1. Learning Spaces: a key to academic achievement.
Mark Savage - Associate Dean learning & Teaching
Simon Birkett - IT & Learning technology manager

2. As Educators ………
As educators we recognise the wide diversity of students that we now have on our campuses and we wish to enable student choice and to empower students to make choices.
An important aspect of such choice is where, when and how students study.

3. What do we know…..
We know that increasing evidence indicates learning is affected if students are disengaged, alienated, absent or feel excluded.
We know that learning spaces can produce conditions and mediate relationships that can improve student learning along a range of indicators (physical and mental wellbeing as well as cognitive)
We know that students frequently share and test new information with their peers using discussions to modify their understanding, adopting a researcher/collaborator model of learning.
We know that at the heart of this activity is a conversational, collaborative model of learning that we should strive to nurture, not just support, in our learning environment development.

4. What else do we know …..
We know from JISC research that students are using a variety of technologies in flexible ways to support their learning to adopt a deep approach to learning.
We know that it is often as students are leaving their classrooms that important conversations begin. Dane, 2004
We know that students are drawn to spaces that are open, inviting, and stimulating. Spaces where they become fully engaged in the conversation and in the excitement of sharing new ideas
We know that conversation is central to the collaborative model of learning and the redesign of your learning space is an ideal opportunity to provide resources that support and encourage active learning.

5. What have our users said…
It’s a more open & bright environment
We had better group discussions
There was room to more around
Able to interact with others more easily
The Lectures stand at the front less
The use of screens around the room helps vision & communication
There was better interaction from lecturer
I loved the screens as they made it easier to demonstrate work.
The space helped me to concentrate on the subject and to gain a better understanding.
We were able to more easily share ideas with others around the table or across the room.
A generally more ‘active’ environment
I had a closer interaction with the lecturer which helped me to understand the lecture more.

6. What should we do…..
We need learning spaces that are flexible, pedagogically and physically, in ways that reflect the nuances of different knowledge areas and specialisms (e.g. Butin 2000).
We need furniture design and classroom settings which focus on ideal patterns and designs characterised by flexibility and mobility of structures, in order to facilitate multimodal pedagogies that accommodate individual learner’s needs and personalisation of space.
We need the input of the academic in design (Temple 2007, Higgins et al 2005, Sanoff, 1995) because morale (Higgins et al 2005), attitudes and behaviours effect the use made of space.

7. Some context…..
For most educational institutions, however, whilst this integration, or embedding of technology, is what they are trying to achieve, it remains somewhat elusive.
ICT is often something that is ‘over there’ in a separate computer lab, or bolted onto traditional library settings.
It seems obvious that a goal of ICT integrated into curricular activity is only likely to be achieved if the technology is ubiquitous and deeply embedded in our learning spaces.
Space issues in higher education have usually been considered either in the context of space planning (the aim of which is to provide appropriate amounts of space for defined uses, and to maximise its use once provided) or as part of campus planning and building design. There is only a limited literature that aims to relate space issues to teaching and learning, or to research, in higher education.

12. The MoCoW

13. The Iron Triangle – Learning Space Design
Academic
Strategic Planning
Technology
Estates

14. The Iron Triangle – Learning Space Design
Academic
Consultation
Technology
Estates

15. The Iron Triangle – Learning Space Design
Academic
Design and Build
Technology
Estates

16. The Iron Triangle – Learning Space Design
Academic
Business As Usual
Technology
Estates

17. The Iron Triangle – Learning Space Design
Academic
Strategic Planning
Technology
Estates

18. Questions