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)

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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:info@sfc.ac.ukwww.sfc.ac.uk

AlexiMarmotAssociatesLintonHouse39HighgateRoadLondonNW51RS

Tel:+44(0)2072845888Fax:+44(0)2072845889Email:mail@aleximarmot.comwww.aleximarmot.com

haadesignlimitedCentralChambers109HopeStreetGlasgowG26LL

Tel:01412216234Fax:01412216543Email:hugh@haadesign.co.uk

www.haadesign.co.uk

DesignedbyD

raughtAssociates

ISBN 978–0–9552528–0–8 0–9552528–0–6

PublishedbyAMAAlexiMarmotAssociates,2006Thisreportisavailableonlineatwww.sfc.ac.uk