President Fell and the Cabinet established the Learning Spaces Initiative (LSI) to engage the campus community in assessment and dialogue concerning pedagogy, technology, and learning space design. Broadly stated, the University must build a roadmap that ensures flexible, technology-rich learning spaces that will best serve the diverse teaching and learning needs of 21st Century education. Diana Oblinger clearly communicates the significance of the nexus existing between space and pedagogy in her work,
Learning Spaces:
Learning is the central activity of colleges and universities. Sometimes that learning occurs in classrooms (formal learning); other times it results from serendipitous interactions among individuals (informal learning). Space—whether physical or virtual—can have an impact on learning. It can bring people together; it can encourage exploration, collaboration, and discussion. Or, space can carry an unspoken message of silence and disconnectedness. More and more we see the power of
built pedagogy (the ability of space to define how one teaches) in colleges and universities.*
It is recognized that students, faculty and staff are all stakeholders that need to be involved in building UF’s learning spaces roadmap. The phases of the LSI are designed to support this inclusive, participatory approach:
- Phase 1 – Build a Learning Spaces Initiative Website
- All students, faculty, staff will have access to the website and can complete the LSI Survey
- The website will contain design ideas/images, articles, and weblinks to provide perspective and to encourage dialogue relating to modern, flexible learning spaces
- Phase 2 – LSI Consultants Visit Campus (scheduled for March 7-8, 2016)
- Consultants will meet with as many stakeholders (individuals & groups) as possible through a series of scheduled meetings
- Phase 3 – Consultants Issue a Learning Spaces Report
- Implementation and recommendations from the report will be disseminated via the LSI website
*http://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/books/learning-spaces