Design Of Learning Spaces Research Articles

Planning and Designing Learning Spaces in Academic Libraries: A Case Study at Information & Learning Centre (ILC) of the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo

JULA provides a forum for the publication of research and developments done by university library professionals and opens the doorways to explore the current topics related specifically to university library profession. Full text articles available.We invite you to contribute scholarly work to ‘Journal of University Librarians Association (JULA)’, which is a double-blind peer-reviewed, biannual journal of University Librarians’ Association, Sri Lanka.Journal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka is now indexed in EBSCO and LISA.

Architectural design of classroom to stimulate learning in Higher Education

The architectural design of learning spaces in higher education has undergone profound changes with the new educational perspectives that break with traditional pedagogical practice supported by control, hierarchy, and information dissemination. Educational institutions are gradually seeking disruptive models that enhance new learning experiences. This article presents references of innovative projects of learning and interaction spaces, that have been added to the principles of Neuroeducation and Neuroarchitecture for the development of architectural strategies for a new classroom proposal for the Bahia State University. As a result, the project brings preliminary studies to the Learning Environment Model for Higher Education (LEMHE). A flexible model, divided into three learning areas: flexible zone (active); introspection zone, and relaxing zone. This zoning aims to provide diverse experiences of pedagogical practices, added to respect the physiological needs of its users to enhance well-being and learning in higher education.

Supporting complex decision making in learning space design: WDA-ANP, a novel sociotechnical systems approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel approach, underpinned by systems thinking, to structure requirements and support front-end design decision-making around the performance in-use of developments within highly complex environments, with diverse stakeholders and users, such as the case of learning spaces in higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachWork domain analysis (WDA), a sociotechnical systems design framework, is first used to model the constraints that shape the expected performance of an informal learning space (ILS). Based on the model, the following stage involved a sector-wide survey questionnaire (n = 175) to appraise the views of different stakeholder groups in relation to ILS. These were analysed using the analytical network process (ANP).FindingsThis study provides a novel approach, using WDA, to conceptualise the constraints shaping the performance in-use, integrating the perspectives of different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, it provides a structured approach to establish priorities that can serve as the basis to support complex decision-making during early design stages. The findings and proposed WDA–ANP approach aim to support HE estate managers on better understanding and integrating perspectives in relation to campus developments.Originality/valueIn this paper, a novel systems-based approach is proposed as an alternative to conceptualise ILS. Furthermore, the approach is combined with ANP, a multi-criteria decision-making approach, to develop a novel tool to derive priorities and support front-end design decision-making in learning space design.

Effectiveness of Online Teaching Methodology on Students’ Learning During Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Online Learning Space Design

This study is aimed to analyze the effectiveness of online teaching on students’ learning during the current pandemic. The novelty lies in analyzing the mediating role of online learning space design during an unprecedented situation of a pandemic. The effect of online teaching methodology (instructional design, assessment design, and online teaching platform and online learning space design) on student learning (dependent variable) is studied. Furthermore, the mediating role of online learning space design is investigated by correlating factors that influence student learning. A total of 837 student responses and 86 teacher responses have been recorded using two questionnaires. The results fully support the proposed hypotheses.

Learning Space Design and Usage in Self-Access Language Learning: Report on the Japan Association for Self-Access Learning (JASAL) Conference, 2021

Learning Space Design and Usage in Self-Access Language Learning: Report on the Japan Association for Self-Access Learning (JASAL) Conference, 2021

Affordances, Architecture and the Action Possibilities of Learning Environments: A Critical Review of the Literature and Future Directions

This paper critically reviews the body of literature on affordances relating to the design and inhabitation of school buildings. Focusing on the influence of learning spaces on pedagogical practices, we argue that links between affordances, architecture and the action possibilities of school-based environments have largely been overlooked and that such links hold great promise for better aligning space and pedagogy—especially amidst changing expectations of what effective teaching and learning ‘looks like’. Emerging innovative learning environments (ILEs) are designed to enable a wider pedagogical repertoire than traditional classrooms. In order to transcend stereotypical understandings about how the physical environment in schools may afford teaching and learning activities, it is becoming increasingly recognised that both design and practice reconceptualisation is required for affordances of new learning environments to be effectively actualised in support of contemporary education. With a focus on the environmental perceptions of architects, educators and learners, we believe affordance theory offers a useful framework for thinking about the design and use of learning spaces. We argue that Gibson’s affordance theory should be more commonly applied to help situate conversations between designers and users about how physical learning environments are conceived, perceived and actioned for effective teaching and learning.

In the Village: Enabling transformative and student led engagement with social science making through the design of technology rich learning spaces


 
 
 Learning through making has emerged as a critical form of pedagogy in the digital era of higher education, supporting active learning, students as co-creators and co-designers of their own learning and accessible forms of experiential education. Much of the existing literature and practice in making focuses on how to embed maker pedagogy within STEM fields and arts and media practice. This paper will explore the unique nature of making in social science education and role of technology rich spaces that were designed and deployed at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom played in supporting students to engage in social science making connected to assessment, teaching and as ways of navigating their own pathways through and inside their own village of learning spaces.
 
 

Standing Out or Blending In: Academic Libraries in the Crowded Informal Learning Space Ecosystem

As more campus locations establish intentional informal learning spaces, what, if anything, is the unique value of these spaces within the physical academic library? Using mixed methods, this study examines the relationship between students’ use, satisfaction, and productivity needs at five discrete locations at a large public university. Findings from unobtrusive observations, student surveys, and semistructured focus groups reveal an interconnected ecosystem of campus informal learning spaces in which the academic library is prominently situated, providing guidance for those making decisions around the availability and design of library learning spaces.

The design of experiential learning spaces for Chinese students studying at North American universities

The design of experiential learning spaces for Chinese students studying at North American universities

The Design of Experiential Learning Spaces for Chinese Students Studying at North American Universities

The Design of Experiential Learning Spaces for Chinese Students Studying at North American Universities

A Multilayered Approach to Understand and Imagine Doctoral Students’ Spaces of Learning

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the main conceptualizations of learning space from doctoral students’ perspectives. The aim was to develop a participatory approach to make students’ multiple voices heard. Background: Doctoral experience is viewed as being influenced by social practices of the scholarly communities; learning space in this context is a collective resource that can be altered through imagination of its inhabitants. The intersection of Lefebvre’s Production of Space in architecture and situated learning theory in education enabled building an integrated conceptual framework to explore learning space of doctoral students in its complexity. Methodology: Three research questions reflected theoretical and practical aims. To answer them, drawing on Design Based Research, I developed multi-phased research through three sequential phases: questionnaire, Photovoice, and prototyping, which respectively addressed subjective, objective, and co-constructed aspects of learning spaces. Contribution: This study is one of the few studies that looks at doctoral students learning spaces within the literature of learning spaces. It supports the development of a participatory procedure to design learning spaces for doctoral students. Findings: Findings suggested that learning space is a layered multi-faceted phenomenon and a changing entity. Doctoral students believed that learning space is an indicator of support from doctoral programs and has a potential to improve and sustain their well-being. Recommendations for Practitioners: Inviting students to take charge of the configurations of their working environment is suggested for higher education institutions. Doctoral students imagined using movable, folding, and writable walls to create private spaces for individuals as well as collaborative workspaces. Recommendation for Researchers: Identifying the interactions between learning space and learning over a longer time frame both in undergraduate and graduate settings can help us view the campus through a spatial ecology model. Also, future research might examine a participatory approach to design and research on learning spaces around parallel partnerships with other research-intensive universities. Impact on Society: Findings from this study identified areas for future studies and actions suggesting implications for learning space studies for the U15 (Group of Canadian Research Universities) and U21 (the leading global network of research universities for the 21st century). Future Research: Considering the radical changes that COVID-19 has brought in how we work, collaborate, study, and engage in social events, it is vital for higher educational institutes to rethink their learning spaces for the post- COVID era to support students’ learning and their meaningful engagement in learning communities and learning spaces. Further exploration on learning spaces in post COVID era is needed to expand the empirical knowledge on learning spaces, and thus, to inform research scholars subsequent work in the educational field.

Towards Developing Criteria to Evaluate the Functional Performance Efficiency of Learning Spaces

The spatial and geometric design of learning spaces plays an important role in transmitting the dynamics of learning. Recently, there has been a major milestone in effective teaching and learning methods (modern pedagogical approaches) that aim to shift students away from the traditional learning process towards collaborative, problem-oriented and independent learning. These changes required a new generation of learning spaces with different strategies and methods to adapt to these changes. This research problem lies in the huge gap between modern pedagogical methods and the spatial and geometric configuration of different learning spaces that do not meet the requirements of these methods. This article examines the impact of designing different learning spaces on learner-centred teaching and learning by understanding the interrelationships between research in architecture, learning sciences, and environmental psychology in order to achieve effective learning. As a result of the research, a set of criteria for evaluating the functional effectiveness of the research areas under consideration was developed.

A Musical Lens on Spatial Representations of Form to Support Designers and Teachers Using Hybrid Learning Spaces

Explorations of the potential of hybrid learning spaces have been accelerated by the rapid transition to online learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Educational spaces that accommodate hybrid learning may be seen as more complex spaces to navigate, particularly as the number of potential social and spatial arrangements available to the teacher tends to multiply. This creates a greater need to represent the overarching structure of a learning and teaching session, particularly as some students are co-located and others are remote in time and place. To explore ways of supporting educational practitioners and designers in managing the increasing number of permutations available to them in hybrid learning spaces, this paper turns to musical forms for inspiration. These forms, and the way they are represented diagrammatically, are examined to support thinking around how the sequence of, and interaction between, educational parameters across time may be represented. A discussion of the relationship between temporal and spatial representations of musical form is also used to support a broader notion of space in education, one that may be useful as physical and networked environments become less clear-cut. By exploring how the form of a learning session might be best represented to show the relationship of the parts to the whole in a single image, this paper contributes to the areas of hybridity and learning space design and use.

Informal academic learning space preferences of tertiary education learners

PurposeThis paper aims to address tertiary education informal learning space preferences for learners’ informal learning activities. The study accentuates learners’ preferred informal academic learning space (IALS) for informal learning activities that required interaction and communication and collaboration.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a survey questionnaire that participated by 1,079 diploma learners from Polytechnics’ technical and non-technical academic programmes in Malaysia.FindingsThe finding reveals that learners mostly preferred IALS that were categorized as semi-outdoor and connected to nature. Learners prefer to have IALS for collaborative learning activities with the appropriate information, communication and technology facilities and thermally conductive. Learners preferred an attractive layout design with comfortable furniture for informal learning activities. Apparently, learning space design is more focused on formal learning rather than informal learning.Originality/valueThis study grants a profound insight centred upon the learner’s perspective on the spatial alignment of education 4.0 learning ecosystem can be configured to enhance collaborative and self-regulated learning activities by distinguishing the critical preference of IALS.

Influence of indoor air temperature and relative humidity on learning performance of undergraduates

The indoor thermal environment plays an important role in learning performance, but many relevant studies have focused primarily on subjective evaluation and achievement evaluation of participants and paid relatively little attention to the physiological state. To study the effects of air temperature and relative humidity on the learning performance of undergraduates, experiments coupled with a questionnaire inquiry were conducted on undergraduate students subjected to eight different indoor air temperatures and relative humidity levels. The degree of discomfort, fatigue, distraction, and learning efficiency were measured and analyzed from psychological and physiological perspectives. These results showed that undergraduates performed better at 40% relative humidity and 24 °C. Learning performance variations were consistent with environmental comfort, but relative humidity impacted learning performances more than indoor air temperature. Low humidity environments decreased the overall learning performance; rooms maintained at 40% relative humidity lowered the degree of fatigue, reading speed, and the degree of distraction by 23.3%, 12.2%, and 61.1%, respectively, as compared to a room at 20% relative humidity. Therefore, relative humidity should be emphasized when designing learning spaces. This study also confirmed that pupil diameter could be used as a physiological index to evaluate fatigue and distraction.

Media and Digital Interface: Designing Learning Spaces and Knowledge

Media and Digital Interface: Designing Learning Spaces and Knowledge

Media and Digital Interface: Designing Learning Spaces and Knowledge

Media and Digital Interface: Designing Learning Spaces and Knowledge

Media and Digital Interface: Designing Learning Spaces and Knowledge

Media and Digital Interface: Designing Learning Spaces and Knowledge

(Re)Shaping spaces for learning

Schools and universities in Aotearoa New Zealand have been transitioning into new spatial configurations. These spaces are being carefully (re)designed to accommodate technology-rich activity, and to enable collaborative teaching and learning in ways that actively engage students in scaffolded inquiry. As teachers and students shift from traditional classroom layouts into flexible learning arrangements, educators are having to deeply rethink their own practices. In addition, the recent Covid-19 outbreak raised new questions in education about the role of technology in learning. This article argues that it is critical that Aotearoa educators understand (i) how to (re)design and (re)configure learning spaces in ways that support what they value in learning; and (ii) how they can tap on the digital to extend students experiences, both across and beyond schools and universities’ physical settings. The article introduces a way of framing the design and analysis of complex learning situations and reports on qualitative findings from a recent survey, which explored educators’ experiences of learning environments across Aotearoa New Zealand.

How classroom acoustics influence students and teachers: A systematic literature review

Acoustics in schools have been studied during years, but nowadays there are more possibilities than ever before to introduce improvements. This study presents a systematic literature review determining what acoustic parameters are present in classrooms and how they affect both teachers and students. Following the analysis, we put forward a two-block classification: the physical parameters of the sound or noise in the classroom and the consequences of the acoustics on the people in the classroom. Advances in the design of learning spaces and the use of technologies ranging from devices and green material to advanced automation systems make it possible to direct acoustic solutions toward smarter learning spaces. This review also highlights the acoustic parameters to consider in smart classrooms (noise, reverberation, speech transmission and speech clarity) and the main effects of acoustics on teachers and students. Some conclusions and recommendations are drawn, but more research is needed in terms of school improvement considering acoustics influence and smart classrooms possibilities.