloadingcapacity.Thesedeterminehowtheycanbeused.
Theclassroomsaredividedbywallswithhighspecificationforsound-proofing.Thedesignisalsoinfluencedbythesustainabilityagendaanduseofnaturalventilation,whichhasresultedinopeningsontothelearningstreetsandatriumthataffectthearrangementofthestreetlevelsandthewallspaceavailableintheclassrooms.Mostroomshavebeenmadeasopenplanaspossibleinordertoenableeasychangeandreconfigurationasindustryoreducationalneedschange.
Externalperspectiveofthenewcampus.(image:courtesyofHOK)
Internalviewofthemainreception,(image:SteveAtkinson)
Viewofsocialanddiningspace.(image:SteveAtkinson)
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ConclusionThecampusrepresentsasignificantstepforwardintheprovisionofinnovativeteachingandlearning,especiallywithitsfacilitationofindependentleaning.NewAVequipmenthasbeenintroducedintomostclassroomsaswellaswifithroughoutthecollege.Thelayoutisefficientandlikelytogenerateanexcitingandenergeticatmosphere.Interestingly,theformalteachingspaces,whileincorporatingcertainelectronicfeatures,donotdiffersubstantiallyfromtheclassroomspacesoftheoldcampus.Rather,emphasisisontheeasyavailabilityofelectronicdataviacomprehensivecablinganddatainfrastructure.ThismakesgoodsenseasITequipmentwillundoubtedlychangewhilethecabling/datainfrastructurewillchangelessfrequently,andismoreimportantinyieldingteachingopportunitiesovertime.
Thebiggestchangehasbeenthemoveto‘independentlearning’,wheregeneralaccesstolearningiskey.Thispsychologicalshiftawayfromlearningonlyinclassroomstoanenvironmentwherelearningispossibleanywhere,atanytime,isenhancedbythedesignofthecampus.
Viewoftypicallearningstreetatfirstfloorlevel.(image:courtesyofHOK)
GroundflooroftheWestGrantoncampusbuilding.(image:courtesyofHOK)
GroundfloorplanofLearningResourceCentre.(image:courtesyofHOK)
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GlasgowCaledonianUniversitywasgranteduniversitystatusin1993andquicklyestablisheditselfasafully-fledgedinstituteofhighereducation.Itdescribesitselfasa‘21stcenturyuniversity’andisdeterminedtoputlearningandteachingonthesamelevelasresearch.Ittakesprideinthefactthatover27%ofitsstudentscomefromdeprivedcommunitiesandthatitbridgesthegapbetweenhighereducationandthepracticalworldofbusinessandindustry.
GlasgowCaledonianhasembarkedonanambitiousrebuildingprogramme,pullingtogetherdisparatebuildingsintoacampusthatisverymuchpartofthecity.RecentprojectssuchastheMbekiBuilding,theARCandthehighlysignificantSaltireCentreallhelpgenerateasenseofplacewithoutbeingexclusive.Theprogrammeisasmuchabouttechnologyandfacilitatinganewkindofteachingasitisaboutphysicalspaceandfacilities.Theinternationally-acclaimedSaltireCentreisaprimeexampleofhowthiscanbeachieved.
TheSaltireCentreLesWatson,aProVice-ChancellorofGlasgowCaledonianUniversityandtheprojectchampion,describestheuniversity’sprimarychallengeasthatofreachingouttoincludethosewhohavenotpreviouslyconsideredenteringhighereducation.Itmustengagewithitsstudents,makethemwanttobethereandmakethemexcited,notintimidated,bytheprospectoflearning.Ithastomakeeducationfashionableandfun.LesWatsonpointsoutthatinbusinessandindustrypeoplelearnfromeachotherand,forstudentsespecially,thisisthemostpowerfulwayoflearning,complementedbyformalinstructionandreflectiveunderstanding.
TheSaltireCentrerecognisestheimportanceofflexiblelearning,supportedself-learningandsimilarlearningconceptsthataremadepossiblebytheelectronicdeliveryofinformation.Itgoesfurther,bymakingitselfthestartingpointofthelearningprocessandbyencouraging‘deliberatesocialising’.Thisincludesacceptingnoise,combininglearningenvironmentswithfoodanddrinkwiththeassociatedriskofdamagetoequipmentandproperty.Thisapproachplacesconfidenceinthestudents,trustingthemtoidentifywhatconstitutesacceptablebehaviour.TheUniversityhasprovedthatthisapproachcanwork,albeitonasmallerscale,atitspopularLearningCafé.
TheLearningCafé,launchedin2001andlocatedonthegroundfloorofthemainlibrary,wasbuilttoencouragesociallearning.Ithasamixtureofcomfortablefurniture,servesgoodcoffeeandfoodandwelcomesmobiletelephoneuseandgeneralchat.Itssuccesswithstudentsandstaffresultedintheapproachbeingexpandedtothelarger,1,800seatSaltireCentre.
TheSaltireCentre,comprising10,500m2overfivefloors,ismulti-functional,flexibleandopenplananddeliversthefullrangeoflibraryservices.Itdoesthisbyfocusingonpeopleandtheprocessoflearning,ratherthanonstorageandresourcemanagement.Oneachfloortherearebooks,onopenshelvesandcompactshelving,andfacilitiesforstudying,browsingandborrowing,aswellasforrelaxingandsocialising.
Casestudy4GlasgowCaledonianUniversity,SaltireCentre
ViewofthefrontentrancetotheSaltireCentre.(image:RichardBarrett,courtesyofGlasgowCaledonianUniveersity)
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Thegroundfloorconsistsofa2,500m2‘servicesmall’,whichprovidesaone-stopaccesspointforallservicesforstudents.Amainservicedesk,auxiliarydesks,servicekiosks,meetingpods,semi-privateinflatablemeetingcorners,sixprivateconsultingroomsandaccesstotheconsultingsuiteareallsetwithinalivelymixtureofstudyspace,acaféandaccessto40%ofthecentre’sbookstockoncompactshelving.
TheSaltireCentrecouldbeseenasanunstructured‘educationalsoup’and,atninetimesthesizeoftheLearningCafé,mightnotbesoeasytooperate.Yetoncloseexaminationitisclearthatithasbeenwellthoughtthroughandisbasedonsoundresearchintotheworkingsofopenplan,flexiblespace.Ascanbeseenfromtheplanandsection,thecentreoffersawiderangeofspacestosuitdifferentpeople,learningmethodsandstyles–fromopenandinteractivetoclosed,structuredstudyspaces.Thelarge,opengroundfloorcontrastswiththesmallerscaletopfloor,andthereisagradualshiftfromnoisyfrontgroundfloortoquietbacktopfloor.Theinteriordesign,furniture,fixturesandfittingshavebeencarefullyselectedtocomplementtherangeofspaceswithintheCentre.
ConclusionTheSaltireCentreturnscirculationandinformalteachingspacesintoamajorresource.Ithighlightstheessentialrolethistypeofspaceplaysinmodernteachingandencouragesthecombinationofsocialisingandlearninginamuchmoreradicalmannerthaninmanyothereducationalestablishments.
StudentsintheLearningCafé(photo:courtesyofGlasgowCaledonianUniversity)
ViewofgroundflooroftheSaltireCentre.(photo:RichardBarrett,courtesyofGlasgowCaledonianUniversity)
InternalviewoftheSaltireCentreatrium.(photo:RichardBarrett,courtesyofGlasgowCaledonianUniversity)
StudentsintheLearningCafé,thepredecessoroftheSaltireCentre(photo:courtesyofGlasgowCaledonianUniversity)
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APPENDIX7AbbreviationsandGlossary
Manyorganisationsandconceptshavebeenreferredtoduringthisproject.Asanaidtothereader,thefollowingguideisoffered.
CABE CommissionforArchitectureandtheBuiltEnvironment
FE FurtherEducationFEC FurtherEducationCollegeFTE Full-timeequivalentGCU GlasgowCaledonianUniversityHE HigherEducationHEA HigherEducationAcademyHEDQF HigherEducationDesignQualityForumHEFCE HigherEducationFundingCouncilofEnglandHMIE HMInspectorateofEducationHEI HigherEducationInstitutionJANET JointAcademicNETworkJISC JointInformationSubCommitteeLSC LearningandSkillsCouncilPRS PersonalResponseSystem(electronicvoting)QAA QualityAssuranceAgencySCRE TheScottishCouncilforResearchinEducationSFC ScottishFundingCouncilSFHEFC ScottishFurtherandHigher
EducationFundingCouncilSFEU ScottishFurtherEducationUnit
Asynchronouslearning–learningwhichdoesnottakeplaceinrealtime(eglearningviaemail,videomessaging,onlinecoursework)
Activelearning–learningwherethestudentisengagedinthinkingcriticallyabouttheirexistingknowledgeanddirectingfuturestudy
Blendedlearning–e-learningcombinedwithtraditionallearning
Computercommons–socialspaceequippedwithcomputers
Collaboratory–aplacedesignedtosupportcollaborativelearning(seebelow)
Collaborativelearning–learningthatinvolvesinteractionbetweenstudents/peers
Cybercafé–seeinternetcafé
E-learning–networkedaccesstodigitallearningmaterialsandcommunicationsystemstodeliverandsupportlearning
Immersiveenvironment–spacewithseverallargescreensforprojectinginformationsothatoccupantsareimmersedinthedata;3-dimensionalsimulationssometimesincluded
Informationcommons–libraryspaceforteachersandlearnerstoexploreinformationandresources
Internetcafé–spaceprovidingcomputeraccesstotheinternetplusrefreshments
Learning-centredenvironment–anenvironmentthatpayscarefulattentiontotheskills,attitudesandbeliefsthatlearnersbringtotheeducationalsetting
M-learning–mobilelearningviawirelessaccesstomobiledevices(laptops,handheldsorphones)todeliverlearningmaterialsandsupportservices
Openlearningcentre–physicalplacefacilitatedwithexperts,onlineandpaperbasedmaterials,wherestudentscanstudyattheirownpace.Suchspacesareoftenprovidedwithinlibrariesandcanincludepresentationrooms
Peer-to-peerlearning–learningwhichtakesplacebetweenoneormorestudents.(Seealso‘collaborativelearning’)
Pedagogy–studyofthemethodsandapplicationofeducationaltheory
Self-directedlearning–learnerassumesprimaryresponsibilityforplanning,implementingandevaluatingthelearningprocess.(Seealso‘activelearning’)
Skillslaboratory–spacewherehands-onpracticalteachingandlearningtakesplace
Student-centredlearning–teachingmethodsthatpaycarefulattentiontoskills,attitudesandbeliefsthatlearnersbringtotheeducationalsetting
Synchronouslearning–learningthattakesplaceinrealtime(egclassroomsituations,video-conferencing,synchronisedchatrooms)
Teachingcluster–agroupoflearningspacesofferingavarietyoflearningmodes
Transparenttechnology–supportivetechnologywhichiseasyandintuitivetouse
Virtuallearningenvironment–virtualforumwhichintegratesonlinelearningwithdeliverymethodsandstudentstracking
VirtualClassroom–onlinediscussionforumsupportedbydigitalmaterials
Wi-fi–commonlyusedtosignifythe802.11bstandard.Aformofwirelessnetworkingwhichallowstheconnectionoftwoormorecomputerswithouttheneedforphysicalcabling
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APPENDIX8ConferenceOctober2005–Summary
TodisseminatethefindingsofthisreporttoScottishHigherandFurtherEducationinstitutions,theSFCarrangedtheSpacesforLearningconference,whichtookplaceon31October2005atGlasgowCaledonianUniversity.RepresentativesfromEstates,ITandtechnology,SeniorAdministration,LibrariesandLearningSpecialistsattendedfromseventeenHigherEducationand32FurtherEducationCollegestodiscussandcommentonthedraftreport.Thedaywaswellattendedby130delegates,andthereportwaswellreceived.
FollowinganintroductionbyIanMurning(SFC)theSpacesforLearningreportwaspresentedby(AMAAlexiMarmotAssociates).Thepresentationfocusedoncasestudyexamplesoftheportfolioofspacetypesthatareemergingtomeettheneedsofthenewpedagogy,toexploittheopportunitiesbroughtbytechnologyandthechangingdemographicsofthelearningpopulation.Essentialdesignqualitiesofthesespaceswerediscussedandtwelvekeysstepstoprovidingsuccessfulspacesforlearningidentified.
ThiswasfollowedbyapresentationbyFionaParsonsontheE-spacesstudyconductedforJISCbytheUniversityofBirmingham.Thepresentationgaveanoverviewoftheresearchmethodologyandguidelinesfortheeffectiveintroductionoflearningtechnologiesintolearningenvironments.Casestudyexampleswereincluded.
Sixworkshopswereoffered(eachrepeatedtwice)togeneratefurtherdiscussion.WorkshopsexploredtheportfolioofspacetypesidentifiedintheSpacesforLearningreport:Groupteaching/learningspace;Simulationandimmersiveenvironments;Social/peer-to-peerspaces;Learningclusters;andPrivatestudy&externalspaces.Inaddition,aworkshoponLearningTechnologieswasofferedbytheUniversityofBirminghamteamandahard-hattouroftheSaltireCentre,whichwasunderconstructionatthetime,wasgivenbyLesWatson.
Awiderangingsetofthoughtfulcommentswererecordedfromtheworkshopparticipants.Thesearesummarisedbelow:
Oncreatinggoodlearningenvironments:
• Thebasicsofgoodlight,temperatureandairquality,suitablelocations,arealwaysprerequisitesforsuccessfulspaces.
• Differencesbetweenuniversitiesandcollegesmustalwaysbetakenintoaccount.Collegesmayneedmoresupportforchange.
• Examplesandsitevisitsprovideinvaluableopportunitiesforlearning.
• Theimportanceofastrongprojectsponsorwillingtokeeptheprojecthighprofileamongststaffandstudents,cannotbeunderestimated,
• Obtainingstudentviewsandneedshelpstocreatetherighttypeofplaceandatmosphere
• Itisimportantthatappropriateguidanceandmaterialsareavailabletosupportlearningandteachinginnewenvironments.Highlycommittedstudentsandlecturersareessentialtotakenewtypesofspaceandteachingmethodsforward.
• FeedbackandPost-OccupancyEvaluationisessential,alongwithdisseminationoflessonslearnedtothesector.Understandingoftheimpactofspaceonlearningeffectivenessisneededasthiscouldhelpsecurefundingfornewdevelopmentsthatisotherwisehardtoget.
Onfundingmechanisms:
• Itseemsthatthecurrentdriverinthesectoristoreducethefloorareaoftheestatestobemoreefficient.Ifspaceutilisationisnottobeadeterminantoffunding,whatis?
• Newapproachestospaceutilisationsmeasureswillneedtobeconsideredfordifferentusepatternsandawiderrangeofspacetypes-itisstillanimportantconcept.
• Thevaryinglevelsofavailablefundingandtimescalesforprojectsimpactontheabilityofinstitutionstoconsultwidelyandreallythinkaboutestatesstrategies.
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OnGroupTeaching/LearningSpaces:
• Traditionallecturetheatreswillstillbeusedinthefuture.Studentsandstaffstillvaluefacetofacemethods,increasinglysupportedbyIT.
• Newteachingmethodsseemtorequiremorespacewhichmaybeintensionwithmessagesaboutspaceefficiency.Thereisclearlyscopetoconsidertheuseofbetterdesignedfurniturealthoughthisisnotalwaysaffordable.
• Centralisedtimetablingcanaidefficiency,butthereisaneedtoachieveabalancebetweenefficientuseofresourcesandappropriatelearningenvironmentsforeachsubject.
• Collegestudentsoftenworkinverysmallgroupswithahighdegreeoftechnologyandthisrequiresmorespace(s)todivideupclassesintomanygroups.
OnLearningClusters:
• Furniturerearrangementsorvariedroomsizerequirementsoverthedaymayreducerealflexibility-clustersofroomscanbemanagedasagrouptohelpmitigatethis,ideallywithalocalclustermanager.
• Spaceclustersareusuallyfoundtobebetterutilisedthanotherspaces.
• Concernsfromcollegesthatthereareadditionalcostsinvolvedinthemanagementofflexiblespace.Ifthisisnotunderpinnedbyfundingforongoingsupportthenitislesslikelythattheywillbeimplemented.
OnSocial/Peer-to-peerspaces:
• Weneedtostoptalkingaboutsocialspaceandembracetheterm‘learningspace’becauseevencirculationspaceisbecominglearningspace.
• Socialspacesarebestlocatedinopenareaswithalargethroughputofpeopletoencourageusagebyabroadpopulation.
• Questionsaroseastohowyoujustifysocialandpeer-to-peerspacesinanoutlinebusinesscase?Moreevidenceondemandandeffectivenessneedtobegathered.
• Somecollegesreportedbeingunabletousecorridorspacesduetofireregulations.Howdoyoubalancenon-combustible,fixedfurniturewithcomfortandaffordability?
• TheextenttowhichsocialareasareprovidedwithfixedITneedstobethoughtaboutinrelationtotheviewthatstudentsneedsome‘downtime’areaswithoutPCs,suchascafes.
Ontechnology:
• InnovativeteachingmethodsoftenrequiresignificantITsupport.Thisismuchmoremanageableifthereisapolicyofstandardisedspecificationandequipment.
• Theskillsetrequiredtodeliverteachinginadigitalagemustbeconsidered.Knowledgegapsshouldbeaddressedbymoretrainingforteachingstaff.
• Inthefuturemorestudentswillowntheirowntechnologykitbutissuesofsocialinclusionwillremain.Currently,desktopPC’sprovidedonsitearethemachineofchoiceformoststudents.
OnPrivate/ExternalSpaces:
• CurrentlytheSFEFCfunding/bursarymodelrequiresarecordofphysicalattendancethatisperceivedtodiscouragethecreativeuseofoff-campuslearning.
• LearningshouldbedrawnfromtheFEsector,whichhasextensiveexperienceofnon-campuslearning(e.g.communitypremises,workplaces).IssuestoconsiderincludeaccesstoPCs,linkingtocollegeITnetworks,andhealthandsafetyresponsibilities.
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APPENDIX9–References
Thefollowingreferencesareofferedforreadersinterestedinfurtherpursuingthesubjectmatterofthisreport.
Anderson,P,Blackwood,A2004,MobileandPDAtechnologiesandtheirfutureuseineducation,JISCTechnologyandStandardsWatch:04-03,November.
Barr,RandTagg,J,1995,AnewparadigmforUndergraduateEducationFromTeachingtoLearning,Change,November,pp13-25
BartlettP,andChaseG,2005,SustainabilityonCampus:Storiesandstrategiesforchange,CambridgeMass.,MITPress.
Bransford,JD,BrownAnnL,Cocking,RR,2000,HowPeopleLearn:brain,mind,experienceandschool,NationalResearchCouncil,NationalAcademyPress,WashingtonDC.
CABE,2005,DesignWithDistinction:Thevalueofgoodbuildingdesigninhighereducation,theCommissionforArchitectureandtheBuiltEnvironment,ODPM,London,March.
LearningandSkillsCouncil,March2005,WorldClassBuildings:Designqualityinfurthereducation,LSCandRIBAClientForum.
PKALRoundtableoftheFuture,2001,InformationTechnologyintheserviceofstudentlearning,ProjectKaleidoscope.
SchneiderM,2002,Doschoolfacilitiesaffectacademicoutcomes?,NationalClearinghouseforEducationalFacilities,November.
ScottishExecutive,2003,Lifethroughlearning:Learningthroughlife,thelifelonglearningstrategyforScotland,ScottishExecutive,February.
ScottishFundingCouncils,2005JointSFEFC/SHEFCE-LearningGroup:FinalReport,SHEFC.
WilsonV,2002,Doessmallreallymakeadifference?Areviewoftheliteratureontheeffectsofclasssizeonteachingpracticeandpupils’behaviourandattainmentSCREResearchreportNo.107
www.cpmag.com CollegePlanning&ManagementMagazine
www.educause.edu/Educause
www.smg.ac.uk SpaceManagementGroup
www.tltgroup.org Teaching,Learning&TechnologyGroup
http://web.mit.edu/ MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
http://scil.stanford.eduStanfordCenterforInnovations&Learning
ScottishFundingCouncilDonaldsonHouse97HaymarketTerraceEdinburghEH125HD
Tel:01313136500Fax:01313136501Email:[email protected]
AlexiMarmotAssociatesLintonHouse39HighgateRoadLondonNW51RS
Tel:+44(0)2072845888Fax:+44(0)2072845889Email:[email protected]
haadesignlimitedCentralChambers109HopeStreetGlasgowG26LL
Tel:01412216234Fax:01412216543Email:[email protected]
www.haadesign.co.uk
DesignedbyD
raughtAssociates
ISBN 978–0–9552528–0–8 0–9552528–0–6
PublishedbyAMAAlexiMarmotAssociates,2006Thisreportisavailableonlineatwww.sfc.ac.uk