Learning Spaces: What works, what doesn't

The student verdict: What makes a great learning space

Teaching spaces don’t need to be shiny and new, although this certainly helps. Upgrades often take old musty inflexible rooms to much more enjoyable environments. What’s not to like about that? But what matters most is a sense of space, comfort and light. 

1. Spaciousness influences collaboration

Whether it’s seminar rooms, studios or lecture theatres, students consistently report that crowded spaces hinder learning. They want room to spread out, collaborate, and move around easily. 

When a room is sized right, people interact and move about differently. Students tell us they enjoy peer based learning, but they need the right layout and enough space. 

Room capacity must be generous enough to match the flexibility inherent in active learning. This is why space allocations, at least in policy and theory, are increasing. Australian universities are leading this change but the UK and US are catching up. 

Refurbishments complicate the picture, with heritage restrictions, room shape, services and structural limitations affecting the layout and adaptability of spaces. But the more generous space provisions per person, the more likely it is that the students will turn up in the first instance and learn effectively as a result.  

“I prefer rooms with less people crammed in. The smaller the class size, the bigger the academic growth".

“I love how spacious it is and allows everyone from every angle to see well.” 

“The tables are so close together that it is very uncomfortable for the students who were lucky enough to find a seat.” 

2. Daylight helps students focus and remain engaged

Access to daylight and views of nature were standout factors in how students rated their experience. Poor lighting, especially in older buildings or windowless rooms, was frequently linked to fatigue and poor concentration. Studies of learning environments back this up, suggesting at least a 20% improvement in performance when daylight is adequate. 

It's not always an easy solution. Existing buildings can present lighting challenges, particularly older facilities that have deep floor plans, dark lecture theatres and windowless classrooms. But this really does make an impact on student performance. 

"I like any lecture hall with windows and natural light. I struggle to focus in artificially lit areas, and having natural sunlight improves my mood."

"Teaching spaces with no windows, small and stuffy classes with lots of artificial lighting are not nice to be in. They make you feel sleepy and tired."

3. Comfortable, inclusive furniture makes a difference

Ergonomics are critical—but often overlooked. Students call out issues with fixed seating, desks too close together, and furniture that doesn’t accommodate diverse body types or left-handed learners.

It’s hard to accommodate everyone perfectly, but furniture that restricts movement is more common than universities might like to admit. Choice and generosity then, are the keys to furniture selection. We are seeing growth in the range of settings provided even within single rooms – high desks with stools, mobile tables and chairs, booths, lounges etc. Choice will also help alleviate sensory and anxiety issues for some students. 

At a basic level, padded or ergonomic seats ensure students can sit for long periods and should be within a comfortable distance of the writing surface. Seats with flip-up/tablet surfaces are a common and space efficient option, but the tablets are prone to breakage, create difficulties for left handers, and are inevitably too small to accommodate laptops and notebooks. Students generally don’t like them. 

"I don’t like any lecture spaces that have the desk that fold across your lap. Also, the bar height desks and chairs are too uncomfortable to sit at for any length of time (as a short woman). I end up standing for at least 50% of a 2-hour seminar as it becomes too painful to sit." 

“Small fold-out desks built into the chairs are not good for tutes when you need to use laptop and notebook concurrently."  

“The seats are comfortable and  swivel round to face backwards, meaning we can work in groups for questions.” 

The policy verdict: Trends to watch

Based on our review, three major trends are emerging in teaching and learning space strategies:

• More generous space allocations per student
  Not only for comfort but to align with pedagogical needs, especially active learning.

• Better timetabling and shared, centrally timetabled spaces
  To drive a more complete understanding of estate "needs" and improve utilisation.

• An increase in number of active learning environments
  This includes conversions of lecture theatres to tiered flat floor.

Drop us a line if you would like a copy of the full report on T&L policy trends and student feedback to different space types - hello@campusintuition.com 

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