This spring, the renovation of an existing classroom on campus started and now the unique learning environment is ready for teaching, where students can participate on-site and digitally with equal conditions. It all started two years ago with a so-called needs dialogue, an extensive process with broad involvement of representatives from different subject areas, competencies and professions from both Akademiska Hus and Umeå University. The pandemic has raised the question of the importance of hybrid participation.
"Our hope is that the Learning Lab will help us and higher education institutions understand the conditions, challenges and obstacles that exist in the hybrid format. We need to become better at understanding and being involved in the development of new environments for learning, both to explore together with the activities here in Umeå but also to be able to share with more people. says Kajsa Winne's business developer, learning environments at Akademiska Hus.
The room is 83.5 sqm in size, screens are on one wall, the others are on stands at the group workplaces and an advanced sound system is installed. Apart from some sound-absorbing materials in the interior, it looks almost like any other classroom, but with the big difference that here the hybrid format will be tested, followed up and lessons learned will be shared with others.
"For four years, we will follow teachers and students who use the environment. Their lessons will be important for how we continue to develop the space. Thanks to extra funding from Umeå University, we can offer support to the departments, both technically and pedagogically, which is very valuable," says Åse Tieva, senior lecturer and educational developer at Umeå University.
The first to use the environment are six student groups and about ten teachers, but hopefully many more teachers and students will use the room already now. The project will run until 2025.
About Learning Lab - test beds for the learning environments of the future
Learning Lab is a concept in which Akademiska Hus, together with higher education institutions, tests the learning environments of the future and explores the interaction between people, pedagogy, space and technology in close collaboration with educators and researchers in the field of learning.
Through the Learning Lab, innovation is driven that accelerates the development of the learning environments of the future with the aim of strengthening competence and collaboration on new types of evidence-based learning environments.
Right now, three initiatives are underway in Gothenburg, Örebro and Umeå.
Kajsa Winnes
Verksamhetsutvecklare