WonderLab

WonderLab supports small pilots and prototypes in the use of active and collaborative pedagogies and immersive and experiential technologies. WonderLab is a place for students and faculty to explore technologies for learning such as a Mixed Reality Centre, a MultiTouch Station, and a Multi-Screen Collaboration Zone.

I led a team of Faculty, Learning Technologists and Designers to utilize the Pedagogy-Space-Technology (PST) framework to develop and launch the WonderLab at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China in September of 2017.

I was invited to present a key note on the development of the WonderLab at the Better Education Environment Design (BEED Asia) conference in Beijing.

Austin, C. (2017, October). A Pedagogy-Space Technology (PST) Framework for Designing and Evaluating Learning Places. Presentation at Better Education Environment Design (BEED Asia Autumn Conference, Beijing, PRC.)

Austin BEED Draft 3

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) will open its new Library, Research and Learning Resources (LRLR) facility in 2020. The new LRLR will aspire to be a Next Generation Learning Space through the use of the Pedagogy, Space and Technology (PST) Framework (Radcliffe, 2009).

To pilot the PST framework, UNNC’s LRLR department will open WonderLab in Fall 2017. With a relatively modest physical footprint and construction cost, the WonderLab will be low risk way to experiment with PST as we move to make significant investment in the new LRLR and potential adoption by the wider university community.

Pedagogy: Traditional learning modalities practiced in higher education learning spaces include reflective self-guided learning, such as in libraries, and larger group didactic activities, such as in lecture halls (Wilson, 2009). WonderLab will support the practice of learning modalities consistent with contemporary constructivist and socio-constructivist pedagogy such as inquiry, dialogue, scaffolding, and collaboration.

Technology: To encourage faculty and student “risk-taking” in changing to non-traditional learning practices, WonderLab will focus on “technologies for learning.” According to Salmon (2016) technologies such as wearables, augmented reality, 3D printing, drones, robotics and virtual reality were developed for non-educational environments, but have potentially rich uses for learning. Initial technologies selected for WonderLab include VR/AR, multitouch surfaces and integrated audio/visual displays.

Space: Like the concept of an “open-kitchen restaurant” where food is prepared and consumed in a shared space, WonderLab will provide space for the development and use of educational content and experiences. There will be a Virtual Reality Centre with group viewing area to blur the lines between developers, users and observers, and a Collaborative Multi-Screen area with flexible furnishings to create a learning space with “no front, no center, and no top” to support dialogue and collaboration.

WonderLab is spearheaded by the Library, Research and Learning Resources department. However the effort has already attracted the participation of students, who have formed a new student group named Pixel to aid in the development of innovative content, such as Library Introduction 360ᵒ video. Also WonderLab has collaborated with the Faculty of Science and Engineering to win a UNNC Teaching Development Grant to create a Virtual Reality Chemistry Lab for first year students.