Building a new community of practice: Translating what we know from research and from the field into planning 21st century learning environments

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION The PKAL Learning Space Collaboratory (LSC) is developing and implementing a workshop involving: "Planning spaces for learning for 21st century undergraduate learners: Translating what we know from learning about learning into policies and practices for shaping, building, and maintaining 21st century learning environments." This effort addresses the gap between research and practice in shaping learning environments. There currently are no easily accessible research-based resources, protocols, or tools through which the impact of space on learning can be explored in the process of planning spaces. The goals of this project are to develop and disseminate such resources and to engage a visible, sustainable community of practice that finds them immediately useful. The developed resources are being disseminated virtually via the LSC website, through regular LSC Teambox discussions, workshops, and other venues, as well as at events sponsored by collaborating partners and other national educational, scientific, and professional organizations. The project activities are offering an opportunity to triangulate the connections among: findings from current research (on learning, pedagogical practice, organizational change); current practice in the field (e.g., studio class-labs, interdisciplinary STEM labs, high-technology information commons, green buildings); and the work of those now responsible for shaping and sustaining 21st century learning environments. The project team is analyzing experiences, stories, and findings from the field through the lens of their particular expertise, seeking key lessons that would inform those ready to ground their planning efforts on learning. BROADER SIGNIFICANCE The effort is building networks for exchanging ideas, critique practice, and identify important issues relative to planning spaces for learning. Through the LSC workshop, new questions are surfacing that will inform future practice in the field and influence future research. Beyond the LSC and its eight collaborating partners, ten national disciplinary, educational, and professional associations are vetting and promoting the use of project resources. The resources are being made accessible through the LSC website, advancing the continuing efforts of researchers and practitioners to understand why spaces matters to the quality and character of the undergraduate learning experience.