Building engaging physical and virtual learning spaces

A case study of a collaborative approach

Abstract

Research is somewhat divided as to whether today's younger students speak natively the language of social networks, mobile phones, and the Internet. What seems incontrovertible, however, is that current learners (from several generations) have readily embraced technology which allows them to share their experiences and knowledge through online sites such as Facebook, Twitter and ePortfolios. Universities often struggle to keep pace with the engagement offered by these largely commercial social networking sites. Large and devolved universities face the added challenge of integrating support services to build university-wide systems that integrate with curriculum. While universities cannot force engagement, it seems likely that student engagement and achievement will be optimized if curricula and next generation learning spaces work in concert, and are supported by collaborative partnerships. Curtin University has in recent years reevaluated its physical and virtual spaces based on research of its students’ ownership and expectations. Recent initiatives reported in this paper demonstrate how central university support agencies have collaborated in an effort to design spaces and tools that optimise engagement incorporating Web 2.0 technologies and mobile platforms.