SCUP
   Society for College and University Planning       Join | Contact Us | Site map

In Sync:
Environmental Behavior Research and the Design of Learning Spaces

by Lennie Scott-Webber

In Sync: Environmental Behavior Research and the Design of Learning Spaces

Clearly, space affects learning behavior. Yet even in this new Knowledge Age, designers go back constantly to familiar Agrarian and Industrial Age learning space models. For the past decade, SCUPer Lennie Scott-Webber has worked assiduously to comb through the latest behavioral and sociological research relating to how people interact with the built environment. She's taken what used to "sit on shelves in the ivory halls of academe" and has applied it to the physical design of interior learning spaces. Her work, shared in this elegant book with clear and over-sized diagrams and charts, establishes five different archetypal environments that support knowledge sharing:

  • Environments for Delivering Knowledge;
  • Environments for Applying Knowledge;
  • Environments for Creating Knowledge;
  • Environments for Communication Knowledge; and
  • Environments for Decision Making.
There's more to classroom design than simply considering what technology to put into the classroom. Designers and clients, whether in education or the corporate world, will each enjoy the way existing environmental/behavior research can be applied to the thoughtful consideration of these archetypes, either standing alone or used in combinations to create rich, interactive learning spaces.

$40 USD Member/$50 USD Nonmember, ©SCUP 2004
ISBN 0-9700413-6-5         

Table of Contents

Chapter 1Introduction


Chapter 2Environment/Behavior Basics
Territorial Behavior
Situational Behavior
Personal Space Behavior


Chapter 3Remnants of Agrarian and Industrial Age Models
Agarian Age
Industrial Age


Chapter 4Knowledge Age


Chapter 5Archetypal Applications for Knowledge Age Settings
Environments for Delivering Knowledge
Environments for Applying Knowledge
Environments for Creating Knowledge
Environments for Communicating Knowledge
Environments for Using Knowledge for Decision Making


Chapter 6Putting it all Together


Chapter 7Conclusions and Implications


Glossary


Bibliography


Appendix ATables
Situational Behavior—Proxemic Zone Attributes
Archetypal Attributes for Knowledge Environments
Environments for Delivering Knowledge—Archetypal Attributes
Environments for Applying Knowledge—Archetypal Attributes
Environments for Creating Knowledge—Archetypal Attributes
Environments for Communicating Knowledge—Archetypal Attributes
Environments for Using Knowledge for Decision Making—Archetypal Attributes
Collaboration and Self—Direction Matrix


Appendix BFigures
Focal Point—Public Proxemic Zone (Sociofugal Arrangement)
Sociofugal Arrangements (Linear)
Sociofugal Arrangements (Linear)
Sociopetal Arrangement (Radial)
Individual Proxemic Condition—Individual's Core Needs
Impromptu Team Conditions—Multiple Core Arrangements
Project Team Conditions—Multiple Core Arrangements
Individual Conditions—Multiple Core Arrangements
One-Room Schoolhouse Floor Plan (Footprint)
Typical Classroom Floor Plans
The Classroom
Assembly-Line Learning Floor Plan
The Lecture Hall—(Portrait)
Applications for Delivering Knowledge—(Portrait)
Typical Medium-Sized Lecture Hall Floor Plans—(Landscape)
Typical Large Lecture Hall Floor Plan—(Portrait)
The Computer Lab and The 3D Workshop and Materials Lab
Application for Applying Knowledge—(Landscape)
Applications for Applying Knowledge—(Landscape)
Applications for Creating Knowledge—("Caves and Commons")
The Studio
Study Nook
The Impact of Informal Learning
Applications for Communicating Knowledge
Applications for Using Knowledge for Decision Making
Applications for Using Knowledge for Decision Making
Applications for Using Knowledge for Decision Making
Typical Meeting Room Floor Plans
An Archetypal Campus for a Community of Learners—Interaction
Blocking (Privacy Zoning)
An Archetypal Campus for a Community of Learners—Functional Fit
An Archetypal Campus for a Community of Learners—Details

Purchase Online Now

Download PDF of Books Order Form

About the Author

With 25 plus years as an interior designer, researcher, international speaker, educator, and academic administrator, "Dr. Lennie" works as a specialist in the design and planning of environments for sharing knowledge as president and CEO of In_Sync. Her philosophy incorporates the integration of research for informing design resolutions. The design focus is on environments for knowledge sharing—higher education and corporate learning centers. As an environment behaviorist her research has centered on knowledge sharing scenarios relative to adult learners. Webber's former roles include: chair of The School of Interior Design at Ryerson University; the director of Applications Research for Vecta a Steelcase Design Partnership Company; faculty member at Virginia Tech; and owning and operating her own full service interior design firms in both Canada and the United States. This book, In Sync: Environment Behavior Research and the Design of Learning Spaces, exemplifies her belief that research should inform design. As a researcher, she has over 70 publications to her credit, is an associate editor of Planning for Higher Education (PHE) as published by the Society for College and University Planning, and is a frequent guest speaker at national and international forums.

If You Like This Book

We recommend the following books:
Campus Design
Campus Planning

Contact Info

For questions about ordering, payment, and/or order status, contact Tanya Dabney at 734.998.7832 or info@scup.org.

For questions about submitting a manuscript, contact Terry Calhoun, SCUP director of media relations and publications, at 734.998.7027 or terry.calhoun@scup.org.

 

SCUP advertisers, exhibitors, and sponsors provide meaningful support. Visit our Online Marketplace today!
 

339 E. Liberty, Suite 300 | Ann Arbor, MI 48104 | phone: 734.998.7832 | fax: 734.998.6532 | email: info@scup.org

Copyright © Society for College and University Planning
All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy