Space: Provision and Priority Report to Court of Governors Estates Committee, October 2009 Following discussions at the Governors Away Day in September 2009 the Students’ Union welcome the opportunity to present this paper on ‘space’ to the Governors’ Estates Committee. This paper does not propose any answers but seeks to highlight the concerns the Students’ Union have regarding space allocation and prioritisation across the University. It should provide a prompt for us to think about space provision strategically, asking questions and making suggestions about what should be considered in further discussions. We also aim to highlight the importance that space has on the student experience here. UAL has a space utilisation ratio of 0.17, compared to London Sector average 0.27 and Sector average 0.28. This demonstrates that we are simply not effective with our space. We also know that there are a number of issues with timetabling, clashes etc which is clearly linked to how we manage our spaces. We know that students are frustrated about the provision and access to, space across the University. Appendix 1 provides some student comments on ‘space’ from the National Student Survey 2009 open text responces. We know that we need to approach this issue with a strategic solution based on the learning environment we want at UAL. We need to consider how much space is needed to deliver a particular course, we need to consider the appropriate amount of informal learning space for students, as this will shape and define the sort of HEI we want going forward. Space for learning is directly linked to student satisfaction. It is important to recognise learning is an activity and process that is taught, self directed and reflective, often involving social learning, peer to peer activity and extracurricular opportunities. Any type of learning and development must be in an environment designed by participants, diverse enough to deliver within the financial constraints of the University whilst flexible enough to be used by both academics and students. In most HEI’s space is scarce and there are very few that have too much of it – space utilisation is a hot topic and as recognised in our papers regarding the Hub move, universities and colleges are talking about “providing 21st century learning facilities that respond to the modern learner/student expectations.” But, practically, what does this actually mean? We have developed a broad vision for student spaces at UAL and this is our suggested starting point: The University estate will be flexible and our use of it; enterprising and bold. It will meet the needs of stakeholders, providing opportunities for students to interact, learn and develop. We would welcome the opportunity of being part of discussions that look to shape this issue further.
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It is our recommendation that we use common tools to aid us in assessing our space requirements and for the purposes of demonstrating where we are currently, we have looked at the following: Values, Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Pedagogical issues and considerations. Values The word ‘space’ did not feature in the strategic planning documents presented to Governors on the September Away Day by the Executive Board. We feel UAL should be working to a transparent and public Estates Strategy which encourages optimal use of existing space across all colleges in the most creative and cost effective way. Students readily recognise that space within the University is wasted; its clear that space is not allocated in a cohesive or planned way. This impacts on the student experience and leaves us behind in a sector where the learner voice is increasingly informing and directing the institution to design the spaces that students will use. Working to realise the values of the institution in this area is challenging given the lack of a meaningful values statement. Alongside our vision, we hope this provide a point of further discussion: University of Northampton “Enhancing the economic, social, cultural and creative life of the local and regional community. Providing a safe, supportive environment for students, staff, partners and visitors.” The Robert Gordon University “The University aspires to provide a working and learning environment built upon discovery, passion and inspiration.” Oxford Brookes University “Social responsibility - ensuring the understanding and care of people and stewardship of environmental and public resources.” Bradford University “Application, innovation and partnership providing a stimulating, healthy and safe environment in which to learn and work. Achieving sustainable development.” City College Plymouth “Learners first: the needs of our students come first and every learner will be provided with opportunities to achieve their full potential within a safe, stimulating and supportive environment..”
Political environment / influences We know that public funding is under increasing scrutiny, with less funds going to the Higher Education sector going forward, not more. It is reasonable to expect that HEIs must take an innovative and broad approach to their physical spaces, not just spending more money on them, but carefully considering how they are used. Programmes at lower tiers, notably including the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative – have emphasised the need for social, leisure and communal space to be central to the learning experience. From our initial research, there are a number of projects and papers that have been produced on the importance of creating exciting learning spaces and there is considerable guidance for universities that are redeveloping space in this way. Further, there are a huge number of physical projects to learn from and given that UAL is so far behind in this area, could benefit from the direct experience of others.
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Across the country, the importance of learning spaces has been considered in schools and as a result, many schools are being redeveloped to allow for space to aid learning. In this context, when students arrive at UAL, they find a University with unclear priorities for space provision and who, for a creative institution; appear to pay little concern to the spaces that students learn in. Economic In other institutions, learning spaces, building redevelopments and new builds have been the focus of solving questions about the changing needs of students receiving substantial amounts of resource. We appreciate that the wider economic environment means that there is very little money available for investment in space. We would urge the University to think innovatively about where additional funding and investment could come from. How can we work with small businesses to provide student led gallery spaces? How can we work with creative industry employers to use their access to funding? This requires the need for us to look beyond the Funding Council and our Reserves to allow us to be as creative and flexible as required by the vision. The challenge is that within a period of time, space issues and priorities will become an imperative that will have a negative impact economically as it will become a deterrent for student recruitment. Environmental The sustainability agenda is becoming an increasingly important issue for students at UAL and the University should consider more seriously its impact on the environment; including the efficient use of energy, choice of materials, and management of the buildings. The University is in a position of weakness, where this is as much about changing culture as it is about investing in new types of learning space. Social (sociological/societal influences) It is established that students are increasingly considering themselves as consumers and customers of the institution. At UAL, our record of student complaints to the OIA illustrate this culture is here to stay. We must recognise the needs of our students and deliver these – space is one aspect of this but it is critical that the University shift the way in which the ‘customer’ experience is planned for. Recognising the impact that technological advances have on the way in which students communicate and interact socially, we must consider this in the design of the spaces that students use. UAL is a creative institution and must recognise the implications of this on the types of learning spaces provided. The University has social significance to students, so the planning of new spaces and facilities should involve students from concept through to delivery. This mean space is provided that is more likely to be ‘right’ and be used. Technology At UAL there is at best sporadic use of digital signage technology. By comparison, it is not uncommon for secondary schools to leverage these routes of communication to handle everything from whole-school announcements, to timetable updates and appointment notifications. In fulfilling our claims of being a "vibrant world centre for innovation", it would be wise to adopt a strategic role out of embedded technology, ideally in tandem with reform of the wayfinding around the sites. Taking this approach to signage and information distribution should be targeted openly at enabling access to the events and content from the evolving Portal systems, and would act as a foundation for enabling cross-college interaction and highlighting open events across the sites. Where possible, interactive signage should be used to combat the labyrinthine nature of many of our sites, and could usefully interact with students' mobile devices to guide them through their journey around the site. Similar benefits would be felt by visitors and staff, and could seek to integrate elements of historic interest or even virtual exhibitions of work around the buildings. SUARTS REPORTS | SPACE: PROVISION & PRIORITY | OCTOBER 2009
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Pedagogy What are our learners doing? There has been little recognition of what our current learners are doing which inevitably impacts on any ability to consider how any building or space planning relates to any teaching and learning strategy. We need to be in a place where we can assess how pedagogical thinking is developing and what future learning scenarios might emerge. There is only one student-led gallery space across the entire university estate; at CSM Southampton Row, in the space that was previously the Students' Union bar. Apart from this only a small number of students have regular access to dedicated gallery space on a UAL site outside of degree show or university project exhibitions. Many students are forced to look externally for spaces in which they can curate shows and exhibit their work. There is a certain level of resentment students feel towards the multitude of Alumni, or External shows that cover most the gallery walls. This raises questions of ownership and belonging; we think the lack of feeling of community is one of the biggest problems at UAL, and the opportunity to change that lies heavily in the provision of certain types of spaces. Flexibility is another consideration, many institutions are creating spaces that have many different uses, that students can interact with and leave their mark. Conclusion The new medium term strategy is our opportunity to consider where we want to go as an institution, and we would argue that consideration for space and the learning environment needs play a major role. The strategic direction we take as Governors will inform the provision of courses, the type of learning space and the environment in which our students will develop. We know there isn’t enough space; but sometimes its about using the space we have got currently in a more coherent way. This is a challenge which we must address now. The consistently poor results of University of the Arts London in the National Student Survey results have corroborated the general criticisms of the institution, and the lack of significant progress on innovation in student facilities despite significant investment (in the initial conversion of 65 Davies St, and the move to 272 High Holborn) are also likely to cause reputational damage which may begin to effect recruitment and coverage of UAL “talent” in future.
Helen Gimber Students’ Union President
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Appendix 1: Student comments on ‘space’ from the National Student Survey 2009 All comments taken directly from the responses to “What do you think the University could have done differently to improve the quality of your course?”:
“Use the theatre effectively. It's a small school. I have no idea why it isn't used continuously. Especially when it has just been refurbished at great expense.”
“Provide sufficient space and facilities to enable students to work freely.”
“Definitely give some more materials to the fashion students and more space. It is quite strange how it is one of the most popular courses but has got the worst conditions, which can at times eat up our creativity”
“Have proper studio: space to work, do our models and leave our work.”
“More space for students to work and debate, more opportunities for students to exhibit in the college." “Improved studio facilities and equipment. Longer access hours to specialist rooms.” “Better equipment that allows students to work in studio environment together, not enough machines to go around and many are not up to standard, which then affects quality of work." “Create space for us to work in on a daily basis.” “The organisation of the spaces needs to be done to encourage students to work at college, so it creates a stimulating working environment, completely redecorate the canteen!" “Have longer learning sessions - have dedicated areas where people can come and work.” “More availability and explanations about the other facilities in the university such as the printing room, the letter press room, embossing etc. Some people didn't even know our course could use the facilities.”
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“Allocate space more efficiently.”
“Provide large lockers to keep students work and materials in, so we don't need to carry materials and canvases around." “Have more structure, have a proper studio space for students to be able to work in a same space, longer opening hours for the printing rooms as well as better solution for film developing, opening hours during the holidays (one month cut off is too long and interrupts studies) and the possibility to loan equipment during holidays is vital.” “Allocated more tutorials during the week instead of once a week. Allocated space between classes and drop-in more thoroughly.” “Give better access to the studio.” “Update workshop areas to create more space and an environment that allows a wider learning experience, with opportunities to work with different materials." “Would be great if they can provide us a 24hrs study area” “Larger work spaces for students-especially if they live far away from the college-make it worth staying up there after crits, instead of having to run home so work can be done."
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