learningspacedesign-blog

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Too Narrow, too Low and too Distant

I was observing a lecture in a room today where 6 students were crammed into a row 3mtrs wide so 500mm wide, this was obviously too narrow a space for each student especially as they are getting bigger. I also noticed that the students from halfway back were bobbing around in an attempt to see the projection screen, i even saw three students sat on the top of the backrest of their seats at the back of the room. This is because the room is a flat floor and the furniture is all the same height. I think I can improve this with different height furniture. A raked floor is not possible. The last observation was that the back 3 rows were too distant from the projection screen, or put another way, the projection screen is too small for the distance of the furthest seats. I will be sorting this room soon and will blog with the solution.

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Can't please all the people all the time..or can you?

In 2011 I designed 4 lecture spaces (not lecture theatres) using plectrum shaped tables, not my design ( it's a bit like a triangle with rounded corners and many are using this shape). Where my design differs from others is that the tables split and tilt and are on casters allowing for the reconfiguration of the room to suit the needs and teaching style of the lecturer. I received very good feedback. 'At last' some said,' a room that I can break my class into groups so they can collaborate and where I can work the room' (that's my phrase not theirs they don't consider themselves as comedians or magicians). However I also received feedback saying 'I can't teach in these. I need traditional front facing rows for my style of delivery'. At first I was annoyed at this as the design of the table means the students only have to angle themselves slightly to face the front, but after some thought I agreed that this type of table does not give the detractors what they want. So what is the answer. My first response is not to place these lecturers in these rooms. This applies to technology also i.e. a lecturer teaching in a room with the wrong technology for him or her. If they are not to be timetabled into inappropriate rooms the timetabling has to be more granular and ask the questions; How many students? What type of layout is required? What technology is required? The timetabling software should then be able to match the needs to the availability. Another way is to design the furniture so that it does both i.e. allows front facing rows and collaborative group work. I have started work on this and have used adapted a method I have seen elsewhere where one row can turn and face the row behind. To do this I will use two different depths of table and the pods will consist of 6, two rows of 3. There will be 3 different heights of desk so I can provide a raked effect using the furniture instead of the construction of the room. I will get some pictures of the prototype soon. So perhaps it is possible to please all of the people all of the time, or am I just kidding myself?  

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Is Grey Good? Or is that a Black and White Question?

I have recently been considering my stance on learning environment design, the use of technology in teaching and, in particular, mobile technology and it's current but, more importantly, future impact on learning environment design and teaching and learning methods. I concluded that people's attitudes to these are often very black and white, my own included. However the more I design spaces and decide on  the technology to be used in them I find that there is a whole world of shades of grey out there. This should not be surprising but how many of those reading this, if they are honest, think in black and white. I state in earlier posts that listening to relevant stakeholders is key to good design but what I had not considered is  how important grey is to the process. It is more than compromise, definitions of which are:

1. a settlement of differences by mutual concessions; an agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles, etc., by reciprocal modification of demands.

2. the result of such a settlement.

3. something intermediate between different things: The split-level is a compromise between a ranch house and a multi-storied house. (This is the nearest definition)

4. an endangering, especially of reputation; exposure to danger, suspicion, etc.: a compromise of ones integrity.

 I think that recognising that most things fall into the grey zone better prepares one to make compromises which are usually inevitable in the design process. 

Having said all that some things are black and white it is deciding which they are. Now there is a skill.

 I hope those reading this post understand what I am trying to say because I found it difficult to articulate. Perhaps I have too strong a black and white personality but I am trying.

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Technology in the Classroom?

At the recent excellent SCHOMS conference hosted by Hull University the thorny issue of getting teachers to use to technology in the classroom / lecture theatre to the benefit of the students and the staff raised it's hydra like head once again. It seems that those designing learning environments, in this context at universities, have a dilemma as to what to technology to install in them. Currently the three most contentious are provision for lecture capture, visualisers and interactive technology. If these were low cost items I suspect they would be installed every where but they are not cheap and there is the matter of scalability i.e. 75 rooms and upwards. You get the idea. Then there is the question of will they be used? I have witnessed a lecturer using a lectern with a Smart Sympodium interactive screen installed and asking me if it is possible to have, wait for it, an interactive whiteboard. Now to be fair this is not the lecturers fault. It is the responsibility of those making the decision to install technology to inform teachers of a) it's availability b) what it can do c) provide training if required. An engineering company would not introduce a new lathe without training the operative, if they did they would not get a return on their investment. However I believe there is a far more fundamental question to be answered. Will the technology provide any educational benefit? I am not an educationalist so am not qualified to answer this unequivocally but I do have an opinion. Our young people are exposed to technology on a 24 \ 7 basis. Mobile devices in particular are becoming more sophisticated on an almost daily basis allowing them to do use technology we only dreamed of just 5 years ago. They have attended schools which use technology far more than HEIs do and then they arrive at university to find an alien learning environment. When they leave university, dependant upon the profession they choose (or fall into) it is likely that they will once again come into contact with technology. So there exists this technological semi-barren land between school and work which needs addressing. I am not saying that technology replaces good teaching but I am convinced it can enhance it. Make it even more engaging and the inspired teachers could be even more inspiring. I recently leaned of a lecturer who will be awarded a lecturing award nominated by students. He uses a slide projector and OHPs. I hear some of you say that this proves that technology does not make good teachers and I agree but consider this: slide projectors and OHPs were cutting edge at one time and if the lecturer was to digitise the slides and use a visualiser instead if an OHP how much more could he achieve.One example is that the lecture could be captured  so that students could review the lectures for clrification and revision or if they missed the lecture, and no attendance does not drop. As stated above a major obstacle to the adoption of technology in a meaningful way is scalability. It is too expensive to install everything everywhere so systems have to change to allow for this. The main change would be timetabling. Most HEIs just match the right number of bums to chairs and I understand that this has been adequate in the past, it is no longer the case. There needs to be an alignment of capacity, technology and teaching style to suitable rooms. This is not a small task but with the aid of technology (see what I did there) it is possible and should be done if we are to get the best from our investment, provide choice to academics who do or do not want to use technology (I think the latter will disappear by default) and place them in the correct type of learning environment. Of course it would be really good if there was some research available that gave an unequivocal answer whether or not technology in the classroom provides a better education, not easy to prove with the many variants. My belief is that it does not. It is how the teacher uses technology, hopefully with imagination, inspiration and a desire to do a good job that provides a better experience and therefore  an improved education.

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Do Written Standards and Guidlines Constrain Creativity?

I  spent several hours today reading institutional standards or guidelines of HEI's across Europe, USA and Australia about learning environment design and established there is a lot of commonality. They deal with things such as room shapes, types of furniture, technology, lighting, degree of rake. heating and ventilation, etc. It occurred to me that whilst I agree with, and use, many of the guidelines it occurred to me that in a fast changing environment, especially technological which can liberate the designer, could these constrain creativity. Could approaching a design project armed with a flare for design, creativity and no preconceived ideas produce something innovative and fresh? I know and accept that ones experience will play a part in this but that can sometimes lead to just repeating what has been done before. I suppose the experience of innovation is what is important here. Thinking about it I know that this is how Peter Jamieson works. Just a thought.

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Elliot Felix at EDUCAUSE 2011

Eliot Felix http://elliotfelix.com/ presented at EDUCAUSE 11 his slideshare is here http://www.slideshare.net/elliotfelix/learning-space-service-design-eli2012 I first met Elliot at the U21 forum 'Design of Learning Spaces'. I think Elliot hits the nail on the head with his approach. I especially resonate with slide 7 and I am at last seeing some progress towards Design Thinking methodology at my home institution. I referenced Tim Brown and Design thinking in my post http://learningteachingspaces.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/design-thinking.html It's good to see Elliot is still making designers think about what it is they are designing but more importantly who and for what purpose are they / we designing. I have recently  been involved with two projects where the architects never even got as far as thinking about the contents in the container (see slide 7 as referenced above). Unfortunately I know that this is quite usual within the sector.

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Toni Kelly's Blog

Toni Kelly of Birmingham Univeristy has just started a study tour of Libraries and Learning spaces in Asia. Toni will be blogging during her tour. The blog can be found here. http://learningspacedesignanddevelopment.blogspot.co.uk/

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The Benefit of Asking

I recently asked  the academic community at my University about their opinions and experiences of our learning environments. The responses were very  useful in that it gave real as opposed to anecdotal evidence of issues that need to be addressed. I often feel that when someone is evangelising (often considered complaining) about something, in this case the need to modernise learning environments, they are often ignored. I accept that evidence to support ones ideas and proposals needs to be gathered but sometimes even the blindingly obvious issues are ignored if it is the same person calling for them to be addressed. The most useful thing about the responses was the common thread running through them. This will be invaluable in being able to address what is being asked for but as important is what to eradicate. I have written previously that involving the stakeholders is essential but asking what they think about current learning environment has been very informative with regard to designing the new.

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Quart into a Pint Pot

Regardless of the negative impact on the staff - student experience of designing learning environments that are over capacity this still seems to be a common error. I spoke to two colleagues today at different universities that have recently had the same experience as me in that new learning environment projects they have been involved in are over capacity resulting in at best a compromise and worst a space that deos not deliver. I think this is often the  a result of the practice of dividing the area of a space by an often arbitrary value per student. This method does not consider the pedagogic methods, other uses the space may be used for, the technology installed etc. It is ultimately a bums on seats exercise that often results in environments that are not fit for purpose. The problem is how this practice is stopped with the pressure for space on campus and currently growing class sizes? The only method I know of is to ensure that the capacity of the space is negotiated with all stakeholders early in the project. I would like to know what other methods for measuring capacity others use and, if a formula is used, what it is and if different formulae are used for differnet spaces?

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SCHOMS Learning Environment Design Workshop

I recently attended The Learning Environment Design Workshop run by SCHOMS www.schoms.ac.uk at Birmingham University. It was organised by Toni Kelly of Birmingham University and led by Prof Peter Jamieson of Melbourne University. The delegates were estates staff, librarians, architechs,technologists and learning environment designers, so a wide range of influence and experience was represented. The main objective of the day was for the delegates to look at the space the workshop was held in and, having experienced  it in the morning session, break into teams to consider all the questions and considerations that would need to be asked when designing such a space. The list of considerations will be collated and  form part of a template that can be used in learning environment design . It is hoped that the template will be of assistance to those designing such places. I am not sure of the timescale but I think the end of 2011 was mentioned. I will post further details as they appear. Thanks to SCHOMS, Toni and Peter for a successful and informative event.

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Let's ask the students!

I was visiting an old friend of mine today and her very able and articulate16 year old granddaughter was there.

I was asking her about school in general when she told me that a new science block had just been built, this being her interest.

Naturally I asked what it was like and I surprised that she replied 'rubbish'.

This is a list of the things she said was wrong. She had no idea that tlearning space design is something I am interested in.

1) The room is too long

2) We can't see the board or what is being written when further than half way down the room.

3) We have to stand up to see over the heads of those in front.

4) The teacher has to request that students move to the front in order to see\ hear what is going on then they have no desk.

5) The chairs are higher than normal but the desks are normal height which results in bending over a lot and getting back a ache.

6) There was no use of technology to assist with these problems

Her final comment was on the money 'if they had asked us (students) in the first place we could have told them what does and does not work'.

It is obvious from what Becky told me that little thought, and no consultation with the users, had gone into this science block, even the teachers are complaining.

Same old story!

What amazes and frustrates me is that when speaking to most people about design of anything they agree that consultation and input from those who are the intended users is essential. Why is it then that this rarely occurs?

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Who is the learning space for anyway?

I attended a meeting last week to discuss furniture and layout requirements in 4 new learning spaces in a new building.

The first thing to say is that it is far too late in the project to be doing this and that consideration should have been given to this element of the learning spaces much earlier in the project and as part of an holistic approach.

Setting that aside a group of stakeholders will now attempt to come up with a brief to present to commercial companies for them to provide possible solutions.

Whilst in the meeting I was trying to determine who is the space is for anyway, hence the title of this post. The stakeholder groups represented were:

Estates

Academics

Educationalists

Students (It has occured to me that there are the current and the future students, their expectations may quite possibly be different considering changing trends and the introduction of fees. I fear they will not be passive consumers. Why should they?)

Time table office

Senior management

Technologists (AV\IT)

I have concluded that, in some way or another, the space is for all of the above and others not represented.

Given adequate time, the opinions and ideas of these groups could form the basis of the brief, and getting the brief correct is essential.

What became apparent early on in the meeting were the constraints the group had to take consideration off.

The main ones came as no surprise:

Cost

Capacity (of students)

Time.

I strongly believe that these constraints can be better managed.

Cost is the most tricky of these to resolve. The money allocated for the furniture is limited and we have to work to that budget. What could happen of course is that if the furniture had been considered earlier in the project it may have been more beneficial to divert money from other things to the furniture, of course there would have to have been debate and compromise over this but at least an holistic approach would have given better value for money over all in my opinion.

The capacity one should not be so hard to resolve. This can be done by deciding early on what sort of activities would take place in the spaces and apply a sensible area per student formula. The formula could be decided upon as a standard for each type of learning space i.e. traditional, reconfigurable etc.

However I urge caution here because there seems to be a tendency to give too little space and use the 'bums on seats' approach. I have mentioned this elsewhere in the blog.

The time constraint is needless. These matters should be considered at the start of the project.

So who is the space for, what do you think?

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Design Thinking

I have recently been considering my approach to learning space design in particular and my approach to things in general. In my search for some definable logic I came across Tim Brown's book 'Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation' http://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089 This book made absolute sense to me. To try and break away from the iterative process, or at least to accept that one decision in the chain often means revisiting earlier decisions that are no longer correct, to understand the constraints of desirability, feasibility and viability. The people centred approach that I have always thought, even as one that supports the use of technology when appropriate, the most important element of designing, or of anything come to that. Anyway I eventually found my way to this video http://blog.ted.com/2009/09/29/a_call_for_desi/ which once again made perfect sense to me and has helped me formulate a more clear understanding of how I will approach learning space design. It was doubly pleasing as I consider  I.K.Brunel to be one of Britains greatest men. I recently attended a University of Wales  colloquium http://gregynog.glam.ac.uk/ where colleagues from the University of Glamorgan gave a presentation about Agile Srum Methodology http://scrummethodology.com/ of software development and I saw some similarities with the way I like to work. I will be taking a closer look at this to see if I can use parts of the methodology in learing space design.

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The Design Route Map or The Chicken and Egg Scenario

As readers of this blog will be aware I have been promoting the idea, widely accepted but not often followed, that the design brief of learning spaces should be informed by a range of stakeholders prior to the design beginning. In this post I want to be devil's advocate and test this proposal and, hopefully, for readers to comment on. In his book 'How Designers Think, Fourth Edition', Bryan Lawson says in relation to route maps of the design process  'Knowing that design consists of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation linked in an iterative cycle will no more enable you to design than knowing the movements of breaststroke will prevent you from sinking......You will just have to put it together yourself'. I wonder if having an 'open brief' could, in the right circumstances, allow for more creativity. Discuss!

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Main Message from SCHOMS conference

First of all what a very good conference with stimulating topics on a variety of topics, great networking and good fun. It was interesting to listen to the opinions of the three main speakers. Professor Stephen Heppel's approach about involving the ultimate users in aiding design including school children ampified my belief that we can all contribute to the design process. I recommend a visit to his site http://www.heppell.net/. Prof Mike Neary flying the academics flag in a valid way. The Student as Producer HEA funded project was very interesting. Dr Jos Boys's presentation 'Learning Spaces: where is the theory? was thought provoking and something that has concerned me for some time. I have to say that in my opinion we can over theorise but the theory needs to be accounted for somewhere in the design process. There was an overwhelming agreement that students will become more demanding as a result of the introduction of fees. There were some detractors from this idea but, as I said in my presentation, the student guild and parents will also be more demanding as well as encouraging their children to become so. Another message that came from the various presentations but especially from Oliver Ireson of Birmingham, James Rutherford of London School of Fashion and Simon Birkett of Derby as well as myself is the need for a team of stakeholders in the brief design of learning spaces and meaningful post use evaluation of the spaces. Of course you have seen that mantra on this blog previously. Well done Az Mohamed of Newcastle University as host and SCHOMS for putting on another great conference.

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SCHOMS Conference 2011

The SCHOMS conference at Newcastle University begins on Wednesday 11th  May  http://www.schoms.ac.uk/event/conference/annual-conference-2011 I'm looking forward to meeting up with colleagues and listening to our guest speakers, it is an excellent  line up. http://rubble.heppell.net/heppell/quiickbiog.html http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/cerd/Staff/Staff_M_neary.htm http://www.josboys.co.uk/

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Blog unavailable

Just a quick post to let those following this blog that it is once again available. It was unavailable because Google had disabled my account for 4 days with no explanation. It has been re-activated with no explanation. Any way back up again. Hooray