The student experience of informal learning spaces in UK campus universities

The continued investment in informal learning spaces within higher education underscores their importance in fostering student wellbeing, social connectedness, and learning, yet there is a significant gap in the holistic examination of factors contributing to the efficacy of these spaces. Despite extensive exploration across various disciplines, there is a tendency to isolate crucial elements of informal learning spaces rather than considering them holistically, leading to under-theorisation and under-conceptualisation within the field. The political nature of space is crucial, as spatial arrangements can exert authority and influence, underscoring the importance of data-driven research to inform future informal learning space design and align with student values.

This research’s aim, spanning three interconnected studies, was to investigate the collective value of informal learning spaces on UK university campuses and their influence on the student experience and wellbeing. Through a multifaceted approach, the research explored how these spaces impact the student experience from physical, emotional, and learning perspectives. Objectives encompassed a critical evaluation of existing literature in the fields of library and information science, environmental psychology and architectural design to understand theories, models and frameworks relating to informal learning spaces. It included collection and analysis of qualitative data of student experiences and values regarding informal learning spaces. This led to the development of a criteria framework to assess the quality of spaces based on physical, emotional, and learning experiences, alongside cultural, disciplinary, and diversity considerations. The criteria were used to assess existing spaces’ impact on student wellbeing. The final objective assessed how such spaces function collectively as bundles of campus-based value.

Through a combination of survey responses, interviews and contextual observations across two UK university campuses, students expressed a level of satisfaction with informal learning spaces yet acknowledged that the current provision fell short of an optimised experience. The studies highlighted the significance of both physical and social elements in shaping student experiences, emphasising the importance of openness, transparency, and adaptability in spatial design to facilitate collaboration and community building while providing privacy and focused study environments as needed. Spatial typologies were identified, including ‘managed’ ‘destination’, ‘convenient’, ‘discipline specific’ and ‘technology-rich’ elements interwoven within space types.