Informal Learning Spaces at HKU

1
Informal Learning Spaces at HKU
2
What is informal learning spaces?

• Teaching learning no dominant
  teaching/learning agenda
• Management not linked to courses and a
  teaching timetable
• Operations less operated according to
  administration agenda, more by the users
  themselves
• Spaces having the characteristics of
  flexibility and openness to various degrees, e.g.
  as large as open spaces on campus, as small as a
  departmental common area

3
This is a typical formal teaching learning
space with a clear teaching agenda
4
This is a contemporary version but is it really
different from the old fashioned one?
5
More of the same thing?
6
Let us now look at some examples of informal
learning spaces at HKU

• 3 types of spaces in the examples
• Learning service spaces student learning
  centers libraries (semi-formal)
• Outdoor indoor open spaces public areas,
  cafes, student service center (mostly informal)
• Faculty departmental common spaces (can be
  either semi-formal or informal)

7
What do we have to consider when designing
informal learning spaces
Make the implicit, explicit What is the
teaching/learning agenda? Who will be using
those spaces? Whose agenda is it? The teaching
staff? The administrators? The consultants? The
students? Do we have a good balance of
different perspectives?
8
A typical example of good intent but poor
implementation HKUs one and only breastfeeding
facility
A washing basin with hot and cold water supply a
diaper-changing table a sofa a small table
electric sockets for electrical milk pumps, and a
mirror a joint effort by 4 separate units  
Users are requested to book the room in advance
by contacting the Management Office at Rm 201 of
the Centre Office opening hours 900 a.m. -
700 p.m. (Mon - Fri), 900 a.m. - 100 p.m.
(Sat) Closed on Sundays, University public
holidays
9
Students voices (1)

• HKU Student Union chairman Steven
• We need more general purpose spaces which is
  open, relaxing, and inviting. It doesnt have to
  be state of the art or filled with high tech
  gadgets.
• Take the Global Lounge for example, it was a well
  designed space with the aim to encourage
  interactions among local and international
  students, however, it is limited by its remote
  location, hence limited students access and use
  of the space .
• Students at HKU have low motivation to
  participate in university-wide matters since
  their most concern is their academic grades.
• If the burden of academic work (I think hes
  referring more to the fact that students have to
  watch out for their grades) can be lessened,
  students would have more time and space to
  develop their potential in other areas other than
  grade achievement.

10
PhD student from urban planning, DavidThe new
campus design process should allow students,
staff and faculty a degree of flexibility in
creating the space as they like, rather than
imposing design upon-them because ultimately HKU
students will be the ongoing users of the space
so they should not just rely on a few select
opinions to design the new facility nor should it
be a facility designed by administrators. For
example, the centrally controlled
digital/digitized boards for announcing upcoming
events was suggested in conjunction with banning
posters on the new campus because they were seen
as messy and eco-unfriendly. This view is in
tension with the tradition on open university
campuses of being able to 'freely post' events
since some events do not fit into planned and
programmed administrative realities approved
through a single authority/administration. He
found this selective approach to design
consulting and opinion gathering (where there is
a cherry picking of selected opinions) fitting
pre-conceived notions of what is acceptable and
what is unacceptable to be very problematic.
Students voices (2)
11
A 3rd Space
A space of desire intellect
A third space such as the Learning Commons?
Can such space exist without democratic
participation? A lot more dialogue discussion
are needed than the current caliber
12
If we do not provide democracy in the classroom,
we ensure our students will not seek it
outside Today, I wish a class like this part
lecture, part civic lesson, part large open
debate Stephen Olbrys