Transforming Rural Higher Education for the Postdigital Era

This conceptual paper discusses hybrid, collaborative learning spaces in the postdigital era, in which digital technologies are seen as interwoven into the full complexity of higher education (HE) spaces and practices. While the COVID-19 pandemic heightened the significance of digital technology in HE, it also exposed the fragility of the social interactions inherent in students’ learning. This situation might have stemmed from a narrow thinking of the ‘digital’ and the challenges of enabling equitable, convivial learning spaces to evolve in this context. As universities increasingly move towards hybridity in their educational offerings, particularly within the sustainable university mission, there is a need to critically examine and balance these spaces with a deeper understanding of the ‘social’. Through the theoretical framing of the ‘geographies of collaboration’, this paper offers a definition of ‘hybrid’ that extends beyond purely technical or pedagogical arrangements, as a fluid experience of space, where the boundaries between the online and the physical are blurred, aligning with a broader interest in rethinking space in new and mobile ways. Given the prominence of hybridity, it becomes critical to better understand how to work towards high-quality hybrid, collaborative HE spaces, aiming for more equal practices and sustainable futures for HE.

Learning spaces in higher education are changing in crucial and myriad ways. It is important to know how learning spaces are associated with learning in order to provide students with the most appropriate spaces to learn. This study investigates the relationship between students’ learning patterns and learning spaces in higher education through empirical work. It was divided into two phases – firstly, it selected two contrasting learning spaces in a Chinese university and used an adapted Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) to compare how students went about their learning differently within the spaces. In the second stage, students were recruited to participate in focus group interviews, in which they were asked about their learning experiences of, and attitudes towards, the spaces. Quantitative and qualitative data were combined and analysed in order to identify patterns of covariation that related to features of students’ learning patterns and preferences for learning spaces. The findings revealed that students with features of a typical application-directed learning pattern preferred flexible, innovative learning spaces; students who showed characteristics of a reproductive learning pattern considered traditional, didactic learning spaces as desirable or necessary; and students who adopted more strategies of a meaning-directed learning pattern placed less emphasis on the importance of space as they tended to choose different types of learning space according to their own learning needs. Implications for further research and practice of learning spaces in higher education, as well as the generalisability of the findings, are discussed.

Through the lens of sensory affect, this book offers a new way of thinking about day-to-day teaching and student engagement within learning spaces in design education. The book examines the definitions, concepts, ideas, and overlaps of a repertoire of learning spaces prevalent in higher education and addresses the pedagogical gap that exists between broader learning structures and spaces, and the requirements of specialist design education. Recognising that mainstream teaching environments impact upon design studio learning and student engagement, the book positions creative learning spaces at the heart of practice-based learning. It defines the underlying pedagogical philosophy of a creative learning space in design education and reports on how practical strategies incorporating sensory affect may be implemented by educators to foster better student engagement in these spaces within higher education. Bringing much-needed attention to specialist design teaching and learning spaces in higher education, this book will be of interest to educators, researchers, and post-graduate students immersed in design education, pedagogy, and learning spaces more broadly.

Learning space research is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the design, evaluation and management of learning spaces. This paper reviews a dispersed and fragmented literature relevant to understanding connections between university learning spaces and student learning activities. From this review, the paper distils a number of core concerns and identifies some gaps in the literature. One of its primary goals is to clear the ground for the construction of models of learning space that can be used by the various parties involved in the design and evaluation of new learning spaces: teachers, architects, interior designers, IT managers, educational leaders and students. A closely related goal is to help those participating in learning space research locate and understand each other's contributions. Fragmentation in research related to learning and physical spaces makes progress in the field slow. Our review makes two passes over the field: drawing together research from architecture, the learning sciences, environmental psychology, human computer interaction and elsewhere to identify research foci and gaps, and then also capturing some work by learning space researchers that directly attempts to model the main relationships in the field. The paper ends with a summary of implications for research and practice.

PurposeToday, academic work includes increasingly informal and collaborative activities. This research attempts to determine whether stakeholders in the development of learning spaces in higher education could benefit from the principles of co-working space. This paper aims to determine whether a need exists for co-working space as a learning space solution from the viewpoint of academic space users. This determination will be made by examining the following research question: How does the co-working space concept meet user expectations regarding academic space?Design/methodology/approachThe research question is answered by investigating users’ experiences of existing learning spaces in higher education in light of future workplace needs. Users’ requirements are examined by analysing user experience survey and interviews. The results are confirmed by focus group interviews and examined in the light of co-working space characteristics that are identified in the literature from the viewpoint of workplace management by searching for similarities between descriptions in the literature and the empirical data.FindingsThis research suggests that academic space users would appreciate it if the spaces they use would reflect some of the co-working space characteristics. These characteristics are community, multipurpose office, high accessibility and attractive workplace. A less applicable co-working space characteristic is space as service.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study are based on one case, which limits the generalisability of the results.Practical implicationsThe results provide suggestions for corporate real estate management and stakeholders in academic institutions to consider when renovating outdated spaces.Originality/valueThe paper expands the literature on learning spaces in higher education and related practices by linking it with co-working spaces, thereby contributing to a field that has not yet been explored in depth.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore issues, approaches and challenges in providing strategic direction to university libraries on developing their physical space in what is increasingly a digital age. A key aspect of the work is to explore how university libraries and their senior staff can widen libraries’ role to inform the strategic direction of formal and informal learning spaces across the institution. Design/methodology/approach – Research and perspectives from across the world provide the context for the study. A single site case study based at Loughborough University in the UK is explored to demonstrate how strategy for university library space is developed. The case study also provides an example of how a university library has extended its influence on other informal learning spaces. Findings – University library physical space has an important role in learning, teaching and research, despite the increase in digital information provision. For effective strategy, information and evidence needs to be collected from a wide range of sources. The experience and skills that university libraries have developed in managing learning spaces can be transferred to learning spaces elsewhere in the university. Research limitations/implications – This is a single site case study. Practical implications – The case study provides approaches and ideas that can be applied by university libraries in the strategic development of learning spaces. Originality/value – The paper provides an innovative and informed insight into how university libraries can influence learning and teaching spaces across university campus/site. Further research would be valuable to identify practice more widely. Surveying, from a library perspective, university and university estate, management strategies for content relating to libraries and formal and informal spaces across the institution and what is going on/being planned in this area would further progress the debate.

In a postdigital era, an increasingly important dimension of citizenship is digital citizenship, which is reflected for instance by digital civic engagement, fake news, and disinformation, not least during the Covid-19 pandemic. Teacher education (TE) prepares student teachers for the fostering of citizens in K-12 schools, and various conceptualizations of digital citizenship appear in educational research that could inform TE practice. This paper explores two common conceptualizations of digital citizenship in educational research, Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship and Choi’s four-category model, and critically examines how these reflect digital citizenship in a postdigital era, including potential implications for TE. The paper shows that neither conceptualization fully reflects digital citizenship in a postdigital era although Choi’s model mirrors some characteristics, for instance a blurredness between binaries such as “online” and “offline”, and a multi-faceted understanding of citizenship and digital technologies. Critically analyzing digital citizenship is important as the conceptualizations informing TE may impact the preparation of future teachers to teach for digital citizenship in a postdigital era.

This paper presents initial research outcomes of an on-going process of conceptual decision-making regarding the planning, design and use of new teaching and learning spaces for all academies on the new campus of the NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences. The outcome of this research presents a conceptual framework for all future teaching and learning spaces, and is the results of the translation of the Educational Vision of NHTV 2014-2019 into a design blueprint (Graf, 2015). This design blueprint will be used as guiding principal in consulting with academies regarding their desired level of facility functionality and serviceability in delivering educational excellence.A comprehensive approach to data collection, analysis and multi-party involvement in decision-making was deemed a critical prerequisite for ensuring the validity of the design blueprint as conceptual framework. Based on the process steps of the Accommodation-Choice Model (Van der Voordt et al., 2011), the research design consisted of 3 parts: (i) identifying and interpreting all relevant existing information on the planning, design and use of teaching and learning spaces, (ii) identifying all relevant organisational and educational objectives for and with the new teaching and learning spaces, and (iii) making conceptual decisions regarding the planning, design, and use of all future teaching and learning spaces on the NHTV Campus.Preliminary results of the study emphasizes the need for creating optimal facility flexibility by ensuring all teaching and learning spaces can accommodate and facilitate multiple modes of teaching and learning. In developing the design blueprint previous research on the future learning environment on the NHTV Campus by Graf (2015) was used to identify 5 recognisable spatial typologies for teaching and learning, and to develop a matrix for indicating the extent to which these spatial typologies support the 3 primary ways of learning. By adapting the design blueprint as originally proposed by Finkelstein et al. (2014), outcomes of this matrix was were used to define the required functionality and serviceability of the various teaching and learning spaces with regards to space / layout, furniture, technologies, acoustics and lighting / colour.The study provides a valid and transparent approach to multi-party decision-making on academy-specific requirements for all new teaching and learning spaces on the NHTV Campus

This paper reports on a microanalytic study which examines the ways in which teachers create ‘space for learning’ Using data from two English language classes recorded in China, we identify specific interactional features which create space, enhance participation and increase opportunities for learning. Adopting the theoretical underpinnings and principles of conversation analysis, we demonstrate how teachers create space for learning through the use of specific practices such as increased wait‐time, extended learner turns and increased planning time. Space is also created by teachers according to their ability to manage learner contributions in a positive and focused way: by shaping learner contributions through the use of scaffolding, paraphrasing and re‐iterating. We also argue that space for learning may be created when pedagogic goals and the language used to achieve them are aligned. Implications for teacher education and classroom practice are discussed.

Consideration of the physical environment in which learning takes place has become a growing area of academic interest over the past decade. This study focuses on the experiences and perceptions of academic staff and students who used three refurbished, and innovative, learning spaces at the University of Leicester. The results suggest that the physical environment can have an impact on the emotional and motivational experiences of students and staff. However, there is some suggestion that learning space development should not be at the expense of approaches to pedagogy which do not foreground the use of technologies.The analysis of the users' experiences leads to the proposition of a theoretical model for the apt design of future learning spaces in Higher Education. The DEEP learning space framework outlines the need for careful consideration being given to dynamic, engaging, ecological and participatory (DEEP) dimensions within the twenty-first century learning space.

In Misinformation Studies and Higher Education in the Postdigital Era: Beyond Fake News, Paul Cook argues that the epistemological complexity of the postdigital age demands a new, metadisciplinary approach to information and media – misinformation studies. Cook posits that institutions of higher education can work toward regaining the public’s trust and reinvigorating general education programs by developing a metadiscipline that directly addresses the problem of misinformation in all its various and dangerous forms. This book outlines how such a curricular pivot may be accomplished in an age saturated with generative AI, algorithmic manipulation, ubiquitous networked computing, and information overload, coupled with the myriad challenges higher education faces from seemingly all sides. Ultimately, this book makes a compelling case that universities and colleges can instead harness the fragmentation caused by this ‘perfect storm’ currently facing higher education so they can not only weather the crisis, but also emerge stronger because of it.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to study the convergence space of school space, natural space, and virtual space as an educational space focused on the Lefebvre's spatial theory.
 Methods In this study, Lefebvre's spatial theory was selected as the analysis framework and the collected data were analyzed focusing on the spatial practice, spatial representation, and reproduction space of the Lefebvre's spatial theory.
 Results First, the characteristics and limitations of school space as a recent educational space are as follows. The characteristics of school space are the space where control of education and learner's autonomy coexist in the context of spatial practice, the space where the government led of education and the initiative of the learner coexist in the context of spatial representation, and the space where the knowledge transfer of education and learner's activity coexist in the context of reproduction space. The limitations of school space were found to identify school space as a specific physical space, the influence of the educational system on school space, and to limit the members of school space to teachers and students. Second, the characteristics and possibilities of natural space and virtual space as an alternative educational space are as follows. The characteristics of natural space and virtual space appeared as a space of motivation for learning from the spatial practice, a learning space of community from the spatial representation, and a learning space of interaction from the reproduction space. The possibilities of natural space and virtual space appeared as new educational spaces from the spatial practice, the possibility of qualitative improvement from the reproduction space, and the possibility of participation of various educational members from the reproduction space. Third, the characteristics and directions of the convergence space of school space, natural space, and virtual space as a future educational space are as follows. The characteristics of the convergence space are a curious learning space through the physical connection of education space and learning spaces from the spatial practice, a self-directed learning space through the systematic connection of education space and learning spaces from the spatial representation, and a creative experiential learning space through experiential connection of education space and learning spaces from the reproduction space. The direction of the convergence space appeared as a space of restoration of relationships for coexistence as a historical space.
 Conclusions First, a discourse centered on learners and instructors is required in the process of constructing a convergence space of school space, natural space, and virtual space in the educational field. Second, the establishment of policies is required in the process of applying the convergence space of school space, natural space, and cyberspace in the educational field. Third, the development of curriculum and education methods is required in the process of applying the convergence space of school space, natural space, and cyberspace in the educational field.

Higher Education is shifting from teacher-centred to student-centred practices. Such new practices ought to make today's students into active and cooperative learners and give them more relevant, real challenges and hands-on experiences. Furthemore, these learning scenarios should equip the student with the skills, competences and character qualities to thrive in a meaningful future job. Hence, the classroom or learning space should be able to resemble a real work environment with social interaction and different types of teamwork to handle complex problem solving. A holistic approach is needed to redesign and develop new learning spaces and to create new eco-systems for learning in order to handle more students than ever, attending higher education. Between 2000 and 2014, the number of students in higher education globally more than doubled to 207 million. One concrete approach is to start with the basic problem many Universities are facing today. Universities are in need of designs and definitions for lecture halls and classrooms that facilitate collaborative education practices next to informal study places. An easy way to transform current education space designs is by introducing new education buildings. However, many stakeholders have their part in the design process of learning spaces. Experiences and ideas are mixed-up in the understanding, communication, definition, usage, evaluation and (re-)design. This paper introduces three different approaches: 1) New campus plan for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2) Cookbook Education Spaces from Delft University of Technology with prerequisite guidelines for architects and construction companies, and 3) JISC's awareness campaign visiting universities with live examples of active learning spaces called The Sticky Campus. How can universities find common ground and understanding in the process of defining and redesigning learning spaces?

The rapid advancement of technology has been transforming the way our environments and processes within them have been traditionally perceived and developed. This paper focuses on learning environments in order to explore through a systematic review, the way learning spaces in Higher Education are framed by different theories and the types of learning spaces discussed in literature – mainly physical, virtual and hybrid – as well as the way they are used alongside affordances and challenges they bring with them. The paper, finally, concludes with a collection of design guidelines for practitioners and designers of learning spaces in Higher Education.

The sudden mass migration of teaching, learning and assessment to the digital terrain
\nbecause of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the global proliferation of scholarship. This
\nscholarship ranges from romantic notions of the opportunity to revivify curriculum and
\npedagogy in what was deemed an underutilised educational technology (online) resource space
\nto scholarship contemptuous of this newfound romance. This has exposed the potential
\naffordances of online teaching and its adjunctive exclusionary effects. Whilst the authors
\nrecognise the short-term benefits of adapting advanced technology for educational purposes, they
\nprovoke the question as to the obliterative potential of technology for the human (university
\nacademics in this instance) and the non-human/more-than-human. It is, however, without
\ncontention that the neoliberal university, driven by the economic viability and sustainability
\nimperative, gives precedence to curriculum delivery and student support to secure degree
\ncompletion targets even within academic timeframe (year) constraints. As such, it is
\nlikely to neglect the cogent matter of the affective as it relates to both academics, students and the
\nnon-human. In this conceptual article, Rosi Braidotti’s critical posthumanist perspective is
\ndrawn upon, offering both critical and affirmative propositions for moving forward in engagement
\nwith technologies in emerging educational online spaces. Firstly, critical perspectives are offered
\non some challenges of the neoliberal contouring and new regimes of accountability and
\nsurveillance that appear to have become more efficacious in the digital space. Secondly, it is
\nacknowledged that humans live in a technologically mediated world and need to navigate this
\nworld in productive ways. Braidotti’s philosophy of affirmative ethics helps us to invigorate
\naffordances of educational technology that are hopeful. This article’s contribution lies in
\nalternative imaginings of educational technology, so that technology can be used in ways that
\nadvance pedagogical lives and social relations.