Outside the Box: Assessing Informal Learning Space

• In Event: Influences on the Learning Environment

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the transactional relationship between students and their learning environment in the Peter Jones Learning Commons (PJLC) at University of the Fraser Valley located in British Columbia, Canada. Using the post-occupancy evaluation, 1,943 students were observed utilizing the PJLC, and their behavior and activities were mapped during the 2011 winter term. In addition, ten interviews were conducted, including five administrators influential in the PJLC’s design and space programming, and five learners who had utilized the facility over the course of their studies. Preliminary results indicate a series of social and learning patterns within the space, and identify the characteristics of what constitutes a supportive learning environment.

Author

• Jacqueline P. Ashby, Simon Fraser University