Acoustic Bulletin

Room acoustics blog

If Carlsberg built a University and hosted an education conference, they would discuss the value for good acoustics…..”probably!”

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Well, not only does the Campus have good acoustics but it was host to the Annual European Education Research Association conference where acoustics was indeed a key part of one of the sessions….

The LEaRN team from the University of Melbourne organised an interesting session where the focus was industry and academia collaboration around educational learning approaches, policy and learning environments. Along with the University, industry partners in the ILETC research project; Hayball Architects, Steelcase and Ecophon all  combined to raise awareness about the importance of combining education policy with space, acoustics and furniture at this key European education research conference.

European Educational Research Association (EERA/ECER)

European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) in Copenhagen 2017 – At the University College UCC Carlsberg, Copenhagen 22 – 25 August 2017

Conference theme: Reforming Education and the Imperative of Constant Change: Ambivalent roles of policy and educational research

As part of our ongoing participation in the long term ILETC project it was a pleasure as industry partners to contribute with our knowledge and experience including some good practice school case studies from Germany, Netherlands and Spain with the help of EDUnet and our local colleagues.

The purpose of our participation as a group was to hold a mini symposium within the main conference:

 Title: Industry and Academic Collaboration in Learning Space Design and Use

Chairperson: Professor David Clarke, The University of Melbourne

Discussant: Alastair Blyth, University of Westminster

Abstract overview

The role of educational research in reforming education has become increasingly important in the political arena. However, this research is not only limited to academia. University and industry are largely independently pursuing high quality research. Increasingly, collaboration between the two sectors are commended, encouraged, and measured. Successful cooperation between industry and universities brings substantial benefits to organizations, their staff, to higher education institutions, academics, students, and to society as a whole.

The heart of the proposal focuses on industry and academic collaboration in an international project on Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change. Funded by the Australian Research Council and industry partners in four countries (Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States), the four-year collaborative project, led by researchers at the University of Melbourne, investigates how teachers enable learning most effectively in innovative learning environments to accommodate the learning approaches of the 21st century student.

 The Industry / Academia team of presenters above, from the left; Dr Marian Mahat Senior Research Fellow and Wes Imms Chief Investigator for the ILETC project both University of Melbourne, Alastair Blyth Educational Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Architecture University of Westminster, Clare Newton Associate Professor of Architecture at the Melbourne School of Design, David Clarke Professor at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education,  Colin Campbell Central Concept Developer for Educational Environments Ecophon Group, Richard Leonard Director of Hayball Archtects, Aileen Strickland-McGee Design Researcher Steelcase.

Individual presentations were titled as follows:

 Embodying an Educational Vision in School Architecture: Untangling the Messy Business of Collaborative Translational Design

 R.Leonard Hayball Architects.

Making It Work: The Effective Use of Acoustics in Learning Spaces

C.Campbell Ecophon and M.Mahat University of Melbourne discuss the educational and pedagogical aspirations at individual, institutional and national levels and the use of Activity Based Acoustic Design Approach to facilitate learning activities in the classrooms. Drawing on three case studies in Germany (Witzenhausen school), Netherlands (DeWerkPlaats school) and Spain (Col-legi Montserrat school) , they offer exemplary practices which incorporate acoustic conditions that enable effective teaching and learning. The paper makes a contribution to the theory, policy and practice of acoustics in the classroom. It provides empirical evidence that a considered approach to acoustic design, which is aligned to the educational aspirations of the school, can lead to a sustainable learning environment for teachers and students.

Facilitating Learning Through Furniture and the Design of Learning Spaces

C.Newton University of Melbourne and A.Strickland-McGee Steelcase.

Developing Spatial Literacy through Advanced Communication Strategies

W.Imms University of Melbourne

The conference venue the new UCC Carlsberg Campus is a 50,000m2 state of the art campus with two buildings based around the stunning original “Hanging Gardens” is an outstanding resource within Copenhagen.

During the week we took the opportunity with the ILETC project team and local Danish education influencers (photo above) to visit some interesting schools in Copenhagen and discuss teaching, learning approaches and acoustics of course….

The ILETC project team have also continued with several more major events during September Transitions17 educational environments research symposia in London hosted by Ecophon and Grand Rapids USA hosted by Steelcase both events including  Education Think Tank events the following day with a variety of industry influencers discussing and focusing on future topics and collaboration.

If you have any specific questions about any of the above research or case studies please email me: [email protected]