Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the University of Melbourne have co-signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will see the two institutions research how schools, teachers and students utilise learning spaces.
ECU researchers and Melbourne’s Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) will combine their collective expertise to assist in the design of future educational facilities.
Executive Dean of ECU’s School of Education, Caroline Mansfield, believes that the memorandum will work to serve the greater Australian public.
“This partnership presents great opportunities to broaden the scope and potential positive impact of this innovative research,” she says.
Julie Morris, an ECU Senior Lecturer and University of Melbourne Honorary Fellow, has led much of the work between the two universities. Her recent research has uncovered that certain teaching and learning spaces can increase high-impact teaching, student deep learning and student learning outcomes in a variety of subjects.
Future research will focus on innovative learning environments, or ILEs, and whether or not Australian findings from these spaces inform other geographies.
The ILE+SE Scoping Study, Co-Lead by Morris, will see 200 leaders in in research, education policy and practice, and ‘allied’ industries (such as architects, acousticians, engineers, and furniture designers) identify gaps in current ILE research, what needs to be addressed, and how these needs differ internationally.
Twenty-one teams across 19 countries are using bespoke workshop designs to brainstorm these topics, while an additional 50 cross-disciplinary international experts participate in a corresponding Delphi study. The cross-tabulated results will create a mandate for the next generation of ILE research and the development of a global research process.
