Role of technology in the design of learning environments

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Role of technology in the design of learning environments Diogo Casanova1   · Isabel Huet1 · Fabiane Garcia2 · Teresa Pessoa3 Received: 29 October 2019 / Accepted: 3 May 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020

Abstract The design of learning environments is being increasingly investigated, largely as a result of higher-education providers being challenged by both societal and technological developments. These providers are becoming more aware that the quality of learning environments affects students’ approaches to learning and satisfaction. This paper presents an alternative to more-traditional methods for designing learning environments that is driven by input of their main stakeholders: students and teachers. By using this method, we were able to explore stakeholders’ insights into learning spaces design and how learning technologies can be integrated in such spaces. Qualitative research was conducted with the aim of guiding the redesign of technology-enhanced learning environments. For this particular research, we used ‘sandpits’, which are creative and design-thinking workshops, in which participants are encouraged to redesign provocative concepts of a large and a small technology-enhanced learning environment. Thirteen ‘sandpits’ were delivered involving 32 teachers and 25 students. Through these design-thinking workshops, students and teachers reflected on and discussed the role of technology in face-to-face learning and teaching and proposed new design solutions for technology-enhanced learning environments. Keywords  Co-design · Learning environments · Participatory design · Technologyenhanced learning

Introduction Until recently, learning environments have been designed based on the traditional paradigm of row-by-row seating, with the teacher positioned on a podium at the front and facing a substantial number of students with the role of ‘transmitting’ knowledge (Beichner 2014). In this type of layout, the teacher becomes the focal point at the front of the room and this conveys an implicit message of power, with the teacher having the entitlement to speak, whereas the students listen in a passive and non-participatory manner (Van Note * Diogo Casanova [email protected] 1

ExPERT Academy, University of West London, St Mary’s Road, London W5 5RF, UK

2

Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, AM, Manaus 69067‑005, Brasil

3

Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal



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Learning Environments Research

Chism 2006).This layout is still arguably the most-commonly used in universities today, and it runs counter to the participatory nature of learner-centred pedagogies (Jessop et al. 2012). It is argued that, with higher-education (HE) institutions increasingly supporting active and learner-centred pedagogies, more-flexible learning spaces need to be created. In order to respond to such challenges, HE institutions have been designing new and more technologically-enabled spaces. New spaces are oft