Innovative Learning Spaces at LJMU: How They Indicate Possible Improvements to Learning Space Design?

Acknowledgements

This report was completed with the help of

·         The AV-IT Forum

·         Academic staff who have developed spaces in their areas

·         Staff and students who helped complete the questionnaires.

Summary

This report wishes to benefit future teaching room developments and their use, by building understanding of how learning space design can affect learning and teaching. Learning spaces cover a wide range of types e.g. libraries and social areas, this report focuses on what can be loosely defined as classrooms. It will; review 7 innovative learning spaces of this type at LJMU, using data gathered from research into some of these rooms and compare this with evidence from other research in this area.

The main conclusions and recommendations are:

·         The learning space design process, can act as opportunity to re-focus universities.

·         Learning spaces do not change practice on their own, but amplify existing practice.

·         Group-learning and student-centred learning should remain a focus for development of learning space design.

·         More academic staff need to engage in an deeper and informed way in developments.

·         Staff support, development and sharing of practice will help with ownership and enable staff to get the most from these spaces.

·         Colour although not a direct influence on learning is highly valued by students. 

·         A need to explore the potential of re-designing other aspects of the learning landscape such as lecture theatres.

Introduction

Who was involved in creating these rooms?

AV-IT Group

The AV-IT Group was established to improve student experience in the classrooms and learning spaces around with University. They look after audio and visual technology in teaching rooms. All rooms in University now have a base line provision, and the group continues to works together to reduce cost of maintenance and replacement. They are now expanding to look after furniture.

Membership includes:

·         Director of Teaching and Learning Development (Chair)

·         Faculty learning and teaching managers

·         Senior Technicians

·         Head of Technology Enhanced Learning

·         Faculty Managers

·         Libraries & student services

·         Resource Directors

·         Deputy Director of Computing and Information Services

·         Welfare - Head of Department

·         Procurement Officer - Infrastructure Planning

In 2009 they decided to put a small budget aside for innovation of technology and room design, this resulted in the exemplar learning spaces project. Faculties put proposals together with AV technicians and academic staff involvement. These were submitted and amendments suggested by the group before they went ahead.

Localised Initiatives

Some academics/departments have independently developed innovative learning spaces. These are usually designed to support a particular pedagogy to support a curriculum or skills development need. Several of these rooms are included in this report.

Definition of Learning Spaces

There are a great many types of different learning spaces in a modern University, lecture theatres, ICT suites, classrooms, specialist lab areas and also informal social areas, such as those found in libraries. This report focuses on classroom teaching spaces but, it should also be pointed out that future developments should recognise the whole environment as adding and enhancing the student and staff experience (Savin-Baden 2008). Teaching predominantly happens in designated places, learning can happen anywhere (Van Note Chism, 2006)

Research

There is little research in this area (Temple, 2007), what research does exist tends to concentrate on psychological perspectives of the physical attributes of the space, or the wider social and cultural dimensions. The research for this report involved; visiting, analysing and recording 7 rooms, 4 of those rooms were investigated further with staff and student questionnaires. 135 students and 10 staff members returned questionnaires.

The student questionnaires were designed to gain understanding of the perceptions and beliefs of the students over the effect the environment had on the way they were taught and how they learnt. The staff questionnaires tried to establish any change in approach or practice and the perceptions of effectiveness of the space.

Results or findings
Rooms as Amplifiers
Robert Emery Smith (Educause, 2010) sees learning spaces as Amplifiers of both good and bad teaching practice. If the teaching and learning practice is aligned with the room design it amplifies the effectiveness of that process. If they are not aligned or it is simply poor practice their effectiveness will be dip in performance. The simplest example of this is a group-based and learner centric approach being delivered in a formal lecture theatre. This idea of amplification will be used in this report to help frame the findings.
This amplification can also be applied to the effect on the wider social and cultural aspects surrounding the learning space (Horne-Martin 2004). For instance a room design might amplify a workshop that wishes to facilitate a cultural value such as ‘freedom of speech’. This value will need to be present in the culture and the space to amplify it. This phenomenon of amplification could then become reciprocal leading to a form of amplified feedback, heightening this value in the local culture.

The 7 Spaces

Subject: Social Science

Students: 60

Purpose: The School has recently moved to a temporary old building. The central atrium provided a natural focal point to design a space which encourages students to socialise and as a space for group work.

Pedagogy: Move from formal classroom to social space allowed lecturers to break down barriers. The lack of technology was seen as a positive, allowing student focused discussion and debate rather than tutor lead.

Space Design: Strong use of colour, fixed pods allows group to ‘huddle’, flexible tables for more ad hoc meetings, natural light through ceiling

Technology: Wireless, but there is no fixed technology such as computers or projector

Student quote: “less informal, feel it's easier to have a discussion, more confident about speaking out” 

Subject: Engineering and Product Design

Students: 20-30

Purpose: A recognised need for creativity and group work within the subject lead to a space which challenges students to think differently and build a creative studio/workplace atmosphere.

Pedagogy: Innovation and Creativity, working on group projects to identify and develop creative solutions.

Space Design: Moveable whiteboards, flexible layout, display cases for inspiration and reference.

Technology: Includes multiple presentation screens, use of background music.

Student quote: “more relaxed yet productive and good for communication between staff and peers” 

Subject: Business Development

Students: 20

Purpose: Set up to support internal innovation between teams, this space has now expanded to include working with external partners. A large range of facilitated activities take place which are designed to enhance communication, collaboration and creativity

Pedagogy: ‘Making thinking visible’. Many of the activities allow participants to visualise, as a group, problems and possible solutions

Space Design: Use of colour, soft furnishings, lighting, music and flexibility. Moveable whiteboards support activities

Technology: ‘Distiller’ a purpose built multi-keyboard mind-mapping tool, multi-projector screens, serious lego, video and stills cameras. 

Subject: Business and Law

Students: 8

Purpose: To explore the potential of different technologies to help staff members to understand, develop and practice different teaching and learning activities. It also support

with external partners via video conference.

Pedagogy: technology enabled group work

Space Design and Technology: Use of colour and graphics, lighting, and flexible table/computer flip tables. Central control screen, video conferencing.