Future Learning Spaces Research Articles

Utilization of Learning Space as a Learning Resource Center

A conducive learning situation is related to the quality of student learning. The creation of a conducive class will prevent students from feeling bored, physical fatigue and also the creation of a conducive class will provide motivation and comfort for students' learning. Learning space is the place where the teaching and learning process takes place, the place in question can be indoors, outdoors, or virtual space. Learning space is a facility that creates a learning atmosphere and supports the creation of an innovative learning ecosystem. There are four ideas that form the basis for developing future learning spaces, namely: learning by doing, context-based, interaction, and learning locations. To realize this design, a space-technology-cognitive concept was designed that combines aspects of knowledge, aspects of space or the learning environment and the use of technology as one of the smart learning designs in the future. Utilization of learning space as a learning resource center can be carried out by referring to five functions, namely: the function of developing instructional systems; learning media service function; learning media development function; training function and administrative function.

Adding virtual plants leads to higher cognitive performance and psychological well-being in virtual reality

Previous research has shown the positive effects of exposure to real and virtual nature. To investigate how such benefits might generalize to ever-more-prevalent virtual workplaces, we examined the effects of the absence or presence of virtual plants in an office environment in Virtual Reality (VR) on users’ cognitive performance and psychological well-being. The results of our user study with 39 participants show that in the presence of virtual plants, participants performed significantly better in both short-term memory and creativity tasks. Furthermore, they reported higher psychological well-being scores, including positive affect and attentive coping, whilst reporting lower feelings of anger and aggression after exposure to virtual plants in VR. The virtual office with plants was also perceived as more restorative and induced a higher sense of presence. Overall, these results highlight how the presence of virtual plants in VR can have positive influences on users, and therefore, constitute important design considerations when developing future working and learning spaces.

A REVIEW ON THE TREND OF PHYSICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE DESIGN APPROACH

For the past three decades, there is an abundance of studies that justified the impact of physical learning space on the student’s learning experience focusing on independent design theories of lighting, acoustic and ventilation among many others. On top of that, a well-designed learning space is also characterised with the vital role to enhance the teaching and learning experience. This paper aims to present a synthesis of over 20 studies from 1990-2021 that focused on the relationship between the physical learning space and users’ experience. The aspects taken are the said criteria of a well-designed learning environment as well as the recommendation for future consideration in designing a learning space. In summary, a physical learning space is not limited to technical and aesthetics nor short-term pedagogical function, but should consider its impact on the expected student outcomes in-line with the evolving trends of education in general. Apart from that, it is also mentioned with an immense importance to include various stakeholders, especially the users in designing effective future learning spaces due to the excessive cost that may incur.

The influence of indoor environmental factors on learning: An experiment combining physiological and psychological measurements

Poor learning environments can easily lead to ineffective learning. Hence, previous studies attempted to measure learning environments upon the psychological perceptions of the subjects; however, such method lacked any objective scientific validation. In order to test the influences of indoor classroom setting on learning, this study identified four environmental factors, including lighting, sound, temperature, and smell, as independent variables to conduct the experiment. A portable brainwave instrument and State Anxiety Inventory were respectively used to capture brainwave signals using electroencephalography on 68 subjects in different scenarios. The results show that changes in lighting, sound, and temperature have significant effects on the subjects' concentration level, while changes in lighting and sound are also more likely to affect the subjects' anxiety level. Among the four environmental factors, temperature has the greatest impact on concentration, while the sound is most likely to cause anxiety on the subjects. However, there is no significant relationship between learners’ anxiety and concentration during the learning process. The findings of this study can provide references to the planning and evaluation of future learning spaces. It is recommended that other environmental factors can be tested in the future to establish a more complete learning environment assessment.

미래 학습공간을 위한 건축디자인 접근 연구 - 로잔 보쉬의 6가지 설계원리에 대한 비판적 분석을 중심으로 -

Today's education is being increasingly called upon to prepare 21st-century learners to have future competencies and skills that will enable them to thrive in an increasingly complex society. Concerns that existing education systems and approaches will not sufficiently nurture the talent of tomorrow have sparked a global movement for education reform. Through extensive literature review, this study examines the various directions of future education that can respond to changes in a future society dominated by uncertainty and identifies the value declared by future education. The study intended to find a design approach to build a learning space that supports various teaching and learning activities for future education. A critical analysis of Rosan Bosch's 6 design principles was conducted through the conceptual framework of an architectural design approach for future learning spaces. As a result of the study, implications for the incompleteness of informal learning spaces and suggestions for effective architectural design approaches for creating future learning spaces were presented.

Reimagining Learning Spaces of the Future: An Interprofessional, Virtual Workshop Utilizing Rapid Idea Generation and Lean Startup Methodologies.

IntroductionThe needs and expectations of health professional educators and learners are evolving. Therefore, physical and virtual learning environments will look and function differently in the future. Understanding desirable, feasible options for educators and learners, including online, in-person, hybrid, and extended realities, is critical. We designed and facilitated a faculty development workshop that adapted Lean Startup methodologies and role-modeled effective virtual teaching skills to engage stakeholders in generating ideas to inform future development of learning spaces within one national academic medical center.MethodsWe facilitated the 3-hour workshop with an interprofessional group of health professional educators, learners, and administrative staff. The workshop included asynchronous prework and synchronous microlectures, small-group activities, and large-group report-outs. We employed Lean Startup methodologies to promote divergent thinking. Each small group had a dedicated convener and scribe. A designated chat moderator, social media facilitator, and several audiovisual staff provided support during the workshop.ResultsMore than 4,000 ideas were generated by the 350 participants. Participants reported that prework, microlectures, and small-group activities were successful in preparing them to engage in rapid idea generation and propose potential solutions for future learning spaces within health professions education.DiscussionThe workshop, which utilized a rapid idea generation and Lean Startup methodologies format, was successful in producing an abundance of original ideas and potential solutions for future learning spaces within health professions education. As reported through postsession evaluation, participants valued the opportunity to contribute ideas and co-create potential solutions to guide future planning and feasibility studies.

"That's Something for Children"

Robotic systems are increasingly seen as possible technical aids against the background of demographic change and the associated pressures on care systems, with increasing numbers of care recipients and a decreasing number of trained caregivers. In human-computer interaction and computer-supported cooperative work, different design paradigms are currently being pursued to explore which features and appearances are favorable for meaningful interactions of humans with robotic systems. One such approach, labeled as "otherware", proposes to conceptualize robots beyond a naive anthropomorphism or zoomorphism, rather developing the idea of a figure that goes beyond the dichotomy between "being alive" and "being a technical artefact". We present an ethnographic study on the perceptions, attitudes, and practices of care attendants and nursing-home residents in their experimenting with off-the-shelf robotic cats and dogs. The three-week study shows specific appropriation practices of the robotic pets, and how the care attendants - partly together with the residents - define their experiences of the robotic pets, i.e., in which situations the robotic pets are considered either as living beings or as technology toys. The study provides practice-based insights into how possible uses of robotic pets could be meaningfully integrated into care practices, but also which ethical reflections were discussed during their use. Finally, this ethnographic study functioned as a collaborative learning process between researchers, care attendants, and residents, and thus also points out possible aspects that arose with regard to future learning spaces of professional and organizational development for dealing with innovative technologies in residential care contexts.

Academic Development during Pandemic: A Staged Approach

In considering the impact on Learning and Teaching of the move to Technology Enabled Education (TEE) in response to the pandemic, the University of Stirling commissioned a report to establish priorities for future learning spaces and practices. Reporting in December 2020, the Sustainable Learning and Teaching @ Stirling project reflected on the progress made since March and provided recommendations for future developments. The project made use of a forward-looking approach influenced by Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987) as a method of evaluation based on success, enhancement and progress. 
 The report highlighted the early adopters at Stirling: an expert core of staff within Academic Development and Learning Technology who designed, created and delivered a coherent programme of staff development activities and resources (Supporting Online Learning and Teaching at Stirling - SOLT) to support colleagues in developing or re-developing learning and teaching materials for Autumn 2020. This core also created and cultivated new communities of practice: Faculty Champions (academic staff) to share best practice, and Students as Partners in Learning to provide meaningful feedback to staff on online modules prior to the semester starting. 
 This paper looks forward from the report: exploring the impact, challenges and opportunities for academic developers and considering in particular what a possible narrative of ‘Stirlingness’ might look like. We are often there – on the sidelines (Green & Little, 2013) - working with others to shape a community of practice in supporting learning and teaching but what is our narrative in all of this? As two academic developers who shaped and developed the institutional approach described here, we will draw on the method of ‘dialogic play script form’ (Wyatt & Gale, 2018) to explore our own perspectives on the sudden and transformative enhancement process we have experienced this year. We aim to show future opportunities for academic development, with potential value in and for the changing role of the academic developer (Bamber, 2020).

Learning from student experience: large, higher education classes transitioning online

In March 2020, Irish universities closed their doors and teaching, learning and assessment moved online, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper arises from a Dublin City University (DCU) research study with a three-fold purpose: Examine the sudden transition of large classes (100+ students) from face-to-face teaching and learning to remote online provision from the perspectives of staff and students. Contextualise these perspectives by reviewing relevant literature. Inform the work of teaching large classes in future online teaching and learning spaces. Presented here, are findings informed by; a rapid, systematised literature review; analysis of student and staff survey responses who experienced the swift move online; and academic support data mined by the Teaching Enhancement Unit (TEU) between March and June 2020. This paper will contribute to prompt, timely reflection on the lived student experience of engagement and isolation during the sudden pivot for large class cohorts. These reflections and analysis will add to the growing body of literature on large class teaching and online pedagogy, specifically in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors provide conceptualised solutions as we move out of the emergency pivot and into more considered, planned approaches to better engage students in online, hybrid and face-to-face contexts.

Three sociomaterial framings for analysing emergent activity in future learning spaces

ABSTRACT Institutions are increasingly redesigning academic learning spaces with the aim of enhancing learning outcomes. Existing research into this phenomenon has shown promise regarding how these new spaces are being designed and used; however, there has been much less effort towards developing a language for analysing the emergent learning activity within these spaces. In other words, it has been under-theorised. This paper responds to this gap by proposing three analytical framings and grounding each in vignettes illustrative of how they might be applied: (1) space-time-feedback as an assemblage for emergent interest-driven student activity; (2) embodiment-material as an assemblage for emergent public sensemaking; and (3) proximity-material-time as an assemblage for emergent collaborative benchmarking through group awareness and ambient feedback. Although not an exhaustive list, the three analytical framings serve as a starting point for investigations of emergent activity within future learning spaces from a sociomaterial perspective.

Design patterns for teaching in academic settings in future learning spaces

AbstractA Future Learning Space (FLS) is a dynamic and a technology‐rich learning environment that enables teaching and learning using innovative pedagogical methods. However, introducing innovation and technology into any educational setting, whether in K‐12 schools or higher education institutions, is known to be challenging. This paper introduces design patterns (DPs) for teaching in FLS. The patterns emerged from creative teaching in a college of education, which was preceded by mentoring for some of the lecturers. The patterns involve hybridity, including both formal and informal social structures and a combination of physical and digital tools mediating individuals’ interactions with peers. Based on a process of mining patterns, we extracted four DPs for teaching in academic FLS. The patterns, which encapsulate threads of hybridity, are: convergent groups; teaching in an interactive orchestrated learning space; presentation fair; and Think‐Join‐Share. These patterns can be used as learning design scaffolds in a social constructivist approach in which pedagogy, technology and space interact.

Future learning spaces for learning communities: Perspectives from the learning sciences

Future learning spaces for learning communities: Perspectives from the learning sciences

Teaching expertise reconsidered: The Technology, Pedagogy, Content and Space (TPeCS) knowledge framework

AbstractSchool practitioners are increasingly expected to lead construction projects in their schools to create future learning spaces (FLSs) that support learning in today’s networked society. This study examined the process by which practitioners of one school developed their readiness to incorporate an FLS into the school via a long‐lasting research–practice partnership (RPP) that focused on co‐designing learning materials for contemporary teaching. To conceptualize this process, we introduce the Technology, Pedagogy, Content and Space (TPeCS) knowledge framework, which expands current conceptualizations of teaching expertise by tying them into the emerging field of FLSs. We interpret practitioners’ learning within a series of action–reaction progressive developments along a two‐year timeline of the partnership. Visits to an FLS, where researchers modeled, coached and then faded their guidance along this timeline played a key role in practitioners’ development of readiness to incorporate an FLS into their school. The pedagogical domain was the most challenging among all the dimensions of TPeCS. We conclude that school practitioners’ involvement leading FLS endeavors within their schools can serve as an unprecedented opportunity for practitioners to develop contemporary teaching skills, with FLSs serving as ideal spaces that make pedagogy visible. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic School practitioners are increasingly expected to participate in construction/renovation projects of FLSs. Teaching expertise is often conceptualized in terms of technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPaCK). What this paper adds A novel framework for conceptualizing teaching expertise as the competence to flexibly use knowledge that combines technological, pedagogical, content and space (TPeCS) considerations. The pedagogical component within TPeCS has a bottleneck quality. Reducing pedagogical gaps accelerates the development of other TPeCS components. Visits to state‐of‐the‐art FLSs, involving modeling, coaching and fading of expert guidance can foster practitioners’ development of TPeCS knowledge and competencies, increasing their readiness to incorporate FLSs into their schools. FLSs and specifically the use of large digital displays are ideal for making pedagogy visible. Implications for practice and/or policy School practitioners can, and should, be key players in leading FLS endeavors within their schools. When appropriately guided, this can serve as an unprecedented opportunity for practitioners to develop contemporary teaching skills

Going immersive in a community of learners? Assessment of design processes in a multi‐setting architecture studio

AbstractFuture learning spaces (FLSs), such as immersive virtual environments, have expanded the architectural studio beyond traditional spaces, offering new affordances for learning communities (LCs) to enculturate design practices. These developments raise a need to assess how different spaces foster intended learning activities. In response, we developed a model to assess the way (LCs) are supported during the design process. Our model aggregates learners' design decisions, along with their physical, virtual and social settings, into units called knowledge construction activities. These are then linked with subsequent units, to create design development graphs. The model was applied to two studio courses that used a conventional classroom and a technology‐enhanced immersive FLS. Analyses show that each space supported different learning activities. Notably, the immersive FLS was shown to support design convergence, considered to be an essential skill. While advancing concepts related to design pedagogy, the model can support additional designers of FLS for (LCs) when integrating multiple spaces. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Future Learning Spaces (FLSs), such as immersive virtual environments (IVEs), have expanded the architectural studio beyond traditional spaces, offering new affordances for design learning communities to enculturate expert design practices. IVEs are known to support spatial perception and enhance design flow, suitable for constructing design knowledge. Studio assessments mostly focus on learners' final outcomes and learner–teacher communication. What this paper adds New knowledge about how an immersive FLS can foster the emergence of design learning communities. An analytical toolkit to measure the way IVEs affect the enculturation of design skills, particularly in divergent and convergent activities. A comprehensive method to map design learning processes and analyze learning progress. Implications for practice and/or policy The educational sector can use this model to evaluate the way technology‐enhanced learning spaces for learning communities meet given educational goals. The education community can use this method as a powerful and efficient tool to design multiple‐setting courses and develop teaching strategies to support learning communities in FLSs.

Designing for situated learning: Understanding the relations between material properties, designed form and emergent learning activity

AbstractSituative theories of learning challenge the notion of learning as a singular cognitive pursuit. However, the relations between the designed environment and situated learning activity are not well theorised, and this increases the difficulty of designing future learning spaces to accommodate learning communities supported by a range of digital technologies. In this paper, we use the ACAD framework and insights from the ecology of resources model to explore the role of materials in the enactment of situative theories of learning in a refurbished seminar room, in the University of Sydney Business School. Conducted as ethnography, this case study draws on observations, interviews and document analysis, which reveal a qualitative shift in learning activity facilitated by improved eye‐contact and increased fluidity of movement that supports instructor‐student and student‐student interaction. This paper offers a theoretical contribution in its exploration of the materiality of learning, methodological innovation in the use of images to examine spatial pedagogies and practical innovation through a reconceptualisation of spatial provisions for learning—all of which has implications for the design and use of future learning spaces intended to accommodate learning communities supported by complex webs of material and digital infrastructure. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic The role of the designed environment in learning is poorly theorised. As a result, educational research tends to frame material and digital infrastructure for learning as deterministic (causing change) or instrumental (improving efficiency). This makes enacting valued learning theory challenging at any scale. What this paper adds A case study using a theoretical framework capable of addressing the relations between designed form and learning activity—contributing to the integration of theory and practice. Methodological innovation using visual methods to examine spatial pedagogies. Practice‐based design innovation in the reconceptualisation of spatial provisions for learning. Implications for practice and/or policy The consequences of failing to understand how the materiality of space for learning indirectly influences situated learning activity. Impetus for thinking about how a richer understanding of space supports decision making around the use of digital technologies for learning. The need to rethink spatial allocations for learning to accommodate increasingly active, collaborative and digitally mediated learning activity both in person and online.

Taking responsibility to support knowledge building: A constructive entanglement of spaces and ideas

AbstractThe digital age has fostered the rapid dissemination of Future Learning Spaces within the educational sector. Empirical studies examining learning processes relevant for the digital age within FLSs are needed, as scholarship has heretofore been overly reliant on anecdotal evidence or has struggled to keep up with innovative pedagogies. In an effort to advance this goal, we examined a knowledge building community that took place in a future learning space. Using responsibility‐taking as an underlying concept, our findings are twofold. First, we applied a grounded methodology to elucidate the way students take responsibility over the online space (The Knowledge Forum), a vital structure that supports collective knowledge building. This resulted in a spatial responsibility‐taking framework that includes 16 action‐tool combinations. The second finding resulted from applying this framework alongside a knowledge building analysis of a group of students. We present the results from our micro‐analysis, shedding light on different ways that spatial infrastructures and knowledge building can co‐mediate one another.Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Collective cognitive responsibility is a vital component of knowledge building communities. A range of infrastructures play an important role throughout the evolving stages involved in knowledge building. Multi‐tiered approaches must be taken for future learning spaces to be used effectively. It is not the space itself, but the way that users take responsibility over the space that is a key determinant in the success of a future learning space. What this paper adds A novel framework for systematically capturing the way participants take responsibility over their online learning spaces. New insights into the ways that spaces and idea‐advancements co‐mediate one another throughout the inquiry process. Implications for practice and/or policy Teachers can use a toolkit to observe and identify desired practices related to responsibility taking in online spaces. Teachers can better discern when and how to intervene based on the way students use online spaces as they learn.

Mobile X-Space Design, Teaching Strategies and Undergraduate Students’ Collaborative Learning Behaviour: A Case Study in Taylor’s University, Malaysia

Purpose - The availability of new innovative learning spaces together with the introduction of new teaching and learning strategies have shifted the nature of the classroom from a place of instruction towards a place that produces authentic learning. Students in the 21st century are inclined to learn with peers, through the use technology to produce the information as the result of their collaboration. This research examines the effect of learning space design and teaching strategies on undergraduate students’ collaborative learning behaviour in the Mobile X-Space classroom. Methodology - This study used a quantitative survey research design to measure students’ learning experience in the Mobile X-Space classroom. A set of online self-reported questionnaire was posted through the official Learning Management System of the university to collect data from 467 undergraduate students in a Malaysian top private university. Through exploratory factor analysis, three factors were identified: (a) teaching strategies, (b) collaborative learning behaviour and (c) space design. Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression were run to assess the relationship between learning space design and teaching strategies conducted by the lecturers on the collaborative learning behaviour of the students. Two-way factorial ANOVA with Post Hoc tests were performed to determine the effects of gender and study semester of the students on their collaborative learning behaviour. Findings - The results from the multiple regression analysis revealed that both (i) teaching strategies, and (ii) space design were positively correlated with collaborative learning behaviour of the students. The results from Person’s correlation showed a significant, strong and positive relationship between teaching strategies conducted by the lecturers on the collaborative learning behaviour among the students. Also, there was a statistically significant, strong and positive relationship between learning space design on the teaching strategies of the lecturers. In addition, the results from two-way factorial ANOVA showed that collaborative learning behaviour was different for groups in different study semesters. However, there was no statistically significant difference for collaborative learning behaviour between different genders in all semesters. Significance - The outcomes of this research will be beneficial in enhancing the support and design of future learning spaces and add value to the present educational model. It is also beneficial in guiding academics in determining the practical teaching and learning approaches in the flexible learning spaces, which could be more suitable for the millennium youth who are more tech-savvy and favour Internet of things in their daily lives. This type of learning space will help to improve the students’ soft skills and collaborative skills, that are very useful in their future employability in the actual work settings.

Future Learning Spaces in Schools: Concepts and Designs from the Learning Sciences

As institutions invest time and money into constructing or redesigning spaces to meet educational goals of the innovation age, it is prudent for designers to be guided by lessons learned from research. Based on a synthesis of four leading future learning spaces, a novel conceptualization is offered here to advance both scholarship and practice of future learning spaces. Specifically, this synthesis distinguishes between two types of spaces: content-flexible and content-specific. Content-flexible spaces are dedicated for instruction or open learning, while content-specific spaces are used as a stage for learning or as sources of content. In addition to this conceptualization, eight principles about the process of establishing future learning spaces and about specific features of their designs are provided based on interviews of lead designers of the four exemplars considered for this paper. The analysis of these principles shows that developmental principles are relatively fixed, while design principles have a wider range of diversity. These conclusions provide formative knowledge for designers of future learning spaces.

Future learning spaces: design, collaboration, knowledge, assessment, teachers, technology and the radical past

In recent years there has been a dramatically increased awareness of the need and challenge to design new learning spaces for schools and informal educational contexts (e.g. Collins & Halverson, 20...

Developing learning spaces in higher education: An evaluation of experimental spaces at the University of Leicester

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.