Today (12 July), AUDE publishes the latest in a suite of reports on different aspects of space management at our universities – ‘Social and Informal Learning Spaces: survey report’ – produced in partnership with Sodexo, the global catering and facilities management service provider.

The report is based on surveys with AUDE members and more than 1000 students whose insights were commissioned via YouthSight. Social and informal learning spaces are an increasingly important part of life on campus for our students and are far from the traditional lecture theatre in nature.

As the research made clear, as long as there is somewhere to sit, and wi-fi and coffee are to hand, any corner of the campus can be colonised by students, either singly or in groups - even window sills on connecting corridors. Changing student expectations means learning is increasingly a social and collaborative activity. AUDE members recognise the value of S&ILs and know that they need to plan this type of space into capital development projects so that they form part of our learning environment strategy.

Yet these spaces are challenging for university estates teams to manage. Estates teams can be left seeing the popularity of such spaces but left wondering ‘What is the KPI?’ There is little consistency of measurement (such as utilisation data) and no room-booking system to support measurement of spaces that are widely differing, meaning universities don’t necessarily understand either the value (to staff and students) or the cost to the institution of operating these spaces in comparison to more formally arranged areas of campus. Informal spaces, flexible in use and often fitted out with moveable furniture, bring their own operational challenges.

Covid created one impetus for estates teams to look with fresh eyes at every corner of the physical estate in the push to create socially-distant learning spaces. But social and informal learning spaces (S&ILS) have seen significant growth on campuses worldwide for well over a decade, a shift driven by the availability of wi-fi in every corner of campus. 

Simon Knight, Managing Director, Sodexo Universities said:

Campus life must be resilient and built around a deep understanding of new consumer expectations.

The seven recommendations within the report provide guidance for AUDE members to improve S&ILS as part of their university’s estate strategies and operational plans.

A flexible, asset-driven model brings a new focus on the student experience and supports learning outcomes.

Charlotte Livingston Lewis (Co-Chair of AUDE’s Space Management Group and Head of Strategic Programmes & Governance at the University of Warwick) said,

AUDE partnered with Sodexo to undertake an academic literature review of work in this field to feed into today’s report, as well as to gather the insights of AUDE members and students, whose perspectives are informative.

Students need spaces on campus that support specific tasks and their personal preferences, and will be guided by proximity to food/drink, lighting levels, noise, temperature and the opportunity to be either relatively alone or with others. For students commuting onto campus S&ILS provide a place for social interaction as well as learning, and a vital place to ‘belong’ between lectures.

The three top requirements for these spaces in the students’ view, are ‘a secure, safe environment, ‘a quiet space’ and ‘sufficient seating’. The supporting infrastructure – cleanliness, access to toilets, extended opening hours, individual workspace and more – adds up to a package of significant value to our students.

Scott Lloyd (Head of Space Management and Design at the University of Warwick and Co-Chair of AUDE’s Space Management Group) added,

For estates teams these spaces offer new challenges. It is clear that experience within other kinds of environment – retail and commercial, office, schools – is feeding into student expectations, and Higher Education needs to be able to draw on wider industry expertise in designing our spaces.

S&ILS have distinct needs and we need clear operational strategies for maximising the benefit of these flexible spaces on maintenance, cleaning, security and the physical robustness of the fixtures we choose. We need to be able to quickly reconfigure these spaces for alternative uses. As we edge ever closer to 24-hour campuses there is real weight on this type of space to deliver great user experience any time.

As Jane White (AUDE Executive Director) explained:

The work AUDE is doing in focusing on different elements of space management all links back to the idea of overall estate efficiency.

What do we measure? And what does that tell us about how to manage our estate? S&ILS as a category has an upfront problem in our inconsistency around how we even classify these spaces – if we don’t know what they are how can we consistently compare and learn?

This survey report is a great place to start a new focus on an increasingly important type of university space, with excellent input from the student perspective to steer us.

 

AUDE report

 

Download the report

Find out more on how Sodexo helps improve student experience

 

 

About AUDE
AUDE works in collaboration with estates and facilities management professionals at universities throughout the UK and overseas. Our service is diverse, providing the opportunity for members to share knowledge and access the support they need to address industry issues, and meet the individual and universal objectives which are specific to the higher education sector. With a membership network spanning every UK university and an emerging presence overseas, AUDE’s is a unique voice for the professional estates and facilities community. We provide strategic support on relevant issues such as sustainability, student experience, space planning and more – and we do this through association: with our members, with industry, with government, and with the wider community. Through successful collaboration we facilitate the conversations, networking and discussion that provides solutions to the sector’s challenges.
 

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