Off-campus informal learning spaces selection: A Bangkok private university case study

Abstract

Informal learning spaces (ILS) include both inside and outside library spaces and university’s borderline. A university has its duty to provide classrooms and other supporting spaces for formal and informal learning. Nevertheless, the arrangement of such spaces might not logically and functionally match learning preferences and behaviours of students, who are prime users. The deficiency of on-campus ILS might drive students to use off-campus ILS. The understanding of why students select offcampus ILS can reflect any absence and inadequacy of on-campus ILS. The objective was to study where and why undergraduate students of business school select off-campus ILS. This research used students of a Bangkok private university as a case study. The research method was through quantitative analysis and descriptive data analysis, using questionnaire surveys conducted during March 2018. Students with any levels of grade point averages and undergraduate levels had similar preferences for using and not using off-campus ILS. Keywords: Informal learning, learning spaces, ILS, HEI, off-campus, Bangkok.