Learning Spaces Research Articles

Addressing and resolving issues with hybrid flexible/dual mode teaching and technology in learning spaces: the 2 × n matrix model

AbstractHybrid flexible learning is a mechanism for providing flexible learning to both online and on-campus students. Synchronous HyFlex teaching uses both technology and pedagogy to connect both groups within the same cohort. It is gaining popularity in higher educational institutions, but it also can create challenges associated with pedagogy, including technology, acoustics, and logistics. Finding solutions to these challenges is an organisational imperative for institutions aiming to address them. This article provides an overview of a mechanism for reviewing and problem solving as it relates to hybrid flexible teaching. A conceptual overview is detailed, building on previous literature; and experience from implementation, and rooted in a learning environments context, is described. The unique contribution of the study is demonstrated through the framework for resolving and understanding problems to provide solutions within the specific example of hybrid learning, which has not been analysed or considered in this way before. Example case studies are provided and considered, with an emphasis on practical real-world solutions (rooted in literature and evidence) that are likely to be useful to fellow practitioners.

Benefits of being part of a support group for caregivers of children with multiple disabilities: a qualitative study.

Motivation for the study. Filling a knowledge gap regarding support groups for caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. Main findings. Support groups are valuable spaces for social support and learning for caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. They facilitate resilience and coping strategies following the birth of a child with multiple disabilities. They promote the participation and empowerment of caregivers of children with multiple disabilities to address access barriers and advocate for the fundamental rights of children. Implications. It is important to promote and support support groups for caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. To explore the perceived benefits of participating in a support group of caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. A qualitative study with a focused ethnographic approach was conducted from October 2022 to February 2023, in which we applied convenience sampling. We included 20 caregivers of children with multiple disabilities. Information was collected through participant observation, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was performed by applying Braun and Clark's proposals. The emerging themes were: social support network: integrating, informing, and helping each other; learning space: learning to take care and to take care of oneself; promoting empowerment: identifying and facing access barriers. We found that the support group functions as a social support network provides information, reduces uncertainty, and facilitates coping and resilience after the birth and upbringing of a child with multiple disabilities. It is a space where one learns to care for and take care of oneself and where empowerment for the defense of the rights of children with disabilities is promoted.

Comparative Analysis of Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Standards in School Buildings across New Zealand with Other OECD Countries

COVID-19 has improved awareness of the importance of appropriate indoor air quality (IAQ) in indoor spaces, particularly in classrooms where children are expected to learn. Research has shown that poor IAQ and temperature levels affect the cognitive performance of children. In this paper, we critically compare IAQ standards for New Zealand’s Designing Quality Learning Spaces (DQLS Document) against international benchmarks from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, including ASHRAE 62.1, CIBSE TM57, EN-15251, WHO AQGs, and Building Bulletins 99 and 101. The aim was to ascertain the robustness of New Zealand’s DQLS document, identify areas of superiority, and recommend the required improvement for appropriate IAQ and thermal comfort in classrooms. This comparison review focuses on IAQ parameters: CO2 levels, temperature, ventilation rates, room size, occupant density, and occupancy rates. The findings illuminate a slight lag in New Zealand’s DQLS standards compared to her international counterparts. For instance, while New Zealand’s standards align closely with WHO standards for IAQ concerning temperature and ventilation rates, the recommended CO2 range appears slightly inadequate (800 to 2000 ppm) along with occupancy and classroom size for effectively controlling classroom pollutant growth. This paper emphasises the need to align New Zealand’s IAQ and thermal comfort standards with optimal OECD benchmarks. The identified disparities present opportunities for improving learning spaces in terms of CO2 concentration, size of classroom, and occupant density in schools in New Zealand to meet globally recognised standards, ultimately creating a healthier and more conducive learning environment.

Clinical Affordances: Towards an Ecological Account of Health Affordance and Design of Clinical Learning Spaces

In this article, we address the following question: how should clinical environments be designed to promote learning opportunities for clinicians? We develop an ecologically-informed account of learning opportunities informed by Gibson’s influential ecological theory of perception (Gibson, 1977, 1979). The so-called ‘push-pull’ account is proposed as a framework in which we can conceptualise how affordances are formed and actioned across different areas of clinical practice. We develop an account of health-care-related affordances that is discussed in relation to surgical training with a particular emphasis in terms of how skills are acquired in the use of robotic surgical techniques. Our primary focus is on the performative aspects of surgical performative process. We situate the current discussion in relation to a broader discussion about skills development in the context of healthcare as well as the future design of clinical spaces.

Reverberations in music education: What does sound ‘do’ in our learning spaces ?

ABSTRACT Bringing together literature from music education, posthumanism, sound studies and ethnomusicology, this article considers what sound ‘does’ in music education spaces. Within posthumanism, the role of sound, as a manifestation of material-human entanglements, is under-theorised. This article, diffractively plays with the literature and evidence from a PhD project and a listening walk with pre-service music teachers, allowing the reverberations (as the continued effects and affects of bringing these materials into contact with each other), to spark generative thinking about how sound in music education is conceived. In doing so, the article presents three reverberations that challenge humanist conceptions of sound/music in education. The first considers all sound (human and non-human) as voice, which is transindividual (Chadwick in Flint [2022]. “More-than-Human Methodologies in Qualitative Research: Listening to the Leafblower.” Qualitative Research 22 (4): 521–541. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794121999028) , the second considers the role of sound as an invitation to ‘world-with’ (Barad [2007]. Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Durham, NC: Duke University Press) and the third reverberation explores sound as affect (Gallagher [2016]. “Sound as Affect: Difference, Power and Spatiality.” Emotion, Space and Society 20:42–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2016.02.004). In thinking with these generative reverberations, this article is a provocation to explore how a posthuman reconceptualisation of sound in music education can help us re-state the importance of music as a curriculum subject.

Between Despair and Honest Hope: Facing the Aporetic Space of the Climate Crisis

Based on autoethnographic descriptions of recent climate events in Germany, Greece, and England, three colleagues describe these events’ impact on daily life and their implications for religious education in European schools. The argument oscillates between struggling for climate justice and enduring its aporias. In the aporetic (learning) space, it is important to turn hope into concrete and realistic actions that keep people, societies, and education moving.

CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATED EDUCATIONAL CONTROL

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) have become pervasive across various domains, shaping not only economic activities but also social organization. However, a unified definition and understanding of CPS remain elusive, leading to diverse interpretations across different disciplines. This interdisciplinary paper explores the need for comprehensive research in CPS and its implications for educational control. Drawing from discussions at the Allatra International Public Movement Conference, the paper delves into the benefits of CPS in education, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize learning experiences, enhance student engagement, and facilitate personalized education. By leveraging CPS, educational systems can adapt to individual learning needs while minimizing vulnerability to cyber-attacks. Despite the transformative potential, challenges such as privacy, security, and ethical implications need to be addressed. Looking ahead, the paper suggests future directions for advancing automated educational control through CPS, highlighting the promise of technology-mediated learning spaces and intelligent systems for academic improvement. Overall, this paper underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in harnessing CPS for innovative educational practices. Keywords: cyber-physical systems, education automation, smart education systems, adaptive learning, intelligent systems, digital learning environments.

The effects of gamified daily awards on digital vocabulary flashcard learning: A case study

Gamification in second language acquisition research is a popular topic but there are few empirical comparative studies in the literature. This quasi-experimental mixed-approach study enrolled volunteer Japanese university EFL learners to enable a comparison between two digital vocabulary flashcard learning software conditions carefully designed by the author; (1) the gamified group’s software had daily awards (i.e., consecutive day awards, medals related to daily participation, and a bonus point counter in an effort to encourage spaced spaced learning principles and discourage cramming) and (0) the non-gamified group’s did not. The daily awards had a significant effect in encouraging the gamified group to spread out their study efforts throughout the 12-week study period more effectively than the control group as they completed a lower median number of tasks per active study day (non-gamified: 104.76, gamified: 82.11; p= .021, r(75)= -.264) but studied on more days to complete a similar total number of vocabulary tasks (non-gamified: 2313.00, gamified: 2228.50; p= .601). Moreover, the gamified group significantly outperformed the non-gamified group in terms of vocabulary knowledge score gains between the pretest and posttest; p= .03, r(50)= .300. These results show the numerous and significant positive pedagogical impacts of gamified daily awards.

Bewildering the legacy effects of Gail Melson’s wild things/animals/children

ABSTRACT This article bewilders dominant discourses about child-animal relations by acknowledging and challenging the work of Gail Melson who positions animals as providing emotional, social and pedagogical support for children. Melson’s psychological approach rests upon implicit assumptions that shape and support anthropocentrism whilst also critiquing a utilitarian approach to animals in educational learning spaces. The legacy effects of this approach are steeped in neoliberal discourse that entangle with pedagogy and practice. Unless modified these effects pass through generations as sticky webs of knowability that are difficult to contest. Research from Australia and Finland, framed by critical posthuman and relational ontologies, unsettles these effects to reconfigure child-animal relations as fluid and situated. ‘Bewildering education’ grants insights into historical political legacies that can be traced in education policy, practice and theory preoccupied with knowledge development, relations and meaning-making around the productive ‘good’ human subject. Child-animal relations expose complex and far-reaching effects of early childhood because processes of becoming and being human with other animals provides spaces for knowing ‘difference’ as a constituting force that disrupts anthropocentric relations with the world. Building a political history of animals that pays attention to agency and ethical relations reconfigures and reconstitutes animal species, not as objects of pedagogical inquiry, but rather as subjects and fellow earth dwellers.

'[M]y own pace and space, without the pressures': Online learning experiences of audiology students.

Online learning has been used to improve students' learning experiences and to allow students to engage with their own learning in various spaces. However, there is a dearth of literature on students' experiences with online learning in the field of audiology. This study aimed to describe the conditions of online learning, explore the challenges and benefits of online learning and determine strategies that students employ while engaging with online learning. An exploratory qualitative research design was employed. Audiology students from the second to the fourth year participated in the study. Qualitative data were collected online via MS Teams using a semi-structured interview schedule with the participants. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the participants' interviews. Most of our participants were females in their fourth year of study. The students accessed the online learning platforms procured by the university from their homes, with reported benefits such as the flexibility and independence of learning, and time and cost-effectiveness. However, challenges such as limited internet connectivity, issues with time management and inconsistent power supply restricted positive experiences with online learning. The online learning benefits that were reported by the students and the compensatory strategies they employed facilitated self-regulated learning. The study's findings highlighted the need for continuous checking-in with students regarding their experiences with the learning approaches intended to improve engagement with their courses. These results could be used as a guide for curriculum planning that is student-focused.Contribution:Students' experiences explored in our study provided a guide for online learning approaches that were suitable for audiology students. Student-centred and self-regulated learning practices were highlighted and future studies may further explore these frameworks and theories.

"You go in heavy and you come out light": An interpretative phenomenological analysis of reflective practice experiences in an Irish infant mental health setting.

Reflective practice (RP) is a core component of infant mental health (IMH); however, there is limited published empirical research on IMH practitioner experiences of RP. This two-stage, qualitative, multimodal study explored Irish IMH practitioners' experiences of RP spaces. Visual and verbal data from seven individual interviews and a participatory arts-based focus group with seven participants (eight participants in total, all white Irish females) were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Five group experiential themes (Just get on with it; What should I be bringing to this space?; Who are my "hands"?; Taking a step back; and You go in heavy and you come out light) were generated by the analysis. These were used to construct a developmental and experiential model of learning in an RP space. The themes portray how a practitioner's RP experience can change over time: influenced by prior experiences and practice development stage, practitioners move from initial uncertainty, anxiety, and perceived pressure in a busy workload to developing the trust and ability to be vulnerable in an RP space. Through relationships (supervisor/facilitator or group members), a shared safe space can be created, which addresses practitioners' needs for containment, allowing for experiential learning through a process of transformational moments.

Digital transformation model for universities: A preliminary proposal

This article presents the results of a research project aimed at designing a theoretical model for digital transformation at the Autonomous University of Chile. The research methodology adopts a case study approach with a mixed method combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. This approach provides a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the dimensions and factors shaping the digital transformation model, incorporating insights from 97 students and eight experts. The model comprises three phases, nine dimensions, and 54 indicators, emphasizing the integral connection between digital maturity and value creation for students. Key success determinants in the university's digital transformation processes are outlined, including the strategic approach, organizational culture, utilization of technological infrastructure, and technology management capabilities. Practical implications underscore the significance of acknowledging the impact of power relations during the digital transformation journey, influencing internal processes, IT governance coordination, roles of personnel in technical and managerial positions, teachers’ performance, and students' trust and loyalty to the institution. The article concludes by identifying factors that influence the institution's capacity to implement technological changes aligned with its strategic, technical, and logistical requirements. Future studies could redefine the roles of administrative, teaching, and student staff, fostering increased digital maturity, continuous innovation in services and processes, and the creation of new digital learning spaces centered around student needs.

Embracing discomfort and vulnerability: cultivating brave learning spaces within simulation-based nursing education

Evolving evaluation methods and the changing pedagogical landscape of nursing education offer the opportunity to re-examine learning spaces in simulation. Psychological safety is an established standard within simulation-based experiences; however, limiting learning spaces exclusively within the construct of safety competes with shifting pedagogical practices in simulation within pre-licensure nursing programmes. Conflations of safety and comfort are pervasive in higher education. Shifting language from a place of safety towards one of courage and bravery holds the potential to better promote learning environments which foster agency and meaningful growth when discomfort is experienced. Brave learning spaces recognize discomfort and vulnerability as an essential component of learning and transformation, while also aligning with key principles of psychological safety to optimize learning experiences. Discourse exploring alternatives to safe learning spaces in simulation is notably absent in the current nursing simulation literature propelling the need for this discussion.

Supporting L2 Writing Using QuillBot

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) grows in accessibility and popularity, educators are faced with the challenge to adopt this new form of information disbursement. AI platforms could benefit language learning by providing individual writing support in addition to classroom teacher instructional support. AI platforms could pose risks to student fidelity with AI produced work product. This paper will discuss and exemplify the use of QuillBot, an AI writing platform, that could be used as a teaching and learning tool for second language (L2) writing instruction. By using this technology to plan meaningful and student tailored lessons, educators can continue to provide an interactive learning space for multilingual learners (MLs) in the language classroom.

Oscillating latent dynamics in robot systems during walking and reaching.

Sensorimotor control of complex, dynamic systems such as humanoids or quadrupedal robots is notoriously difficult. While artificial systems traditionally employ hierarchical optimisation approaches or black-box policies, recent results in systems neuroscience suggest that complex behaviours such as locomotion and reaching are correlated with limit cycles in the primate motor cortex. A recent result suggests that, when applied to a learned latent space, oscillating patterns of activation can be used to control locomotion in a physical robot. While reminiscent of limit cycles observed in primate motor cortex, these dynamics are unsurprising given the cyclic nature of the robot's behaviour (walking). In this preliminary investigation, we consider how a similar approach extends to a less obviously cyclic behaviour (reaching). This has been explored in prior work using computational simulations. But simulations necessarily make simplifying assumptions that do not necessarily correspond to reality, so do not trivially transfer to real robot platforms. Our primary contribution is to demonstrate that we can infer and control real robot states in a learnt representation using oscillatory dynamics during reaching tasks. We further show that the learned latent representation encodes interpretable movements in the robot's workspace. Compared to robot locomotion, the dynamics that we observe for reaching are not fully cyclic, as they do not begin and end at the same position of latent space. However, they do begin to trace out the shape of a cycle, and, by construction, they are driven by the same underlying oscillatory mechanics.

Critical Social Participatory Action Research for Conscientization: Pedagogies and Findings from Xochimilco

The Small Scale Food Production for Cultural Preservation and Economic Inclusion project is a critical social participatory action research project that utilizes critical pedagogies to facilitate spaces of learning and research where power differentials are both recognized and dismantled. The process of consciousness raising those results is an example of applied conscientization. The key pedagogical strategies explained in this article include co-constructed knowledge, critical praxis, a relational design rooted in dialogue and ongoing project partnership.

Success Stories of Junior High School Master Teachers Towards Professional Development: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Professional development of master teachers involves acknowledging expertise and fostering ongoing development through individualized, self-directed learning. This study explored the success stories of master teachers' professional development, influenced by Malcolm Knowles' 1980 Andragogy Theory. Utilizing phenomenology, the research examines consciousness structures from a first-person perspective. The central structure of an experience was its intentionality, its being directed toward something, as it was an experience of or about some object. Based on the responses of the participants, my analysis revealed three emerging themes under the success stories of junior high school master teachers towards professional development were: harmonious group dynamics, supportive team player and coordinated collaboration. Recognizing group dynamics within professional development for master teachers optimizes collaborative learning experiences, enhancing both student interactions and educators' growth while fostering impactful learning spaces and collaborative skills. The educational insights that were drawn from the experiences on the success stories of master teachers towards professional development. The insights of these teachers were geared towards two themes namely: encouraging support and continual professional development. Future researchers concentrating on master teachers' growth may investigate the enduring impact of new teaching methods and their correlation with improved student learning, as well as explore expanding successful master teacher programs to enhance educators' effectiveness.

The effect of spaced E-Learning on knowledge of basic life support and satisfaction of nursing students: a quasi-experimental study

AimCardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is essential for all students, especially nursing students. One of the educational approaches to creating long-term learning in inclusive is spaced learning. Spaced learning consists of three or more training sessions in which information is presented over time and at intervals. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of basic life support (BLS) training through spaced E-learning on the knowledge and satisfaction of nursing students.MethodsIn this quasi-experimental study with two groups, 106 undergraduate nursing students of Alborz University of Medical Sciences in Iran participated. The control group (n = 47) received BLS training with massed E-learning in one three-hour session, and the intervention group (n = 59) received spaced E-learning in three one-hour sessions. An electronic questionnaire including demographic information and a pre-test of BLS knowledge were sent to both groups. Also, immediately after receiving the training, two weeks later and one month later, they completed a post-test of BLS knowledge. Students were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the provided education by completing the SLS-OLE.ResultsThe post-test scores immediately after, two weeks later, and one month later of the intervention group were higher than the control group. The results of repeated measurement ANOVA showed that the score changes of knowledge are significant over time (p < 0.001), the number of sessions (p < 0.001), and the interactive effect of them (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the level of satisfaction with education in both groups.ConclusionBased on the results, BLS training in both groups increased the knowledge of BLS. however, the increase in knowledge and its retention was higher in the intervention group that received the training in spaced learning.

Interaction Effects between Mood State and Background Sound Level on Students’ Sound Perceptions and Concentration Levels in Study Spaces

This study investigated the impacts of students’ mood states and background sound levels on students’ sound perceptions and academic performance in four library rooms. The background sound level was measured for five days. Meanwhile, around 300 students were invited to participate in a survey of questions about their acoustic perceptions and mood states and a concentration test. Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, and two-way ANOVA were applied to establish the relationships between the LAeq, students’ mood states, acoustic perceptions, and concentration levels on both the individual level and the room level and to identify the interaction effect between the background sound levels and mood states on students’ acoustic perception and concentration. The results indicated that LAeq in learning spaces significantly impacted students’ acoustic satisfaction, but only at the room level. In contrast, mood states mainly influenced students’ sound perception and concentration at the individual level. Furthermore, this study reports significant interaction effects between mood state and LAeq on students’ sound perceptions and reveals different impacts of mood states due to different sound levels. These results could help improve occupants’ acoustic perceptions and performance in learning spaces in the future.

Organizing leadership education and learning for liberation.

This article offers key considerations regarding how leadership educators can alter their relations with institutions and campus community members (e.g., students, faculty, staff) to align with and advance liberatory struggles. The article also explores the drawbacks and contradictions of institutionalizing liberation within leadership learning and education spaces in colleges and universities. The author underscores the significance and immediacy of establishing spaces and advancing discourse outside the contours of institutional higher education where individuals, in collaboration and solidarity, can rehearse, plan, organize, and study the path toward collective liberation and the creation of an otherwise world that has yet to exist.