Learning Resources

Abstract: The focus on the quality of a student’s entire academic experience has led to a greater emphasis on student life activities and facilities. In response, many campuses are renovating, expanding, or creating new buildings that support student life. While many of these are traditional stand-alone student dormitories, dining facilities, unions, and recreational facilities, there are examples where these historically separate program elements have been combined in new mixed-use buildings, known as “fusion” facilities. This article examines some of the historical precedents of this phenomenon, gives relevant examples, and discusses advantages and disadvantages of this new building type.

Abstract: Rather than focus primarily on the next generation of learners, the authors argue we are best served to focus on building out our on-ground and online infrastructures for a new generation of learning—blending multiple learning modes, technologies, and techniques over the course of the next 15–20 years to serve the diverse array of students from multiple generations that will be coming our way. They offer seven catalytic conversations to start this process on the topics of blended learning, mobility, gaming, social networking, holographics, analytics, and a renewed focus on the human touch.

Abstract: Millennial students can be inspired to create a legacy for future generations by the recognizable actions of campus planners to create more sustainable campuses through smart growth planning, green buildings, transportation planning, and energy- and water-efficiency retrofits. This article describes policies, programs, and projects at The University of British Columbia; presents student concerns about the future and their reactions to campus initiatives in sustainability, and discusses recent research regarding student responses to green buildings on campuses in Canada.

Abstract: So, what’s happening ‘down under’ in campus sustainability? Providing an international context, our authors use Australian examples to describe planning for campus greening, learning for sustainability (curriculum), institutional learning, and competency-based training initiatives.

Abstract: The idea that the physical design and configuration of a campus can elicit and support studying behavior has important ramifications, as all academic institutions underscore learning in their mission statements. This article evaluates the learning value, or ability of a campus space to support studying behavior, through the use of a post-occupancy evaluation. The findings suggest that specific physical design configurations and landscape elements may be influential factors in supporting studying within campus spaces. The results of this study indicate that campus designers and university officials should further examine the relationship between campus design and studying behavior to increase the learning value of campus spaces everywhere.

Abstract: The demand for interdisciplinary teaching and research suggests the need to understand how universities are undertaking and fostering interdisciplinarity. Through an examination of strategic and master plans at 21 research universities, this article explores how institutions plan and foster interdisciplinary engagement through the use of space on campus. The construction of such space acknowledges that the discrete functions of the university, frequently attributed to the disciplines and departments, are not generally conducive to interdisciplinary engagement. Physical space is a necessary component for successful interdisciplinary initiatives both functionally and symbolically.