ERIC Number: EJ850622
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 14
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1528-5324
EISSN: N/A
Learning Spaces: A Tutorial
MacPhee, Larry
EDUCAUSE Quarterly, v32 n1 2009
The opportunity to design a learning space does not come along often. Usually, it involves the construction of a new building or the complete remodel of an old one, and both of these require a lot of money. Smaller projects, such as renovation of a single room or a defined space, can be the best way to test ideas and establish a model for effective learning spaces, including virtual learning spaces. In most designs, people make mistakes or compromises because of budget and time constraints, space limitations, failure to anticipate the way the facility will be used, or just plain failure to plan. Some of the best design features are simple and inexpensive to incorporate during construction, but are difficult or costly to retrofit. Planning ahead and involving stakeholders early in the process can help a campus avoid the worst of these problems. How can spaces be designed so that they most effectively facilitate learning? The critical factor is that the people who design and build learning spaces really listen to the needs of the people who will support, teach, and learn in them. The campus experience for today's students is radically different. Technology has transformed the university campus and its students, but the faculty and staff struggle to keep pace. Technology enables learning pretty much everywhere. When thinking about learning spaces on the modern university campus, it is important to consider more than classrooms, which are formal learning spaces. Learning also occurs in informal spaces, which can include hallways and dining areas. This tutorial focuses on the design of informal and formal learning spaces mostly inside campus buildings, although many of the concepts could be applied in other spaces, including virtual ones. After looking at some examples of learning spaces and considering their general attributes, the details are then discussed--those specific attributes that can make a learning space effective in supporting pedagogy and widely used by the campus community. That attention to detail transforms a learning space, whether formal or informal, into a space that facilitates student engagement and learning.
Descriptors: Educational Facilities Design, Design Preferences, Design Requirements, Interior Design, Interior Space, Space Utilization, Informal Education, Technology Integration, Technology Planning, Performance Technology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A