Introduction

In September, The University of Melbourne combined with the international architectural company Woods Bagot to convene the inaugural U21 forum on Learning Environment Design. The forum addressed the common concern that universities have to create new generation learning environments on campus to support the shift towards more student-centred, collaborative and problem-based learning approaches.

The forum was initiated by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and the Office of the Senior Vice-Principal, in conjunction with Woods Bagot under the auspices of the company’s ‘Public’ design research program. It was led by Associate Professor Peter Jamieson, an academic who leads the design of new learning environments at the university.

Participants

A total of nine U21 institutions were represented at the forum with participants from the University of Glasgow, Birmingham, Hong Kong, Virginia, Lund, New South Wales, Melbourne, McGill University and University College Dublin.

The Forum

The forum was specifically constructed as a ‘hands-on’ exercise involving participants in a simulated design exercise structured to reflect the complexity of real-life development projects in a university context. The exercise focused on the need to prioritise the ‘educational aspiration’ in projects aiming to create new generation learning environments. Working in small, multi-disciplinary teams the participants responded to a simulated ‘project brief’ to redevelop an existing lecture theatre into a collaborative learning environment. The participants had access to the actual ‘project site’ and were provided with floor plans.

The forum also included keynote presentations by representatives of the University of Melbourne and Woods Bagot who addressed critical issues and generated discussion in order to extend the thinking and expertise of the participants as they engaged in the design exercise.

Participant feedback

The evaluation revealed that the participants were overwhelmingly positive about the nature of the forum and its benefits. In particular, the participants:

• affirmed the benefit of undertaking the intensive ‘classroom design exercise’ in small, multi-disciplinary teams;
   
• welcomed the opportunity to meet and work with other U21 representatives grappling with similar professional challenges;
   
• increased their awareness of new approaches to the design of learning environments and acquired new skills to improve existing practices at their respective universities.

Key outcomes

At the conclusion of the forum, participants agreed to form a U21 special interest group on ‘New Generation Learning Environments’ which will promote knowledge and expertise about the improvement of learning environments across the network. The group will be convened by Associate Professor Peter Jamieson, University of Melbourne. In addition to the founding participants, membership is open to any staff member of a U21 institution.

The special interest group has specific aims, including

• Increasing awareness across U21 member institutions regarding developments in the design of new generation learning environments.
   
• Promoting multi-disciplinary design-based and research-informed approaches to the development of new generation learning environments.
   
• Active participation in the design and development of specific new learning environments within the group members’ respective institutions.
   
• Active support for collaborative approaches to the design and development of specific new learning environments across all U21 institutions.
   
• Development of information and support materials in a database to be located on the U21 web site.
   
• Promotion of Post-Graduate research collaboration and student exchanges.
   
• The group has also submitted a proposal to present on the issue of learning environments at the U21 Teaching and Learning conference to be held in Glasgow next February.