Abstract:

The future of teaching passes through a reflection on the new learning models, that promote new and more “active” behaviours both from teachers and students. All these models need adequate spaces that support the exchange of ideas and stimulate learning through the use of appropriate tools and conditions. Searching for a definition of what is an “innovative learning environment” should the first step to analyse the context. Many authors described learning space as where both the physical and material space, enriched by technological features and devices and the learning activities are combined in order to innovate university teaching and learning to disrupt the traditional paradigm of a one-way learning flow. (Brown, M. and Long, 2006). There has been a transition from traditional classrooms to more complex learning environments (Jacobsen, Brown, & Lambert, 2013; D. Oblinger, 2005, 2006; Pearlman, 2008).

Many names were given to these new kind of learning spaces and the notion of learning environment is usually presented with a specific attribute. All these definitions have in common the centrality of the role of technology as a support for learning activities and the collaboration among user to promote greater effectiveness and efficiency in achieving the expected learning outcomes. Radcliffe and others, have provided a framework that put in relation technology with space and pedagogy. It’s the so called PST framework (David Radcliffe et al., 2009). The PST framework takes his steps from the research carried on by Oblinger: the convergence of technology, pedagogy, and space can lead to exciting new models of campus interaction (D. Oblinger, 2005).

It is a question-driven inquiry process synthesized from published literature and knowledge of innovative teaching and learning spaces globally and it empowers a diverse range of potential stakeholders to consider critically and holistically the pedagogical, technological, and physical aspects of teaching and learning spaces and their interactions. It can be used at each stage of the life cycle of a new facility, from conception through stages of design, construction, and operation (D Radcliffe, Wilson, Powell, & Tibbetts, 2008). The three elements become the levers for the reflecting around the concept of innovative learning environment and propose a set of relations among them. But something seems to be missing. The paper wants to offer, through an analysis of case study (the Politecnico di Milano field research on the creation of innovative learning environments for higher education) an upgraded version of the PST framework from the point of view of design disciplines involving new actor and new relation in order to create and develop further tools to implement an Innovative Learning Environment in higher education.

Keywords:

Innovative learning environment, learning space design.