Group Admins
Description
Space, technology and pedagogy are acknowledged as “three legs of the stool” that support the development of effective learning spaces, (Dobbin et al, 2014, p.4). With this in mind, the project reconfigured seating to accommodate ‘pods’ of 3-5 students with access to a ThinkPad laptop and the flexibility for students to connect their own devices, the output of which can be shared and captured. The overall ambience of the spaces also changed as a result of improved lighting, audio and video projection. This presented opportunities for lecturers to rethink the way they teach and interact with students. To support this, a series of workshops, pedagogical discussions and technical drop-in sessions were planned and delivered by the centralised staff development unit. Reflective accounts from a number of academic colleagues who explored the potential of the redesigned spaces will be shared during the presentation.
The University recognises the need to contribute to scholarly activity in relation to the integration of learning technologies and innovation and has therefore committed various resources to reviewing the impact of these redesigned learning spaces. The Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) will engage in systematic evaluation of the use and impact of these spaces across the institution. In addition, a University Student Education Fellowship project will focus on student and staff experiences in, and perceptions of, the spaces in both flipped and non-flipped modules within the School of Music. Preliminary findings will be discussed during the presentation.
Participants will be encouraged to join the conversation and share their own experiences of teaching in redesigned learning spaces.
References:
Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., Freeman, A., Hall Giesinger, C., and Ananthanarayanan, V. (2017). NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium [Accessed 27 March 2017]. Available from: http://www.nmc.org/nmc-horizon-higher-education/?gclid=CIDx5s2l3dICFcOfGwodOA0Oug
Dobbin, G., Diaz, V., and Brown, M., 2014. Re-imagining learning spaces: design, technology, and assessment – A report on the ELI Fall Focus Session. ELI Paper 3: November 2014. [Accessed 27 March 2017]. Available from: https://library.educause.edu/resources/2014/11/reimagining-learning-spaces-design-technology-and-assessment
JISC [Joint Information Systems Committee], 2006. Designing spaces for effective learning: A guide to 21st century learning space design. HEFCE. [Accessed 27 March 2017]. Available from: https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20140616001949/http:/www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/learningspaces.pdf
