Learning Environments

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The introduction of information technologies into teaching and learning prompted educators to reexamine the spaces where learning takes place and to design new learning spaces that take fuller advantages of the possibilities that technology offers. The work done on learning spaces has been extremely valuable and serves as the foundation for an expanded look at other factors that affect learning and the context in which learning spaces exist. Those factors include space, but a broader look at the conditions and circumstances of learning reveals that learning is equally influenced by people, by technology and the resources it affords access to, and by the cultural backdrop against which learning takes place. These elements come together in a new, broader discussion of learning environments, which builds on the resources and knowledge generated about learning spaces.

The term learning environment encompasses learning resources and technology, means of teaching, modes of learning, and connections to societal and global contexts. The term also includes human behavioral and cultural dimensions, including the vital role of emotion in learning, and it requires us to examine and sometimes rethink the roles of teachers and students. The focus on information technology in education is expanding from the enhancement of learning spaces to include factors beyond hardware, software, and the network. The learning environment is a composite of human practices and material systems, much as an ecology is the combination of living things and the physical environment.

Articles and Reports

Privacy Considerations in Cloud-Based Teaching and Learning Environments, ELI White Paper, November 2010.
The following EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine themed issues contain various articles on Learning Enviroments;
- EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2010: Learning Environments
- EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2009: Student Engagement
- EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 1, 2009: Learning Spaces
Making the Case for Space: Three Years of Empirical Research on Learning Environments, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2010
Reflections on Play, Pedagogy, and World of Warcraft, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2010
Eight Simple Ways to Embrace the "Froom", EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2009
Learning Environments: Where Space, Technology, and Culture Converge, ELI white paper, October 2009
ELI 7 Things You Should Know About...
- Google Wave, November 2009
- Personal Learning Environments, May 2009
Active Learning Classrooms Pilot Evaluation: Fall 2007 Findings and Recommendations, University of Minnesota, 2007. Report and Web Site
New Learning Environments for the 21st Century, John Seely Brown, Aspen Symposium 2005

Conference Proceedings

EDUCAUS Learning Initiative 2010 Annual Meeting, "Learning Environments for a Web 2.0 World"
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative 2009 Online Fall Focus Session, "Flattening the Classroom: Building Collaborative Learning Environments"
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative 2008 Fall Focus Session, "Revisting Learning Space Design"

Conference Sessions, Videos, and Web Seminars

The Future of Learning Environments, EDUCAUSE Video, July 2010
Building Best Practices for Data-Driven Assessment of Technology-Enabled Learning Spaces, ELI Annual Meeting, January 2010.
Stanford University's Wallenberg Hall: Looking Back, Looking Forward, ELI Annual Meeting, January 2010.
Clickers and Peer Instruction: A Powerful Way to Improve Student Engagement and Learning, but Only If You Do It Right, ELI Web Seminar, October 05, 2009
A Space of One's Own: Learning Environments Derived from User-Centered Discovery Techniques, EDUCAUSE Live!, November 21, 2008
Guidelines for Implementing Authentic Tasks in Web-Based Learning Environments, ELI Web Seminar, November 3, 2008
Creating Learning Environments that Promote Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Collaborative Learning, and Knowledge Creation, A Solutions in Action Webcast, September 21, 2009
Powerful But Not a Panacea: Virtual Worlds as a Tool for Situational Learning, ELI Web Seminar, February 19, 2008
Assessing What Students Learn in Technology-Based Learning Environments, ELI Web Seminar, September 15, 2006

Library Items on this Topic

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EDUCAUSE Library Items for Learning Environments

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2012 CDS Executive Summary Report: January 24, 2013

This report summarizes results from the EDUCAUSE Core Data Service (CDS) survey. Using a matched set of 616 CDS 2011 and CDS 2012 participating institutions, this year’s report is a detaile…
Building Organizational Capacity for Analytics: February 25, 2013

Optimizing student success is the “killer app” for analytics in higher education . Intelligent investments in optimizing student success garner wide support and have a strong, justifia…
EDUCAUSE 2011 Annual Conference: Executive Summaries of Selected Sessions: October 30, 2012

Highlights from selected general and featured sessions at the 2011 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. Highlights from selected general and featured sessions a…
What Campus Leaders Need to Know About MOOCs: December 20, 2012

MOOCs (massive open online courses) are courses delivered over the web to potentially thousands of students at a time. In a MOOC, lectures are typically “canned,” quizzes and testing ar…
Analytics 3-Day Sprint - Summary: August 20, 2012

This brief summarizes the main themes from the EDUCAUSE Analytics Sprint, held July 24–26, 2012. Presenters and participants exchanged ideas and information via webinars, online conversations, …
Understanding and Managing the Risks of Analytics in Higher Education: A Guide: June 29, 2012

This guide provides an introduction to the major risk categories faced by a higher education institution considering investments in time, energy, and money in analytics work . Under the ri…
Findings of the Expert Panel on Analytics: May 2, 2012

Analytics is of increasing relevance to higher education because of the role it can play in accountability, efficiency, and continuous improvement as well as its potential impact on ever…
Case Study 21: Shaping the Path to Digital: The Indiana University eTexts Initiative: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Brad Wheeler and Nik Osborne This chapter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Introduction The risi…
Case Study 20: Transforming Education with Research that Makes a Difference: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers J. D. Walker, Charles D. Dziuban, and Patsy D. Moskal Positive change in education happens when faculty gain insight into the relationship between st…
Case Study 19: CS50 at Harvard: "The Most Rewarding Class I Have Taken...Ever!": May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Katie Vale A trail of colorful balloons leads from Oxford Street to the Northwest Labs building. As I head downstairs, I exchange greetings with our …