Learning Space Design

Support Active Learning

Presentation to Facilities ManagementMay 21, 2015 by…

• Educator

• Instructional Designer of online/blended courses

• Educational Technology Planner

Denise Nelson

Plan• Evolution of Learning Space Design• Formal Learning Spaces

– Blended/Flipped Learning– Learning Space Rating System (Educause, Sept, 2014)

• Principles of Learning Space Design– FLEXspace

• Informal Learning Spaces• What does this all mean? Future considerations?

Time to Reflect…How has the

design of learning spaces

changed over time?

How do we make

decisions about learning space design?

What are our goals for designing learning spaces?

What is the future direction

of learning space design?

Emerging Student Learning Experience

more social

informalless structured

Majority of student learning – outside the classroom

Technology is natural

Students construct learning rather than just consume learning

Learning TechnologiesVirtual

Technologies

Online presence

Online resources

Installed Appliances

Media presentation

systems

Remote interaction systems

Room-scale peripherals

Mobile Devices

Personal information &

communication devices

Learning Technologies

Virtual Technologies

Online presence (e.g., email, websites, blogs, wikis, Skype, SMS, podcasts, e-

portfolios, instant messaging)

Online resources (e.g., Google, digital libraries, online publications, electronic

databases, courseware management systems)

Built Pedagogy

Formal Learning Spaces

• e.g., classrooms, large auditorium

• designed to support face-to-face meetings; scheduled

Informal Learning Spaces

• e.g., information commons, makerspace

• designed to enable individual learners or groups to pursue learning activities; ad hoc basis

Blended Learning

Varied Nature of Blended Learning

Flipped Learning• direct instruction moves from the group to the

individual learning space• the group space is transformed into a dynamic,

interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter.” (Flipped Learning Network, 2014)

Learning Space Rating System

Educause September

2014

rates design -- not

performance

presently limited to formal

learning spaces

7 Principles of Learning Space Design

Learning Space Design

• aligns with overarching campus plans, strategies, and support infrastructures

• involves all key stakeholders from the beginning of the design process

1. Design Aligns with Campus Context

• Campus’ academic strategy• Learning space master plan• IT infrastructure• Regular, iterative process of research & assessment,

results of which can inform future local designs and be shared with community

Example of Alignment with Campus Academic Strategy• A team-based space design could be aligned to the

goal of increasing student engagement & collaboration skills.

• Mobile projection in the space’s design to align to a campus tablet initiative

2. Planning & Design Process• Ensure participation in design process, building

consensus and support across key stakeholders– Future users of the learning spaces, administrators

Consider • design process based on research and best practices• pilot projects have demonstrated feasibility of design• evaluation plan in place to determine if potential of

space has been realized in practice

3. Support & Operations• How will the space be maintained?• Who can come “riding to the rescue” in the event that

users encounter difficulty?• Can faculty find information about the room when

requesting classrooms?• Will that information tell them if the room’s capabilities

align with their pedagogical goals?• Are plans in place to help faculty re-imagine their

course to take advantage of room’s features?

4. Environmental Quality• A learning environment that supports human needs

supports learning – lighting– temperature– comfortable furniture– technology– trend toward including cafes near learning spaces indicates

importance of addressing full range of human needs

5. Layout & Furnishings• Room layout & furnishings are to classroom design as

rhythm and melody to music.• Anticipate how learners will be using learning space focused

on discussions, presentations, teams and versatility:– Movement paths through space– Seating density– Reconfigurability of the room– Visibility of learning activities– Comfort of the furnishings– Ways for learners to collaboratively express & capture learning

process by means of writable surfaces

6. Tools & Technology• Is the technology capable of supporting the activities

anticipated for the classroom? Electrical power Network connectivity Distributed interactivity Session capture & access Visual display Sound amplification Audio/Visual interface & control Innovation in technology and tools

7. Innovation• Rating applied to each of the sections• Allows thinking outside the box to contribute to the

room design’s score.

Active Learning

Rethink Classroom Spaces• Many classrooms are not designed to support active

learning strategies.

• "Faculty need to be able to move around freely," Georgieva said. "Trying to do that in a classroom with bolted chairs is almost impossible."

Collaborative

Multi-Use

FLEXspace Learning Environments eXchange

• an interactive online database with images and videos of learning spaces

• provides a searchable collection of best practices in active learning design

• describes detailed attributes of these spaces

• serves as a useful planning resource and consulting network

FLEXspace Asset Example

Importance of Informal Learning Spaces

Widespread wireless access to campus network & online

resources

Increasing student laptop

ownership

Majority of learning activities take place

outside formal classroom

User’s experience not always a focus of design process

Students and faculty experience building

design at a personal level.•Inter ac t d ir ec tly with chairs & tables•Look for convenient power outlets to connec t to the ir laptops /devic es•View a pr o jec ted image from a partic u lar location in the r oom

What does this mean?• What is driving change in learning practices (which in

turn affects change in learning space design)?

What does this mean?

Learning space development will require iterative design & prototyping methods to accommodate new forms of technology and learning approaches, a departure from traditional design practices.

Conclusion

Design is both a noun and a verb; learning space design outcomes and processes intertwine.

New forms of blended learning space will evolve over time as technologies change, people adapt, and new practices emerge.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic, in reconsidering how campuses are designed in both a physical and technological sense, will position itself to exploit future technologies.

References• Brown, M. (2015). Seven principles for classroom design: The learning

space rating system. Retrieved May 14, 2015 from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/seven-principles-classroom-design-learning-space-rating-system

• Educause. (2014). Learning space rating system. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from http://www.educause.edu/eli/initiatives/learning-space-rating-system

• Flipped Learning Network (2014). Definition of flipped learning. http://fln.schoolwires.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=92

• Milne, A. J. (2006). Chapter 11. Designing blended learning space to the student experience. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from http://www.educause.edu/Chapter11.DesigningBlendedLearningSpacetotheStudentExperience/11909

References cont’d• Mohawk College. (2015). Blended learning at Mohawk College. http://

www.mohawkcollege.ca/programs-courses/blended-learning.html• New Media Consortium. (2015). Redesigning learning spaces. NMC

Horizon report: 2015 Higher education edition. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-education-edition/

• Raths, D. (2014). How do your learning spaces measure up? Campus Technology. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/03/05/how-do-your-learning-spaces-measure-up.aspx

• Stephens, L. (2015). Building community with FLEXspace: The flexible learning environment eXchange. Educause. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/building-community-flexspace-flexible-learning-environments-exchange