Space in higher education : design and agency

Marie LeijonFil.dr i pedagogik, Malmö HögskolaSpace in higher education – design and agencyThis presentation focus on how space in higher education is designed and re-designed by teachers and students in an on going transformation process. The aim is to discuss space in higher education in relation to interaction, with a special focus on agency and re-design.Results from at recently completed two year post doctoral project with the ambition to contribute with knowledge on the interplay between space, interaction and learning in higher education will be presented. How can we understand campus space becoming a place for learning? How are students and teachers interacting using the resources afforded by the room? And how do the participants use space as a resource designing and re-designing their way in a meaning making process?Stemming from a design oriented theoretical perspective ”Designs for learning” (Selander & Kress, 2010) the presentation argues that space in a higher education campus setting can be understood as both an important aspect in designs for learning as well as in designs in learning. The design in a room (for learning) clearly communicates what is possible and allowed to do. Space shapes interaction, but interaction also shapes space; thus, it is essential to consider space in relation to negotiation and transformation (in learning)