The Students as Researchers Scheme gives York St John students the opportunity to be paid to carry out research alongside members of staff. The primary aim of the scheme is to engage undergraduate students and staff in collaborative research projects, providing the opportunity for students to directly experience research in a way they might not have otherwise had the opportunity.

The Technology Enhanced Learning team currently has the following Students as Researchers vacancy:

Paths to Utopia: Evaluating Learning Spaces

Assessing learning spaces can inform the creation of new areas to support engaging and productive learning. Involving tutors, assessors and learners in the evaluation and design process ensures that spaces meet the necessary requirements.

This project aims to:

• Imagine future processes and ways learning can be delivered
• Research current and upcoming learning space principles and practices
• Evaluate the use of technology in existing learning spaces

HG147 has been redesigned as an experimental learning space, in order to evaluate ideas before committing further resource and finance. It is essential that at all stages of development are assessed against the original purpose and aims of the learning space.

Some of the things this project may seek to assess include, but are not limited to:

• Innovation and excellence – is it an innovative and high quality new style of learning environment for the 21st century?
• Adaptability – can the design accommodate changing learning styles through flexible provision?
• Manageability – will it be easy to manage and make effective and efficient use of staff?
• Accessibility – is it an inclusive and accessible place for learning that supports engagement while providing a safe and secure environment, accessibility to learning systems, technology and resources?
• Atmosphere – does the design create a ‘feel good factor’ for learners and staff?
• Sustainability – how effectively does the design consider climate change, sustainable materials, energy efficiency, transport, physical quality of the learning environment re: daylight, air, and acoustics?

Evaluating use of technology is also vital to ensure that it continues to be relevant, useful and up-to-date.

Some of the tasks involved in this research project will include:

Carrying out a Learning Spaces literature review.

Collecting quantitative and qualitative data:

• Feedback questionnaires
• Graffiti/Feedback Wall
• Focus groups
• Behavioural observation
• Photographic study
• Ethnographic approach to evaluating space

Applying the Learning Space Rating System:

• The Learning Space Rating System tool enables scoring a classroom’s design to see how well it supports active learning.
• If the design meets the criteria for a specific credit, a point or points are added to a compiled score.
• The higher the score, the better the design for active learning.

Tasks will also include formative reporting via the ADD blog, summative multimedia report writing, and conference presentation.

How To Apply

For a full list of vacancies please visit Job Vacancies: Students as Researchers Scheme.

If you are interested in becoming a Student Researcher for the project above then please complete the Student Researcher Application Form (DOC, 0.7 MB).

Deadline for student applications is 12pm on Friday 11th November 2016. Suitable candidates will be invited for an interview with a member of the project team and an Academic Development Coordinator.

Want to know more about what it is like to be a Student Researcher? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

If you require further details, either about the application process, or about individual projects, please contact the Academic Development Directorate ADD@yorksj.ac.uk.

Phil