This presented has undertaken doctoral work around learning spaces and has used learning theory, composition pedagogy and the work of Thomas and Seely Brown (The New Culture of Learning, 2011) and Jos Boys (Towards Creative Learning Spaces, 2012).

Dana undertook a study of a newly designed room for first year writing which was a room with mobile chairs, desks, mobile whiteboards, multiple LCD screens and student mobile technology. The goals of the study were to increased flexible pedagogy and increased student engagement but there were also reductions in University costs because there was no need to maintain lab computers with students using their own mobile devices.

The method used for the research was ethnography with the question “How do the users perceive/use the space?” Participant observation and interviews were used alongside conceptual mapping where students were given the map of the blank classroom and cut outs of the furniture and asked to design their ideal classroom. Grounded theory was then used to analyse the data. Some preliminary results only were being presented.

Students’ perceptions of the classroom were that it facilitated interaction and “they got to know people better” but also it supported social territories with students sitting with their social group.

Lecturers’ perceptions were that this was a tool for engagement with students being able to face each other. The whiteboards were good because this made students move to them to work together and stopped them burying themselves in their laptops. However, the use of the lectern was still felt to be an issue they were around 6 foot across and were perceived by staff as creating a walled fortress. They wanted to move around.

The implications of these findings were that all felt group facilitation was supported, there was increased student/lecturer interactions and increased flexibility around the pedagogy BUT…

A new room was designed for the next term keeping the mobile furniture, whiteboards, LCD screens and different colours in the room but also they added rails on the wall to hang the whiteboards and they changed the lecterns so they were smaller around 3 foot and were placed in the corner of the room. They also provided a small table on wheels and chair for the lecturer so they could move around and join groups. This is now being evaluated.

Future plans are to provide lecturers with remote technology pads that work the lectern from anywhere in the room and to continue the research. One issue they also need to explore further is disabled students where some of these rooms are less flexible for them if in a wheelchair.