Global Trends in Physical Learning Space Research

1 Learning spaces growing visibly strong in English speaking countries

Learning Spaces are definitely not “[a]n under-researched topic”^[2] any more. Today, the motto rather is “Keeping Pace with the Rapid Evolution of Learning Spaces”.^[3] Especially in the Anglo-American tertiary education sector, a great amount of institutions have begun creating informal, flexible learning environments, designed specifically towards the needs and working preferences of their students.^[4]

Through high-end technology integration and demographic shifts among the learners, the physical space blends in with the virtual, and enables learning anywhere at any time.^[5] Through novel partnerships across campus, services and resources are consolidated in learning centres, -commons, and -hubs.^[6] Eventually, the academic library transforms into a single point of access, uniting stakeholders on campus.^[7]

The wholeness of these projects become more and more controlled and documented. In an open-innovation approach, institutions increasingly share their experiences through reports and presentations, and educational research institutions supply a theoretic, systematic, and methodical fundament. Entire journals^[8] and research communities have been founded or have adopted the topic^[9] to provide practitioners, architects, and decision makers with scientifically reliable tools. A sheer mass of models for designing and evaluating learning spaces have sprung from these ambitions.

Academic learning spaces are by far no risky endeavour or experiment any more. They became an integral part of campus development and institutional public reputation.^[10] Increasingly, the same can be said about other institutions, such as primary and secondary schools, and public libraries.^[11] Here, Europe’s advance is far more solid already.^[12]

2 Disconnected research and Babylonian confusion

Interestingly though, many research hubs worldwide seem to strive to invent these fundaments and models by themselves, instead of collaborating and supporting each other. Rarely do authors cite colleagues and projects from other countries: often the discourse remains a national one, although similar trends, challenges, and experiences can be found just across the border.

The language barrier reinforces this obstacle. Exchanging ideas between Canada, the U. S., the UK, Australia, and New Zealand is not a linguistic problem – between other countries, it is. Not surprisingly, project reports and research frequently circulates only in the respective lingua franca, which prevents the comprehensibility in other countries, but even more: it impedes the discovery of the publication!

Consequently, throughout the ongoing research for the newly released database, one major challenge has been to identify the equivalent of the term learning space in other languages. In Norway, for instance, the word læringsarena is used^[13], which translates to learning arena literally – a term that makes sense by logic, but hardly any non-Norwegian would intuitively assume this word is used to refer to learning spaces in Scandinavia. Interestingly, however, Scandinavian authors sometimes use the exact latter words in their English publications^[14], and this limits the discoverability of their publications. (Besides, Scandinavia formed terms like læringsrum, læringsmiljø, læringscenter.)

The situation in Germany is arguably even worse. Here, a dozen synonyms circulate, such as Lern-, Bildungs- and Wissensraum, -zentrum, -umgebung, -arrangement, -ort, -punkt, -studio, or -atelier ... Some of them are decades old already.^[15] Now add the start of co-working spaces and makerspaces merging into the former^[16], and the confusion is complete. These uncaptured varieties suggest that the research collaboration halts between regions, possibly institutions, and that the prominence of the topic is still marginal. Otherwise, there would be a more precise manner to communicate about learning spaces in Germany. This again reflects the need of libraries and other institutions for a consolidated approach towards the spatial manifestations of learning arrangements.

3 Capturing today’s complexity in realizing the perfect learning environment

Simply compromising on a single term that is synonymous or most frequently used in each language (e.g., learning space – Lernort – læringsmiljø, for English, German, and Scandinavian) will not be the ideal solution, however. A pilot usability study on the database Learning Spaces – Lernwelten illustrates that even among an unrepresentative sample of ‘learning space’ stakeholders a strong ambiguity of search term connotation is present.^[17] In short: learning space is a highly general collective term, which stands for everything from design, over technology and digital environments, learners’ profiles and pedagogic concepts, strategy, organizational forms and partnership models. These aspects need a standardized vocabulary, as well.

Libraries are not just dealing with students and designers, but also with teachers, administration and staff, policy and decision makers – all of which have a slightly different idea and interest in changing physical and digital learning landscapes.^[18] The publishing community has to account for them! For instance, architects and designers are expecting visual materials^[19], while most journal publications and reports only consist of fairly uninspiring rows of text (apparently, just like this article). To give stakeholders better access to information and best practice, the ground needs to be set for them to interact. Identifying the key areas that learning space projects include, and the interfaces, where these stakeholders meet is crucial.^[20] Only then can the ongoing global research connect scientists and practitioners of all kind.

Evidently, the perfect learning environment goes far beyond simply placing modern furniture in refurbished classrooms or emptied library halls.^[21] Satisfying and mediating the demands of all interest groups is only one element among a growing range of project management issues. Increased share in institutional strategy, management, and public relations in turn requires projects to feature methods and key performance indicators that measure its success. In all sectors, user engagement in the entire project cycle, from researching learners’ needs and behaviour, and to involving architects, teachers, and learners in design and evaluation procedures, is adressed excessively in the major research networks around the globe.^[22]

4 A controlled vocabulary creating a global research community

This variety of terms, which address learning spaces in general, illustrates how difficult it can be to find publications in and beyond one’s own language on the said topic. The quite young discipline definitely suffers from a missing controlled vocabulary and a broad taxonomy. This deficit prevents an international exchange of research and innovative practice.

For example, the concept of campus cooperation is very common among Anglo-American institutions, but it remains a marginal agenda in public libraries, schools, and adult education. Quite the contrary is the case in Germany: Among the latter institutions, cooperations and partnerships are a key strategic endeavour.^[23] There is an innovative trend towards what we call spatial integration (Räumliche Integration)^[24] – different types of educational institutions physically joining forces under the same roof, spawning novel synergies.^[25] These trends cannot be discovered by direct search itself, but only by serendipity! With its large-scale taxonomy, the database Learning Spaces – Lernwelten provides the very feature to make these fine nuances transparent.

The broad scope of the research database finally establishes a universal platform to make such trends internationally visible. It also sets the foundation for inter-institutional research synergies and good case practice exchange. Thereby, we strive to connect the worldwide research hubs and support institutions, practitioners, and politics with the necessary information to benefit from experiences from all over the globe.