Many teacher preparation programs have a commitment to preparing teachers who teach equitably. However, current research shows that many teachers struggle to move beyond theoretical understandings into practical enactments once they enter inhospitable teaching contexts. This case study examines the effect of co-creating a conceptual framework of…

The redesign of learning spaces has been a growing trend in education, especially higher education. The redesign of such spaces takes time and involves a variety of stakeholders, sometimes resulting in ill-defined designs. This can be exacerbated when individuals leading such efforts depart and there is not a consensus on the design, sometimes…

Purpose: Systematic efforts to study students' use of informal learning spaces are crucial for determining how, when and why students use such spaces. This case study provides an example of an effort to evaluate an informal learning space on the basis of students' usage of the space and the features within the space. Design/methodology/approach:…

Special education comprises specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities (IDEA, 2017, Sec. 300.39). IDEA further states that specially designed instruction can be implemented in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings. Placement decisions are…

Informal learning space (ILS) has increasingly become important for higher education. Yet, most studies were conducted on a piecemeal basis, without considering the planning of the campus. This study adopts a systematic and data-driven approach in understanding the types of ILS, preferences and behaviors using a case study in Hong Kong, by first…

The maker movement, with its focus on-hands on learning through creating with familiar materials, has seen growth in both formal and informal learning spaces. This article examines three informal learning spaces that have redesigned their space (or a portion of it) to accommodate several tenets of the maker movement and in various ways have become…

For education to provide knowledge reflecting our current and future society, many countries are revising their curricula, including a vivid discussion on digital competence, programming and computational thinking. This article builds an understanding of the maker movement in relation to education in programming, by demonstrating challenges and…

The case study research reported in this paper followed the iterative design trajectory of youth game designers (ages 11-17) in a week-long summer game design camp, focused on the fundamentals of video game design. Drawing on data from a daily conceptual pitch and feedback activity, the research team traced the iterative design trajectory for one…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is defined as a scientifically-valid instructional framework for guiding the design of learning environments that support all students. The implementation of UDL often requires proactive considerations of learner variability and iterative instructional designs that meet emergent student needs in a learning…

Despite a commonly held assumption that our environment shapes what we do, a review of the literature reveals a paucity of empirical research exploring "how" the designed environment can be said to influence learning activity. Accompanied by an attendant lack of theory and methods, this results in missed opportunities to support learning…

We argue that the traditional physical environment is commonly taken for granted and that little consideration has been given to how this affects pupil-teacher interactions. This article presents evidence that certain physical environments do not allow equal visual interaction and, as a result, we derive a set of basic guiding principles that…

Faculty at colleges and universities across the nation are under pressure to provide engaging classroom environments suited to a diverse student population in order to increase student retention. Faculty professional development is often supported by Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Larger, well-funded schools have created CTLs with…

Celebrating hands-on making and technological inventiveness, the Maker Movement promotes the popularity of new makerspaces: learning environments filled with diverse materials for youth's creative projects. Described as "constructionist learning environments," makerspaces can be challenging to design because materials require substantial…

Business management education is criticized for being too theoretical and fractional. Despite the numerous efforts to build integrated and experiential business curricula, learning is still organized in disciplinary silos. The curriculum integration efforts are carried out in separate sections of the curriculum rather than the core. There are…

Active learning, a constructivist approach to learning, can be an effective pedagogical tool. As active learning becomes more ubiquitous and begins to replace some lecture-style content delivery, the built environment should also change. A design case study, "a description of a real artifact or experience that has been intentionally…