Invited presentation at student centred campuses conference in May 2012

1. The Campus as a Place of Learning
– New Learning Spaces
Professor Mike Keppell
Director, The Flexible Learning Institute &
Professor of Higher Education
Charles Sturt University
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2. Overview
Distributed spaces
Ecological university
Principles
Diversity of spaces
Aligning with curriculum
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3. Distributed Spaces
Growing acceptance that learning occurs in different
‘places’
Proliferation of approaches emerging including
‘flexible’, ‘open’, ‘distance’ and ‘off-campus’ that assist
the ubiquity of learning in a wide range of
contexts (Lea & Nicholl, 2002).
Growing acceptance of life-long and life-wide
learning.
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4. Barnett, R. (2011). Being a
university. New York:
Routledge.
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5. Ecological University
Global connectedness and dependence on world around
them
Instead of ‘having an impact’ on the world which can be
both positive and negative ecological universities seek
sustainability
They adopt a ‘care for the world’ as opposed to an
‘impact on the world’ approach (Barnett, 2011).
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6. Higher Education Principles
Access and Equity &
ethical obligations
Equivalence of Learning Outcomes
traverses physical, blended and
Student Learning Experience virtual learning spaces.
‘place’ of learning is diverse
learning outcomes, subject,
Constructive Alignment degree program, generic
attributes
Discipline Pedagogies specific needs of disciplines
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7. Key principle
throughout the
presentation is
‘design’
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8. Learning Spaces
Physical, blended or virtual ‘areas’ that:
enhance learning
that motivate learners
promote authentic learning interactions
Spaces where both teachers and students
optimize the perceived and actual
affordances of the space (Keppell & Riddle,
2012).
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9. Distributed Learning
Spaces
Physical Blended Virtual
Formal Informal Formal Informal
Mobile Personal Academic
Professional
Outdoor
Practice
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10. Seven Principles of
Learning Space Design
The SKG project has established seven principles of
learning space which support a collaborative and
student-centred approach to learning:
Comfort: a space which creates a physical and mental
sense of ease and well-being
Aesthetics: pleasure which includes the recognition of
symmetry, harmony, simplicity and fitness for purpose
Flow: the state of mind felt by the learner when totally
involved in the learning experience
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11. Seven Principles of Learning Space
Design
4 Equity: consideration of the needs of cultural and physical
differences
5 Blending: a mixture of technological and face-to-face
pedagogical resources
6 Affordances: the “action possibilities” the learning
environment provides the users, including such things as
kitchens, natural light, wifi, private spaces, writing surfaces,
sofas, and so on.
7 Repurposing: the potential for multiple usage of a space
(Souter, Riddle, Keppell, 2010) (http://www.skgproject.com)
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12. Albury-Wodonga Learning Commons
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13. Comfort
Aesthetics
Flow
Equity
Blending
Affordances
Repurposing
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14. Wallenberg Hall - Stanford University
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15. Comfort
Aesthetics
Flow
Equity
Blending
Affordances
Repurposing
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16. MIT – STATA Center - EDDY Spaces
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17. Technology-enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) Centre
Affordances - Blending
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18. Discipline
Pedagogies
‘Plasma to
Chalkboard’
for Physics
Professors
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19. Affordances
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21. Virtual Learning Spaces
Virtual learning spaces provide unique opportunities
that are unavailable in physical learning spaces
These affordances or ‘action possibilities’ allow a
richer range of learning interactions
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22. Formal Virtual Informal Virtual
Learning Spaces Learning Spaces
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24. Flexible learning
“Flexible learning” provides opportunities to
improve the student learning experience through
flexibility in time, pace, place, mode of study,
teaching approach, forms of assessment and
staffing.
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25. Blended & Flexible Learning
“Blended and flexible learning” is a design approach
that examines the relationships between flexible
learning opportunities, in order to optimise
student engagement and equivalence in learning
outcomes regardless of mode of study (Keppell, 2010,
p. 3).
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26. Mobile Learning Spaces
With its strong emphasis on learning rather than
teaching, mobile learning challenges educators to try
to understand learners’ needs.
Understanding how learning takes place beyond
the classroom, and
Intersection of education, life, work and
leisure” (Kukulska-Hulme, 2010, p.181).
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27. Academic Learning Spaces
Physical, blended or virtual ‘areas’ that:
enhance academic ‘work’
that motivate academic ‘work’
enable networking
Spaces where academics optimize the perceived and
actual affordances of the space.
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28. Academic Spaces
Barnett (2011) suggests that “today’s university lives
amid multiple time-spans, and time-speeds” (p.
74).
Constant email...
Committee meetings......
Historians who focus on the past
Researchers who may focus on the future
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29. Academic Spaces
Universities may need
to be conscious of the
24/7 existence of
their students across
the globe, each in their
own unique time-span.
Virtual spaces
Residential students
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30. Academic Spaces
Barnett (2011) suggests that academics may be active
in university spaces that may include:
Intellectual and discursive space which focus on
the contribution to the wider public sphere.
Epistemological space which focuses on the
“space available for academics to pursue their own
research interests” (p. 76).
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31. Academic Spaces
Pedagogical and curricular space focuses on
the spaces available to trial new pedagogical
approaches and new curricular initiatives.
Ontological space which focuses on ‘academic
being’ which is becoming increasingly multi-faceted
beyond the research, teaching and community
commitments. In fact “the widening of
universities’ ontological spaces may bring
both peril and liberation” (p. 77).
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35. Personal Learning Spaces
Personal learning environments (PLE) integrate
formal and informal learning spaces
Customised by the individual to suit their needs and
allow them to create their own identities.
A PLE recognises ongoing learning and the need
for tools to support life-long and life-wide learning.
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36. Connectivism
PLE may also require new ways of learning as
knowledge has changed to networks and ecologies
(Siemens, 2006).
The implications of this change is that improved lines
of communication need to occur.
“Connectivism is the assertion that learning is
primarily a network-forming process” (p. 15).
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39. Outdoor Learning Spaces
• These pathways, thoroughfares
and occasional rest areas are
generally given a functional value
in traffic management and are
more often than not developed
as an after thought in campus
design. As such the
thoroughfares and rest
areas are under valued (or
not recognized) as important
spaces for teaching and learning
(Rafferty, 2012). 39

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43. Putting it
all
together
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44. Conclusion
A global revolution is taking place in tertiary education.
The traditional concept of the lecture room is being
redefined as digital and distance education
becomes the "new normal" (Mark Brown, Dominion
Post).
It is time that we begin changing our thinking about the
‘place’ of learning for both learners and staff.
We need to let go of the tradition of universities as
being a ‘singular place’ where learning and teaching
occurs.
Distributed learning spaces are the future.
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45. Further Information
SKG Report:
http://documents.skgproject.com/skg-final-report.pdf
Book Chapter:
http://www.slideshare.net/mkeppell/distributed-spaces-for-learning
Mike’s Blog:
http://mike-keppell.blogspot.com.au/
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