Spatial openness and student activities in an atrium: A parametric evaluation of a social informal learning environment

Abstract

The use of atria for students' informal learning activities is becoming a common architectural design strategy in contemporary higher education buildings, especially in dense urban settings. However, while researchers have focused on the relationship between students' perception, preferences and behaviours in social learning spaces, the spatial attributes themselves tend to be neglected in the literature.By exploiting digital spatial analysis tools, this paper uses the parameters of 'viewing volume' and 'viewing area' to compare the spatial openness of different spaces within an atrium in a higher education institution. Timeframe capture and interviews are also employed to record the distribution of student activities. The spatial attributes of the atrium and the distribution of student activities are analysed to explore links between the two. The results indicate that the viewing volume in the two-storey-height space is the highest, while viewing area in the staircase space is the highest. These spaces tended to coincide with higher frequencies of 'see and be seen' activities, such as students waiting and looking around (71.54% and 56.32% respectively). The standard deviations of the mean viewing volume and viewing area are the greatest in the three-storey space, suggesting a diversity of spatial openness. This coincided with the highest frequency of activities that require social interactions, such as gathering and group study (92.40% and 58.10% respectively). These findings suggest that spatial openness can impact student activities in an educational setting, and an atrium specifically. These novel methods also open new horizons for interpreting spatial structure in architecture.

Informal Learning Spaces in Higher Education: Student Preferences and Activities

“…The spatial volume of the atrium provides an openness and multilayered quality, but there is a lack of research on how these characteristics impact individual preferences. Researchers evaluated the openness of atria spaces using 3D Isovists, which is a method of using a mathematical way to quantify the spatial openness of the atrium [44][45][46], but more research to examine this in the context of informal learning spaces is needed. The openness of informal learning spaces can support social interactions.…”

Informal Methods for Improving Students' Senior High School Arabic Language Skills

“…When informal teacher-student relationships became very interactive, students were previously passive in learning Arabic. Learning activities using informal methods can improve students' quality and learning experience (Wu et al, 2020). Students' experience of Arabic became closer at MA Al-Ittihad MIA 4th grade.…”

Privacy and interaction preferences of students in informal learning spaces on university campus

“…A post hoc test is used to further examine the significant difference between any two specific variables. To this end, pairwise comparisons were subsequently performed using Dunn’s procedure with a Bonferroni adjusted p -value for multiple comparisons (Wu et al , 2020).…”

“…Individual learning occurs in two different ways, first through individual study and second through intermittent exchange. The former refers to students sitting alone to study for a period, while the latter means that students gather together for independent study purposes but may make occasional and impromptu questions and comments (Wu et al , 2020). Erlich and Bichard (2008) pointed out that collaborative activities focusing on knowledge exchange are overemphasised.…”