SPACE MATTERS: Why is it important to think about space and furniture in university classrooms?

The R-PEACE Learning Lab has finished its first term, which saw 8 different classes using the space, ranging from first-year Intro classes to fourth-year seminars. In addition, we partnered with Marshview Middle School for their professional development day, talked space and design with community partners and visitors from schools around New Brunswick, and hosted faculty development conversations about research on teaching and space. It has been a busy term! Our research in the classroom has been aimed at:

• Identifying and evaluating the characteristics of learning spaces favouring the development of 21st Century teaching and learning skills, including individual and group problem-based learning approaches.

• Observing and assessing students’ thinking, learning and engagement processes in the context of problem solving in the newly designed learning space created for this study. 

• . Documenting faculty and student levels of satisfaction and measures of effectiveness; formulating recommendations on further development of such learning spaces on the Mount Allison campus.

• . Reviewing the emerging research literature on post-secondary innovative classroom design and the impact and effectiveness on teaching and learning in other Maritime, Canadian and international contexts.

• Working with our research partners on building a core research foundation on the connection between interactive classroom space and positive teaching and learning outcomes.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing results of our research projects.