learning environment meaning essay

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What are the key elements of a positive learning environment? Perspectives from students and faculty

Shayna a. rusticus.

Department of Psychology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 12666 72 Ave, Surrey, BC V3W 2M8 Canada

Tina Pashootan

The learning environment comprises the psychological, social, cultural and physical setting in which learning occurs and has an influence on student motivation and success. The purpose of the present study was to explore qualitatively, from the perspectives of both students and faculty, the key elements of the learning environment that supported and hindered student learning. We recruited a total of 22 students and 9 faculty to participate in either a focus group or an individual interview session about their perceptions of the learning environment at their university. We analyzed the data using a directed content analysis and organized the themes around the three key dimensions of personal development, relationships, and institutional culture. Within each of these dimensions, we identified subthemes that facilitated or impeded student learning and faculty work. We also identified and discussed similarities in subthemes identified by students and faculty.

Introduction

The learning environment (LE) comprises the psychological, social, cultural, and physical setting in which learning occurs and in which experiences and expectations are co-created among its participants (Rusticus et al., 2020 ; Shochet et al., 2013 ). These individuals, who are primarily students, faculty and staff, engage in this environment and the learning process as they navigate through their personal motivations and emotions and various interpersonal interactions. This all takes place within a physical setting that consists of various cultural and administrative norms (e.g. school policies).

While many studies of the LE have focused on student perspectives (e.g. Cayubit, 2021 ; Schussler et al., 2021 ; Tharani et al., 2017 ), few studies have jointly incorporated the perspectives of students and faculty. Both groups are key players within the educational learning environment. Some exceptions include researchers who have used both instructor and student informants to examine features of the LE in elementary schools (Fraser & O’Brien, 1985 ; Monsen et al., 2014 ) and in virtual learning and technology engaged environments in college (Annansingh, 2019 ; Downie et al., 2021 ) Other researchers have examined perceptions of both groups, but in ways that are not focused on understanding the LE (e.g. Bolliger & Martin, 2018 ; Gorham & Millette, 1997 ; Midgly et al., 1989 ).

In past work, LEs have been evaluated on the basis of a variety of factors, such as students’ perceptions of the LE have been operationalized as their course experiences and evaluations of teaching (Guo et al., 2021 ); level of academic engagement, skill development, and satisfaction with learning experience (Lu et al., 2014 ); teacher–student and student–peer interactions and curriculum (Bolliger & Martin, 2018 ; Vermeulen & Schmidt, 2008 ); perceptions of classroom personalization, involvement, opportunities for and quality of interactions with classmates, organization of the course, and how much instructors make use of more unique methods of teaching and working (Cayubit, 2021 ). In general, high-quality learning environments are associated with positive outcomes for students at all levels. For example, ratings of high-quality LEs have been correlated with outcomes such as increased satisfaction and motivation (Lin et al., 2018 ; Rusticus et al., 2014 ; Vermeulen & Schmidt, 2008 ), higher academic performance (Lizzio et al., 2002 ; Rusticus et al., 2014 ), emotional well-being (Tharani et al., 2017 ), better career outcomes such as satisfaction, job competencies, and retention (Vermeulen & Schmidt, 2008 ) and less stress and burnout (Dyrbye et al., 2009 ). From teacher perspectives, high-quality LEs have been defined in terms of the same concepts and features as those used to evaluate student perspective and outcomes. For example, in one quantitative study, LEs were rated as better by students and teachers when they were seen as more inclusive (Monsen et al., 2014 ).

However, LEs are diverse and can vary depending on context and, although many elements of the LE that have been identified, there has been neither a consistent nor clear use of theory in assessing those key elements (Schönrock-Adema et al., 2012 ). One theory that has been recommended by Schönrock-Adema et al. ( 2012 ) to understand the LE is Moos’ framework of human environments (Insel & Moos, 1974 ; Moos, 1973 , 1991 ). Through his study of a variety of human environments (e.g. classrooms, psychiatric wards, correctional institutions, military organizations, families), Moos proposed that all environments have three key dimensions: (1) personal development/goal direction, (2) relationships, and (3) system maintenance/change. The personal development dimension encompasses the potential in the environment for personal growth, as well as reflecting the emotional climate of the environment and contributing to the development of self-esteem. The relationship dimension encompasses the types and quality of social interactions that occur within the environment, and it reflects the extent to which individuals are involved in the environment and the degree to which they interact with, and support, each other. The system maintenance/change dimension encompasses the degree of structure, clarity and openness to change that characterizes the environment, as well as reflecting physical aspects of the environment.

We used this framework to guide our research question: What do post-secondary students and faculty identify as the positive and negative aspects of the learning environment? Through the use of a qualitative methodology to explore the LE, over the more-typical survey-based approaches, we were able to explore this topic in greater depth, to understand not only the what, but also the how and the why of what impacts the LE. Furthermore, in exploring the LE from both the student and faculty perspectives, we highlight similarities and differences across these two groups and garner an understanding of how both student and faculty experience the LE.

Participants

All participants were recruited from a single Canadian university with three main campuses where students can attend classes to obtain credentials, ranging from a one-year certificate to a four-year undergraduate degree. Approximately 20,000 students attend each year. The student sample was recruited through the university’s subject pool within the psychology department. The faculty sample was recruited through emails sent out through the arts faculty list-serve and through direct recruitment from the first author.

The student sample was comprised of 22 participants, with the majority being psychology majors ( n  = 10), followed by science majors ( n  = 4) and criminology majors ( n  = 3). Students spanned all years of study with seven in their first year, three in second year, five in third year, six in fourth year, and one unclassified. The faculty sample consisted of nine participants (6 male, 3 female). Seven of these participants were from the psychology department, one was from the criminology department and one was from educational studies. The teaching experience of faculty ranged from 6 to 20 years.

Interview schedule and procedure

We collected student data through five focus groups and two individual interviews. The focus groups ranged in size from two to six participants. All sessions occurred in a private meeting room on campus and participants were provided with food and beverages, as well as bonus credit. Each focus group/interview ranged from 30 to 60 min. We collected all faculty data through individual interviews ranging from 30 to 75 min. Faculty did not receive any incentives for their participation. All sessions were conducted by the first author, with the second author assisting with each of the student focus groups.

With the consent of each participant, we audio-recorded each session and transcribed them verbatim. For both samples, we used a semi-structured interview format involving a set of eight open-ended questions about participants’ overall perceptions of the LE at their institution (see Appendix for interview guide). These questions were adapted from a previous study conducted by the first author (Rusticus et al., 2020 ) and focused on how participants defined the LE, what they considered to be important elements of the LE, and their positive and negative experiences within their environment. Example questions were: “Can you describe a [negative/positive] learning [students]/teaching [faculty] experience that you have had?”.

We analyzed the data using a directed content analysis approach (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005 ) that used existing theory to develop the initial coding scheme. We used Moos’s (Insel & Moos, 1974 ; Moos, 1973 , 1991 ) framework and its three dimensions of personal development, relationships, and system maintenance/change to guide our analysis. During the analysis phase, we renamed the system maintenance/change dimension to ‘institutional setting’ as we felt it was more descriptive of, and better represented, the content of this theme.

We analyzed student and faculty data separately, starting with the student data, but used the same process for both. First, we randomly selected two transcripts. We each independently coded the first transcript using the broad themes of personal development, relationships and institutional setting, and developed subcodes within each of these themes, as needed. We then reviewed and discussed our codes, reaching consensus on any differences in coding. We then repeated this process for the second transcript and, through group discussions, created a codebook. The first author then coded the remaining transcripts.

When coding the faculty data, we aimed to maintain subcodes similar to the student data while allowing for flexibility when needed. For instance, within the personal development theme, a subcode for the student data was ‘engagement with learning’, whereas a parallel subcode for the faculty data was ‘engagement with teaching’.

We present the results of the student and faculty data separately. For both, we have organized our analysis around the three overarching themes of personal development, relationships and institutional setting.

Student perspectives of the learning environment

Personal development.

Personal development was defined as any motivation either within or outside the LE that provide students with encouragement, drive, and direction for their personal growth and achievement. Within this theme, there were two subthemes: engaging with learning and work-life balance.

Engagement with learning reflected a student’s desire and ability to participate in their learning, as opposed to a passive-learning approach. Students felt more engaged when they were active learners, as well as when they perceived the material to be relevant to their career goals or real-world applications. Students also said that having opportunities to apply their learning helped them to better understand their own career paths:

I had two different instructors and both of them were just so open and engaging and they shared so many personal stories and they just seemed so interested in what they were doing and what I was like. Wow, I want to be that. I want to be interested in what I’m learning. (G6P1)

A common complaint that negatively impacted student motivation was that instructors would lecture for the entire class without supporting materials or opportunities for students to participate.

I’ve had a couple professors who just don’t have any visuals at all. All he does is talk. So, for the whole three hours, we would just be scrambling to write down the notes. It’s brutal...(G7P2)

Trying to establish a healthy work-life balance and managing the demands of their courses, often in parallel with managing work and family demands, were key challenges for students and were often sources of stress and anxiety. For instance, one student spoke about her struggles in meeting expectations:

It was a tough semester. For the expectations that I had placed on myself, I wasn’t meeting them and it took a toll on me. But now I know that I can exceed my expectations, but you really have to try and work hard for it. (G6P1)

Achieving a good work-life balance and adjusting to university life takes time. Many students commented that, as they reached their third year of study, they felt more comfortable in the school environment. Unfortunately, students also noted that the mental and emotional toll of university life can lead to doubt about the future and a desire to leave. One student suggested more support for students to help with this adjustment:

I think school should give students more service to help them to overcome the pressure and make integration into the first year and second year quicker and faster. Maybe it’s very helpful for the new students. (G7P4)

Relationships

Relationships was the second dimension of the LE. Subthemes within this dimension included: faculty support, peer interaction, and group work. Most students commented on the impact that faculty had on their learning. Faculty support included creating a safe or unsafe space in the classroom (i.e. ability to ask questions without judgement, fostering a respectful atmosphere), providing additional learning material, accommodating requests, or simply listening to students. Students generally indicated that faculty at this university were very willing to offer extra support and genuinely cared for them and their education. Faculty were described as friendly and approachable, and their relationships with students were perceived as “egalitarian”.

I think feeling that you’re safe in that environment, that anything you pose or any questions that you may have, you’re free to ask. And without being judged. And you’ll get an answer that actually helps you. (G1P4)

While most students felt welcome and comfortable in their classes, a few students spoke about negative experiences that they had because of lack of faculty support. Students cited examples of professors “shutting down” questions, saying that a question was “stupid”, refusing requests for additional help, or interrupting them while speaking. Another student felt that the inaction of faculty sometimes contributed to a negative atmosphere:

I’ve had bad professors that just don't listen to any comment or, if you suggest something to improve it which may seem empirically better, they still shut you down! That’s insane. (G2P2)

The peer interactions subtheme referred to any instances when students could interact with other students; this occurred both in and out of the classroom. Most often, students interacted with their peers during a class or because of an assignment:

I think the way the class is structured really helps you build relationships with your peers. For example, I met S, we had several classes with each other. Those classes were more proactive and so it allowed us to build a relationship… I think that’s very important because we’re going to be in the same facility for a long time and to have somebody to back you up, or to have someone to study with…”. (G1P4)

However, other students felt that they lacked opportunities to interact with peers in class. Although a few participants stated that they felt the purpose of going to school was to get a degree, rather than to socialize with others, students wanted more opportunities to interact with peers.

The final subtheme, group work, was a very common activity at this school. The types of group work in which students engaged included classroom discussions, assignments/projects, and presentations. Many students had enjoyable experiences working in groups, noting that working together helped them to solve problems and create something that was better than one individual’s work. Even though sometimes doing the work itself was a negative experience, people still saw value in group work:

Some of the best memories I’ve ever had was group work and the struggles we've had. (G2P2) I don’t like group work but it taught me a lot, I’ve been able to stay friends and be able to connect with people that I’ve had a class with in 2nd year psych all the way up till now. I think that’s very valuable. (G6P1)

Almost all students who spoke about group work also talked about negative aspects or experiences they had. When the work of a group made up a large proportion of the final grade, students sometimes would have preferred to be evaluated individually. Students disliked when they worked in groups when members were irresponsible or work was not shared equally, and they were forced to undertake work that other students were not completing.

A lot of people don’t really care, or they don’t take as much responsibility as you. I think people have different goals and different ways of working, so sometimes I find that challenging. (G7P2)

Institutional setting

The third overarching theme was the institutional setting. Broadly, this theme refers to the physical structure, expectations, and the overall culture of the environment and was composed of two key subthemes: importance of small class sizes; and the lack of a sense of community.

Small class sizes, with a maximum of 35 students, were a key reason why many students chose to come to this institution. The small classes created an environment in which students and faculty were able to get to know one another more personally; students felt that they were known as individuals, not just as numbers. They also noted that this promoted greater feelings of connectedness to the class environment, more personalized attention, and opportunities to request reference letters in the future:

My professors know my name. Not all of them that I’m having for the first time ever, but they try… That means a lot to me. (G6P4)

Several students also said that having smaller class sizes helped them to do well in their courses. The extra attention encouraged them to perform better academically, increased their engagement with their material, and made them feel more comfortable in asking for help.

Having a sense of belonging was a key feature of the environment and discussions around a sense of community (or lack thereof) was a prominent theme among the students. Students generally agreed that the overall climate of the school is warm and friendly. However, many students referred to the institution as a “commuter school”, because there are no residencies on campus and students must commute to the school. This often resulted in students attending their classes and then leaving immediately after, contributing to a lack of community life on campus.

What [other schools] have is that people live on campus. I think that plays a huge role. We can’t ignore that we are a commuter school… They have these events and people go because they’re already there and you look at that and it seems to be fun and engaging. (G4P1)

Furthermore, students commented on a lack of campus areas that supported socialization and encouraged students to remain on campus. While there were events and activities that were regularly hosted at the school, students had mixed opinions about them. Some students attended the events and found them personally beneficial. Other students stated that, although many events and activities were available, turnout was often low:

There isn’t any hanging out after campus and you can even see in-events and in-event turnout for different events… It is like pulling teeth to get people to come out to an event… There are free food and fun music and really cool stuff. But, no one’s going to go. It’s sad. (G5P1)

Faculty perspectives on the learning environment

Similar to the student findings, faculty data were coded within the three overarching themes of personal development, relationships, and institutional setting.

Personal development reflected any motivation either within or outside the LE that provided faculty with the encouragement, drive, and direction for their personal growth and engagement with teaching. Within this dimension, there were two main subthemes: motivation to teach and emotional well-being.

As with any career, there are many positive and negative motivating factors that contribute to one’s involvement in their work. Faculty generally reported feeling passionate about their work, and recounted positive experiences they have had while teaching, both personally and professionally. While recollecting positive drives throughout their career, one instructor shared:

It’s [teaching in a speciality program] allowed me to teach in a very different way than the traditional classroom… I’ve been able to translate those experiences into conferences, into papers, into connections, conversations with others that have opened up really interesting dialogues…. (8M)

Faculty also reported that receiving positive feedback from students or getting to see their students grow over time was highly motivating:

I take my teaching evaluations very seriously and I keep hearing that feedback time and time again they feel safe. They feel connected, they feel listened too, they feel like I'm there for them. I think, you know, those are the things that let me know what I'm doing is achieving the goals that I have as an educator. (1F) Being able to watch [students] grow over time is very important to me… I always try to have a few people I work with and see over the course of their degree. So, when they graduate, you know I have a reason to be all misty-eyed. (2M)

Emotional well-being related to how different interactions, primarily with students, affected instructors’ mental states. Sometimes the emotional well-being of faculty was negatively affected by the behaviour of students. One instructor spoke about being concerned when students drop out of a class:

A student just this last semester was doing so well, but then dropped off the face of the earth… I felt such a disappointing loss… So, when that happens, I'm always left with those questions about what I could have done differently. Maybe, at the end of the day, there is nothing I could've done, nothing. It's a tragedy or something's happened in their life or I don't know. But those unanswered questions do concern-- they cause me some stress or concern. (1F)

Another instructor said that, while initially they had let the students’ behaviour negatively affect their well-being, over time, they had eventually become more apathetic.

There are some who come, leave after the break. Or they do not come, right, or come off and on. Previously I was motivated to ask them ‘what is your problem?’ Now I do not care. That is the difference which has happened. I do not care. (4M)

This dimension included comments related to interactions with other faculty and with students and consisted of three subthemes: faculty supporting faculty; faculty supporting students; and creating meaningful experiences for students.

Most faculty felt that it was important to be supported by, and supportive to, their colleagues. For instance, one instructor reported that their colleagues’ helpfulness inspired them to be supportive of others:

If I was teaching a new course, without me having to go and beg for resources or just plead and hope that someone might be willing to share, my experience was that the person who last taught the course messaged me and said let me know if anything I have will be useful to you… When people are willing to do that for you, then you’re willing to do that for someone else….(7M)

Many faculty members also spoke about the importance of having supportive relationships with students, and that this would lead to better learning outcomes:

If you don't connect with your students, you're not going to get them learning much. They're not; they're just going to tune out. So, I think, I think connection is critical to having a student not only trust in the learning environment, but also want to learn from the learning environment. (3M)

Facilitating an open, inviting space in the classroom and during their office hours, where students were comfortable asking questions, was one way that faculty tried to help students succeed. Faculty also spoke about the value of having close mentorship relationships with students:

I work with them a lot and intensively…and their growth into publishing, presenting, and seeing them get recognized and get jobs on their way out and so forth are extraordinary. So, being able to watch them grow over time is very important to me. (2M)

Faculty also noted that occasionally there were instances when students wanted exceptions to be made for them which can create tensions in the environment. One instructor spoke about the unfairness of those requests arguing that students need to be accountable to themselves:

The failure rate, …it was 43%. I do not know if there is any other course in which there is a 43% failure rate. So, I do not want to fail these students, why? Instructors want these students to pass, these are my efforts […], and there are also the efforts of these students and their money, right? But, if a student doesn’t want to pass himself or herself, I cannot pass this student, that’s it. (4M)

Faculty were generally motivated to provide memorable and engaging experiences for students. These included providing practical knowledge and opportunities to apply knowledge in real-world settings, field schools, laboratory activities, group discussions, guest speakers, field trips, videos and group activities. They were often willing to put in extra effort if it meant that students would have a better educational experience.

Creating meaningful experiences for students was also meaningful for faculty. One faculty member said that faculty felt amazing when the methods that they used in their courses were appreciated by students. Another faculty member noted:

This student who was in my social psychology class, who was really bright and kind of quirky, would come to my office, twice a week, and just want to talk about psychology … That was like a really satisfying experience for me to see someone get so sparked by the content. (9F)

This third theme refers to the physical structure, expectation, and overall culture of the environment and it consisted of two subthemes: the importance of small class sizes, and the lack of a sense of community.

The majority of the faculty indicated that the small class sizes are an integral feature of the LE. The key advantage of the small classes was that they allowed greater connection with students.

Your professor knows your name. That’s a huge difference from other schools. It’s a small classroom benefit. (6F)

Similar to the students, nearly all the faculty indicated that a sense of community at the institution was an important part of the environment, and something that was desired, but it currently was lacking. They spoke about various barriers which prevent a sense of community, such as the lack of residences, a dearth of events and activities at the university, the busy schedules of faculty and students, the commuter nature of the school, and characteristics of the student population:

When I complain about the commuter campus feeling that occurs with students, we suffer from that too at a faculty level… People are just not in their offices because we work from home… And that really also affects the culture… We come in. We do our thing. We meet with students. And then we leave… I encounter so many students in the hallway who are looking for instructors and they can’t find them. (9F)

These findings have provided insight into the perspectives of both students and faculty on the LE of a Canadian undergraduate university. We found that framing our analysis and results within Moos’ framework of human environments (Insel & Moos, 1974 ; Moos, 1973 , 1991 ) was an appropriate lens for the data and that the data fit well within these three themes. This provides support for the use of this theory to characterize the educational LE. Within each of these dimensions, we discuss subthemes that both facilitated and hindered student learning and commonalities among student and faculty perspectives.

Within the personal development dimension, both students and faculty discussed the importance of engagement and/or motivation as a facilitator of a positive LE. When students were engaged with their learning, most often by being an active participant or seeing the relevance of what they were learning, they saw it as a key strength. Other studies have also identified engagement as a feature of positive LEs for populations such as high-school students (Seidel, 2006 ), nursing students (D’Souza et al., 2013 ) and college students taking online courses (e.g. Holley & Dobson, 2008 ; O’Shea et al., 2015 ). Faculty who reported being motivated to teach, often felt that this motivation was fueled by the reactions of their students; when students were engaged, they felt more motivated. This creates a positive cyclic pattern in which one group feeds into the motivation and engagement levels of the other. However, this can also hinder the LE when a lack of engagement in one group can bring down the motivation of the other group (such as students paying more attention to their phones than to a lecture or faculty lecturing for the entire class period).

Emotional climate was another subtheme within the personal development dimension that was shared by both students and faculty although, for students, this was focused more on the stress and anxiety that they felt trying to manage their school workloads with their work and family commitments. The overall emotional climate of the school was generally considered to be positive, which was largely driven by the supportive and welcoming environment provided by the faculty. However, it was the negative emotions of stress and anxiety that often surfaced as a challenging aspect in the environment for students. Past research suggests that some types of stress, such as from a challenge, can improve learning and motivation, but negative stress, such as that reported by our participants, is associated with worsened performance and greater fatigue (LePine et al., 2004 ).

For faculty, their emotional state was often influenced by their students. When things were going well for their students, faculty often shared in the joy; however, when students would disappear without notice from a class, it was a source of disappointment and self-doubt. For other faculty, the accumulation of negative experiences resulted in them being more distant and less affected emotionally than they had been earlier in their career. This diminishing concern could have implications for how engaged faculty are in their teaching, which could in turn influence student engagement and harm the LE.

The relationships dimension was the most influential aspect of the environment for both students and faculty. While both groups felt that the relationships that they formed were generally positive, they also reported a desire for more peer connections (i.e. students with other students and faculty with other faculty). Students commented that it was a typical experience for them to come to campus to attend their classes and then leave afterwards, often to work or study at home. Many of the students at this school attend on a part-time basis while they work part- or full-time and/or attend to family commitments. While this is a benefit to these students to have the flexibility to work and further their education, it comes at loss of the social aspect of post-secondary education.

The one way in which student–peer relationships were fostered was through group work. However, students held both positive and negative views on this: the positive aspect was the opportunity to get to know other students and being able to share the burden of the workload, and the negative aspect was being unfair workloads among team members. When group dynamics are poor, such as unfair work distribution, having different goals and motivations, or not communicating effectively with their groups, it has been shown to lead to negative experiences (Rusticus & Justus, 2019 ).

Faculty also commented that it was typical for them and other faculty to come up to campus only to teach their classes and then leave afterwards. They noted that their office block was often empty and noted instances when students have come looking for faculty only to find a locked office. Overall, faculty did report feeling congenial with, and supported by, their peers. They also desired a greater connection with their peers, but noted that it would require effort to build, which many were not willing to make.

Finally, student–faculty relationships were the most-rewarding experience for both groups. Students saw these experiences as highly encouraging and felt that they created a safe and welcoming environment where they could approach faculty to ask questions and get extra support. However, in some cases, students had negative experiences with faculty and these had an impact on their self-esteem, motivation and willingness to participate in class. Students’ negative experiences and feedback have been shown to result in declined levels of intrinsic motivation, even if their performance ability is not low (Weidinger et al., 2016 ).

Within the third dimension, institutional setting, a key strength was the small class sizes. With a maximum class size of 35 students, this created a more personal and welcoming environment for students. Students felt that their instructors got to know their names and this promoted more opportunities for interactions. Faculty concurred with this, indicating that the small classes provided greater opportunities for interactions with their students. This enabled more class discussions and grouped-based activities which contributed to a more engaging and interactive educational experience for students and faculty. For students, not being able to hide in the crowd of a large lecture hall, as is common in other university settings, encouraged them to work harder on their studies and to seek help from their instructor if needed.

Finally, both students and faculty commented that the lack of a sense of community was a negative aspect of the LE. This institution is known as a commuter school and both groups reported that they would often attend campus only for school/work and would leave as soon as their commitments were done. This limits opportunities to interact with others and could also potentially impact one’s identity as a member of this community. While both groups expressed a desire for more of a community life, neither group was willing to put in much effort to make this happen. Others have also found that sense of community, including opportunities to engage and interact with others, is important in LEs (e.g. Sadera et al., 2009 ). Schools with more activities and opportunities for student involvement have reports of higher satisfaction for both academic and social experiences (Charles et al., 2016 ).

Limitations

Because this study is based on a relatively small sample at a single university, there is a question of whether the findings can be applied to other departments, universities or contexts. However, it is a strength of this study that both student and faculty perceptions were included, because few past studies have jointly looked at these two groups together using qualitative methods. The use of focus groups among the student groups might have limited the openness of some participants. We also acknowledge that the analysis of qualitative data is inevitably influenced by our roles, life experiences and backgrounds. (The first author is a faculty member and the second and third authors were fourth year students at the time of the study.) This might have impacted our approach to the interpretation of the data compared with how others might approach the data and analysis (Denzin & Lincoln, 2008 ). However, the analysis involved consultation among the research team to identify and refine the themes, and the findings are presented with quotes to support the interpretation. Finally, because experiences were self-reported in this study, they have the associated limitations of self-report data. Despite these limitations, we believe that our findings add to what is known about LEs by capturing multiple perspectives within the same environment.

Future directions

Because our sample was comprised of students across multiple years of their program, some of our findings suggest that upper-level students might have different perceptions of the LE from lower-level students (e.g. work/life balance, access to resources, and overall familiarity with the environment and resources available). However, because the small sample sizes within these subgroups prevent any strong conclusions being made, future researchers might want to explore year-of-study differences in the LE. Additionally, the data collected for this study occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the mandatory switch to online teaching and learning. Future researchers might want to consider how this has impacted student and faculty perceptions of the LE regarding their personal motivation, the nature and quality of the relationships that have formed with peers and faculty, and the culture and norms of their institution.

This study increases our understanding of LEs by incorporating data collected from both students and faculty working in the same context. Across both groups, we identified important aspects of the LE as being high levels of engagement and motivation, a positive emotional climate, support among peers, strong faculty–student relationships, meaningful experiences, and small class sizes. Students identified negative aspects of the LE, such as certain characteristics of group work and struggles with work–life balance. Both faculty and students identified a lack of a sense of community as something that could detract from the LE. These findings identify important elements that educators and researchers might want to consider as they strive to promote more-positive LEs and learning experiences for students.

Appendix: Interview guide

[Faculty] Tell me a little bit about yourself. For instance, what department you are in, how long you have been teaching at KPU, what courses you teach, why you were interested in this study

• When I say the word learning environment, what does that mean to you?
• Probe for specific examples
• Relate to goal development, relationships, KPU culture
• Probe for factors that made it a positive environment
• Probe for factors that made it a negative environment
• How would you describe an ideal environment?
• Probe for reasons why
• Probe for how KPU could be made more ideal
• What recommendations would you give to the Dean of Arts regarding the learning environment? This could be changes you would recommend or things you recommend should stay the same.
• Do you have any final comments? Or feel there is anything about the learning environment that we have not addressed?

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Essay on Enabling Learning Environment

Students are often asked to write an essay on Enabling Learning Environment in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Enabling Learning Environment

Understanding a learning environment.

A learning environment refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which we learn. It’s not just about the classroom, but also includes homes, parks, or even virtual spaces.

Importance of a Learning Environment

A good learning environment is crucial because it can help students feel safe, comfortable, and engaged, making it easier for them to learn. It also encourages positive social interaction among students.

Creating an Enabling Learning Environment

Teachers can create an enabling learning environment by arranging the classroom in a way that promotes interaction and collaboration. They can also use technology to enhance learning.

Benefits of an Enabling Learning Environment

An enabling learning environment can improve student performance and motivation. It can also help students develop important skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving.

250 Words Essay on Enabling Learning Environment

Introduction.

An enabling learning environment is a setting in which all students feel empowered, engaged, and capable of high academic achievement. It is not merely about the physical space, but also about how the environment is structured and the pedagogical strategies employed.

Physical and Virtual Aspects

A physically enabling environment is well-resourced, safe, and comfortable. It should be flexible to accommodate various learning styles and activities. In the digital age, virtual environments such as online learning platforms also play a crucial role. They should be user-friendly, interactive, and accessible to all students.

Social and Emotional Climate

The social-emotional climate is equally important. A positive climate is characterized by respect, trust, and mutual understanding between teachers and students. It promotes collaboration, reduces fear of failure, and encourages risk-taking in learning.

Teaching and Learning Approaches

Effective teaching strategies are central to an enabling environment. These should be learner-centered, promoting active engagement and critical thinking. Differentiation and personalization of instruction are key to cater to individual learning needs.

In conclusion, an enabling learning environment is a multifaceted concept that involves physical and virtual aspects, a positive social-emotional climate, and effective teaching strategies. It is crucial for promoting high academic achievement and fostering a lifelong love for learning.

500 Words Essay on Enabling Learning Environment

An enabling learning environment is a critical element in the educational process. It is a space that fosters a positive atmosphere conducive to learning, where students feel safe, comfortable, and engaged. It goes beyond the physical classroom and includes emotional, social, and academic support.

The Concept of an Enabling Learning Environment

An enabling learning environment is not just about having a well-equipped classroom. It is an environment that encourages students to engage, explore, and learn. It is a space where students feel respected and valued, promoting their self-esteem and confidence. This environment also encourages the development of critical thinking skills, creativity, and innovation.

Components of an Enabling Learning Environment

The enabling learning environment consists of various components. The physical environment includes the classroom’s layout, lighting, temperature, and noise levels. The emotional environment involves the relationships among students and between students and teachers. The pedagogical environment includes teaching methods, curriculum, and assessment.

Creating an enabling learning environment requires thoughtful planning and execution. It involves setting clear expectations, fostering a sense of belonging, encouraging student engagement, and providing effective feedback.

The teacher plays a crucial role in creating this environment. They should promote diversity and inclusion, ensuring that all students feel valued and respected. Additionally, they should use teaching methods that cater to different learning styles, providing a variety of learning opportunities.

The Impact of an Enabling Learning Environment

An enabling learning environment has a profound impact on students’ learning outcomes. It enhances students’ motivation and engagement, leading to improved academic performance. It also promotes social and emotional development, fostering skills such as communication, collaboration, and self-regulation.

Challenges in Creating an Enabling Learning Environment

Despite its importance, creating an enabling learning environment is not without challenges. These include managing diverse learning needs, dealing with disruptive behavior, and maintaining a balance between academic demands and students’ well-being.

In conclusion, an enabling learning environment is a fundamental aspect of effective education. It requires a holistic approach, taking into account the physical, emotional, and pedagogical aspects of the learning environment. Despite the challenges, it is crucial for educators to strive to create such an environment to foster students’ academic success and personal growth.

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Shaping a Positive Learning Environment

Several years ago, American surgeon, author, and public health researcher Atul Gawande experimented with using a two-minute checklist in operating rooms in eight different hospitals. One unexpected result was that a round of team-member introductions before surgery lowered the average number of surgical complications by 35%. Learning names and building a positive environment at the outset of this short-term medical community experience made huge impacts on their ability to function effectively together. How might we apply this and other community-building principles to establish positive learning environments that facilitate student learning?

Learning is an emotional process—we feel excitement when learning a new skill, embarrassment about mistakes, and fear of being misunderstood. Fostering positive emotions in your classroom will motivate students to learn, while negative emotions such as stress and alienation will inhibit their learning.

Research tells us students learn better when they are part of a supportive community of learners. When you create a positive learning environment where students feel accepted, seen, and valued, they are more likely to persist in your course, in their majors, and at the university.

In How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching , Susan Ambrose et al. address the many and complex factors that influence learning environments, including intellectual, social, emotional, and physical (2010).

They offer a few key takeaways for educators:

Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your classroom community is made up of individuals with diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences; the act of learning is intertwined with a variety of socioemotional influences.

Classroom climate is determined by both intentional and unintentional actions, and by both explicit and implicit messages. And their impact on students is not always obvious. Seemingly well-meaning or unimportant choices and remarks can have unintended effects on student learning.

The good news: You have more control over the learning environment in your courses than you might guess. If you know how learning environments influence student learning, you can employ a variety of strategies to consciously shape a welcoming and inclusive classroom.

Sense of Belonging in College

In a welcoming and inclusive classroom, students are more likely to feel a sense of belonging . A sense of belonging is a basic human need. That is,  everyone  needs to belong. In the college context, sense of belonging refers to whether or not students feel respected, accepted, valued, included, cared for, and that they matter—in your classroom, at the university, or in their chosen career path (Strayhorn, 2012).

Although everyone needs to belong, students’ feelings of comfort in your class largely depends on their identities and experiences (Strayhorn, 2012; Walton & Cohen, 2007). Being the only student, or one of a few, of a particular identity group can lead students to feel detached, apathetic, or reluctant to participate. They may feel marginalized by the course content or by other students’ comments.

Indeed, research shows that minoritized students tend to report a lower sense of belonging than their peers (Johnson et al., 2007; Strayhorn, 2008a). Academic performance or preparation can also raise or lower students’ perceived sense of belonging (Hoops, Green, Baker, & Hensley, 2016; Strayhorn, 2008b; Zumbrunn, McKim, Buhs, & Hawley, 2014). Particularly for minoritized students, academic struggle can be internalized as a sign that they do not belong (Walton & Cohen, 2007).

Research by DeSurra and Church in 1994 provides a spectrum for understanding learning environments that ranges from explicitly marginalizing, where the course climate is openly hostile and cold, to explicitly centralizing, where multiple perspectives are validated and integrated into the course. While this particular research was based on sexual orientation, the earliest research on learning environments—the “chilly climate studies”—focused on gender and had similar findings (Hall, 1982; Hall & Sandler, 1984; and Sandler & Hall, 1986). These early studies demonstrated that marginalization of students does not require an openly hostile environment. Rather, the accumulation of microaggressions alone can adversely impact learning. Later studies showed similar effects based on the race and ethnicity of students (Hurtado et al., 1999; Watson et al., 2002).

Diversity and Inclusion 

Students, like all of us, are complex human beings—they have a gender, race, class, nationality, sexual orientation, and other axes of identity. These overlapping identities mean that an individual may face multiple barriers at once to feeling welcome in your class. Rather than thinking your course should support “a” student of color or “a” student with a disability, craft a learning environment that is welcoming to as many students—and their complexities—as possible. 

Students struggling with sense of belonging are less engaged. They may sit in the back of class, be inattentive during lecture, or avoid participation in discussion or group activities. They may even skip class or show up late more often than others. However, sense of belonging is not static but dynamic, and it can fluctuate with transitions from class to class, year to year, or situation to situation. For example, a student who feels they belong in your course today may suddenly doubt they belong if they score poorly on an exam tomorrow. Therefore, it is important to continually observe students’ behavior and support their belonging throughout the term.

Sense of belonging affects students’ academic engagement and motivation, as well as their emotional wellbeing. The bottom line is this: Students who feel they belong are more likely to succeed.

For more insight into college students’ sense of belonging, watch this engaging TEDx talk by Ohio State professor Dr. Terrell Strayhorn.

In Practice

You want all students to feel they belong in your course. What concrete strategies can you use to shape a positive learning environment?

Set a positive tone from the start

Simple efforts to establish a welcoming atmosphere in the early days and weeks of class can help students feel more comfortable, included, and confident.

Use positive language in your syllabus . Your syllabus is the first impression students have of your course. Framing policies and expectations in friendly and constructive language, rather than with strong directives or punitive warnings, can increase students’ comfort.

Get to know students and help them get to know each other . On the first day, ask students their preferred names and pronouns and facilitate icebreaker activities to build community. Use Namecoach in CarmenCanvas to have students record the pronunciation of their names and set their pronouns. Surveys and polling, such as through Top Hat , are great ways to informally assess students’ motivations, learning goals, and prior knowledge early in the course.

Be warm, friendly, and present . Greet students when they enter the class, make yourself available before and after class, and set up office hours. Share your enthusiasm about the course and relevant personal experience—this can humanize you and increase students’ connection to the material.

Share positive messages about student success . Show students you believe in their capacity to succeed. Avoid negative statements such as, “Only 1 in 4 of you will pass this class.” Instead, normalize academic struggle and assure students they can master difficult content with effort.

Online Instructor Presence

Strong instructor presence in online courses has been shown to increase participation, facilitate knowledge acquisition, and foster a healthy learning community. When teaching online, you can make meaningful connections to students through video introductions, online office hours, and regular and planned communication. Read more about online instructor presence .

Foster open discourse and communication

Meaningful class discourse requires more than a friendly demeanor. Be prepared to address complex issues, difficult questions, and conflict in collaborative ways.

Develop a classroom agreement . Involve students explicitly in shaping the learning environment. Help them craft a (potentially living) document that outlines community norms and ground rules for respect, civil discourse, and communication.

Resist “right” answers . Encourage discussion that promotes critical thinking rather than simple consensus. Invite students to offer their perspectives before sharing your own, and guide them to consider multiple viewpoints and avenues to solving problems.

Respond to classroom conflict . Consider how you will frame controversial content or “hot topics” in your course. Rather than avoiding these conversations, plan in advance how to facilitate a productive and civil discussion. Refer students back to the ground rules they laid out in the classroom agreement. See Calling in Classroom Conflict for more information. 

Get feedback from students . Provide opportunities for students to give frequent anonymous feedback on your course—and show you value their input by acting on it. Surveys or exit slips, in addition to conventional midterm feedback, can bring to light issues that affect students’ sense of belonging or inhibit their learning.

Create an inclusive environment

Embrace multiple perspectives, ways of learning, and modes of expression so all students feel included and supported.

Choose inclusive course content . Do the authors of your course materials represent the spectrum of identities of people in your field? Of students in your class? Who is depicted in the readings and videos you assign? Include course material representing diverse identities, perspectives, and experiences to help all students connect to your content.

Use a variety of teaching methods . Incorporate multiple strategies that appeal to various abilities and preferences: lecture, whole-group and small-group discussion, think-pair-share, in-class writing exercises, case studies, role-playing, games, technology tools, and more. And don’t limit yourself to conventional “texts”—film and video, podcasts, and guest lectures are all engaging ways to present content.

Provide assignment options . Support student success by offering multiple modes to complete assignments. Options range from traditional, such as papers, presentations, and posters, to creative, such as websites, blogs, infographics, games, videos, and podcasts. Allow both individual and group work options, when feasible.

Make space for differing participation . Fear of being called on can hinder students’ comfort and motivation. Encourage, but don’t force, participation during in-class discussions, and acknowledge introverted students when they contribute. Consider alternate ways students can share ideas, such as via written reflections, online discussion posts, and lower-pressure think-pair-shares. Giving students time to reflect on “big questions” before discussion can also increase their confidence to speak up.

Organize your course to support students

The structure and content of your course, in addition to how you deliver it, are key to creating a supportive course climate.

Communicate learning outcomes . Being explicit about what you want students to do—and why it matters—can increase their motivation. Discuss the purpose of your course and its relevance to their lives, tell them what you will cover at the beginning of each class, and share a rationale for all assignments.

Be transparent and efficient with grading . Create student-friendly rubrics that lay out clear expectations for all assignments. Grade and return student work in a timely manner, with actionable feedback that helps them understand their progress and areas for improvement.

Ensure course materials are accessible . When content is accessible , students with vision, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities can successfully navigate, use, and benefit from it. Using heading structures in documents, providing alternate text for images, and captioning videos are a few practices that make your course material accessible, as well as more clear and user-friendly for everyone.

Share resources . In addition to extended material on your course subject, link students to helpful resources for mental health, stress, and learning assistance.

Carmen Common Sense

Consult Carmen Common Sense , a student-authored list of ten solutions to a student-friendly course, to learn how to build a supportive learning environment in Carmen.

Icebreaker Activities

Tips for learning student names, addressing offensive comments in class.

Students are more likely to succeed in positive learning environments where they feel a sense of belonging.

There is no singular or perfect learning environment. Every class you teach is a unique community made up of individuals with diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences. A number of strategies can help you foster a classroom climate that is welcoming, inclusive, and responsive to their needs.

Set a positive tone from the start through your syllabus, community-building activities, a warm demeanor, and constructive messages about student success.

Foster open discourse and communication through classroom agreements, addressing complex issues and conflict productively, and collecting regular feedback from students.

Create an inclusive environment by choosing diverse and representative course material, using a variety of teaching methods, and providing options for assignments and participation.

Organize your course to support students by making your goals, rationale, and expectations for the course and assignments clear, ensuring materials are accessible, and providing resources to support students’ wellbeing.

• Office of Diversity and Inclusion (website)
• Teaching for Racial Justice (website)
• Classroom Climate: Creating a Supportive Learning Environment (website)
• Encouraging a Sense of Belonging (video)
• Namecoach for Instructors (guide)

Learning Opportunities

Ambrose, S. A., & Mayer, R. E. (2010).  How learning works: seven research-based principles for smart teaching . Jossey-Bass.

DeSurra, C. J., & Church, K. A. (1994). Unlocking the Classroom Closet Privileging the Marginalized Voices of Gay/Lesbian College Students . Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association, New Orleans, LA. Distributed by ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED379697

Hall, R. (1982). A classroom climate: A chilly one for women?. Association of American Colleges. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED215628

Hall, R., & Sandler, B. (1984). Out of the classroom: A chilly campus climate for women?. Association of American Colleges. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED254125

Hoops, L. D., Green, M., Baker, A., & Hensley, L. C. (2016, February). Success in terms of belonging: An exploration of college student success stories. The Ohio State University Hayes Research Forum, Columbus, OH.

Hurtado, S., Milem, J., Clayton-Pedersen, A., & Allen, W. (1999). Enacting diverse learning environments: Improving the climate for racial/ethnic diversity in higher education. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education in cooperation with Association for the Study of Higher Education. The George Washington University. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED430514

Johnson, D. R., Soldner, M., Leonard, J. B., Alvarez, P., Inkelas, K. K., Rowan-Kenyon, H. T., & Longerbeam, S. D. (2007). Examining Sense of Belonging Among First-Year Undergraduates From Different Racial/Ethnic Groups.  Journal of College Student Development ,  48 (5), 525–542. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0054

Sandler, B., & Hall, R. (1986). The campus climate revisited: Chilly for women faculty, administrators, and graduate students. Association of American Colleges. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED282462

Strayhorn, T. L. (2008). Sentido de Pertenencia: A hierarchical analysis predicting sense of belonging among Latino college students.  Journal of Hispanic Higher Education ,  7 (4), 301–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192708320474

Strayhorn, T. L. (2009). Fittin' In: Do Diverse Interactions with Peers Affect Sense of Belonging for Black Men at Predominantly White Institutions?  NASPA Journal ,  45 (4).  https://doi.org/10.2202/0027-6014.2009

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,  92 (1), 82–96. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.1.82

Watson, L. W., Person, D. R., Rudy, D. E., Gold, J. A., Cuyjet, M. J., Bonner, F. A. I., … Terrell, M. C. (2002).  How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for Planning and Policy . Stylus Publishing.

Whitt, E. J., Edison, M. I., Pascarella, E. T., Nora, A., & Terenzini, P. T. (1999). Women's perceptions of a "chilly climate" and cognitive outcomes in college: Additional evidence.  Journal of College Student Development, 40 (2), 163–177. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ590847

Zumbrunn, S., Mckim, C., Buhs, E., & Hawley, L. R. (2014). Support, belonging, motivation, and engagement in the college classroom: a mixed method study.  Instructional Science ,  42 (5), 661–684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-014-9310-0

Related Teaching Topics

Creating an inclusive environment in carmenzoom, supporting student learning and metacognition, search for resources.

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Appendix 1: Building an effective learning environment

A.2 What is a learning environment?

A.2.1 definition.

‘Learning environment  refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which students learn. Since students may learn in a wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments, the term is often used as a more accurate or preferred alternative to classroom, which has more limited and traditional connotations—a room with rows of desks and a chalkboard, for example. The term also encompasses the culture of a school or class—its presiding ethos and characteristics, including how individuals interact with and treat one another—as well as the ways in which teachers may organize an educational setting to facilitate learning…..’

The Glossary of Educational Reform , 29 August, 2014

This definition recognises that students learn in many different ways in very different contexts. Since learners must do the learning, the aim is to create a total environment for learning that optimises the ability of students to learn. There is of course no single optimum learning environment. There is an infinite number of possible learning environments, which is what makes teaching so interesting.

A.2.2 Components of an effective learning environment

Developing a total learning environment for students in a particular course or program is probably the most creative part of teaching. While there is a tendency to focus on either physical institutional learning environments (such as classrooms, lecture theatres and labs), or on the technologies used to to create online personal learning environments (PLEs), learning environments are broader than just these physical components. They will also include:

• the characteristics of the learners;
• the goals for teaching and learning;
• the activities that will best support learning;
• the assessment strategies that will best measure and drive learning
• the culture that infuses the learning environment.

Figure A.2.2 illustrates one possible learning environment from the perspective of a teacher or instructor. A teacher may have little or no control over some components, such as learner characteristics or resources, but may have full control over other components such as choice of content and how learners will be supported. Within each of the main components there are a set of sub-components that will need to be considered. In fact, it is in the sub-components (content structure, practical activities, feedback, use of technology, assessment methods, and so on) where the real decisions need to be made.

I have listed just a few components in Figure A.2.2 and the set is not meant to be comprehensive. For instance it could have included other components, such as developing ethical behaviour, institutional factors, or external accreditation, each of which might also affect the learning environment in which a teacher or instructor has to work. Creating a model of a learning environment then is a heuristic device that aims to provide a comprehensive view of the whole teaching context for a particular course or program, by a particular instructor or teacher with a particular view of learning. Once again, the choice of components and their perceived importance will be driven to some extent by personal epistemologies and beliefs about knowledge, learning and teaching methods.

Lastly, I have deliberately suggested a learning environment from the perspective of a teacher, as the teacher has the main responsibility for creating an appropriate learning environment, but it is also important to consider learning environments from the learners’ perspectives. Indeed, adult or mature learners are capable of creating their own, personal, relatively autonomous learning environments.

The significant point is that it is important to identify those components that need to be considered in teaching a course or program, and in particular that there are other components besides content or curriculum.  Each of the key components of the learning environment I have chosen as an example are discussed briefly in the following sections, with a focus on the components of a learning environment that are particularly relevant for a digital age.

Activity A.2 Influencing a learning environment

• Why do you think I focused on learning environments from a teacher’s perspective rather than a learner’s perspective?
• In order to create the learning environment for HIST 305 in Scenario E, Ralph Goodyear carefully considered the learning environment he wanted to create and ones he had little or no control over.  What components do you think he had little or no control over?
• What would you add (or remove) from the learning environment in Figure A.2.2?
• Figure A.2.2 focuses on a learning environment from a teacher’ perspective. Could you design a similar model of a learning environment from the perspective of a learner? What would be the main differences?
• Does thinking about the whole learning environment overly complicate the teaching endeavour? Why not just get on with it?

Teaching in a Digital Age Copyright © 2015 by Anthony William (Tony) Bates is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Created by the Great Schools Partnership , the GLOSSARY OF EDUCATION REFORM is a comprehensive online resource that describes widely used school-improvement terms, concepts, and strategies for journalists, parents, and community members. | Learn more »

Learning Environment

Learning environment refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which students learn. Since students may learn in a wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments, the term is often used as a more accurate or preferred alternative to classroom , which has more limited and traditional connotations—a room with rows of desks and a chalkboard, for example.

The term also encompasses the culture of a school or class—its presiding ethos and characteristics, including how individuals interact with and treat one another—as well as the ways in which teachers may organize an educational setting to facilitate learning—e.g., by conducting classes in relevant natural ecosystems, grouping desks in specific ways, decorating the walls with learning materials, or utilizing audio, visual, and digital technologies. And because the qualities and characteristics of a learning environment are determined by a wide variety of factors, school policies, governance structures, and other features may also be considered elements of a “learning environment.”

Educators may also argue that learning environments have both a direct and indirect influence on student learning, including their engagement in what is being taught, their motivation to learn, and their sense of well-being, belonging, and personal safety. For example, learning environments filled with sunlight and stimulating educational materials would likely be considered more conducive to learning than drab spaces without windows or decoration, as would schools with fewer incidences of misbehavior, disorder, bullying, and illegal activity. How adults interact with students and how students interact with one another may also be considered aspects of a learning environment, and phrases such as “positive learning environment” or “negative learning environment” are commonly used in reference to the social and emotional dimensions of a school or class.

For related discussions, see learner , learning experience , and learning pathway .

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How to create the ideal learning environment, share this article.

You know that feeling you get when you are in the zone – productivity is radiating from you, and you can see that light bulb switch on in your mind. The eureka moment that encompasses you when you know you are on track for success.   

Now, stay with that feeling… but take a step back. Notice all the elements that surround you as you are learning. The environment around you that is helping streamline your focus.   

Is it calm and solitary? Peacefully quiet with no distractions? Or are you in a buzzing atmosphere, like a cafe or board room, bouncing ideas off other chatterboxes?  

Everyone has a setting where they can absorb information the best and focus on the task at hand. And this may vary depending on what you are learning. As a teacher (and a student), it’s important to recognize and create a conducive learning environment that caters to the needs of all types of learners.   

Have you ever thought about what your ideal learning environment is?   

There are many different types of learning environments, and these days there are multiple platforms – both virtual and in-person designs – which facilitate good learning practices and habits.   

Are you trying to keep your students more engaged with what they are learning, and develop efficient learning strategies for your classroom?   

Use this guide to discover the various types of learning environments, best practices, and a free template to create the ideal learning environment for your students:

• What is a conducive learning environment?

Physical learning environment

Online learning environment, learner-centered learning environment, knowledge-centered learning environment, formal learning environment.

• Informal learning environment 
• Mixed learning environment 

Create a positive atmosphere

Healthy risk-taking and asking questions.

• Differentiation and inclusivity 
• Encouraging leadership and adaptability 

Reflection and self-assessment

• Final thoughts

  Related: The 5 Most Effective Teaching Styles (Pros & Cons of Each)  

What is a conducive learning environment?   

It’s no secret that our surroundings affect us in more ways than one – subconsciously the environment we place ourselves in has a huge impact on how we absorb information.   

The environment we are in can either spark or dwindle our concentration. It can inspire us to focus or diminish our productivity on the task at hand.   

A conducive learning environment consists of a setting that supports learners’ goals, thoughts, and ideas. It’s a positive space that aids the smooth and efficient strategies of teaching and learning. A conducive learning environment considers the physical, psychological, social, and cultural needs of learners, and what they require to achieve success.   

Creating a conducive learning space that easily facilitates learning not only benefits the students, but it also makes the teacher’s life a heck of a lot easier… teachers will also find it much more enjoyable to teach students who are focused, happy, and comfortable in their ideal learning environment.  

Now that we have established what the foundation of a conducive learning environment consists of, how do you create one with your students?   

The answer varies – it all depends on your students and the material they are learning. With that said, depending on the learning environment, there are some practices to keep in mind to ensure your student’s success.  

What are the different types of learning environments?  

No matter the setting, all types of learning environments promote meaningful learning and the well-being of students. The characteristics of the learning environment are what can differ, with each space having its own essential elements.  

There are seven types of learning environments that have their own unique attributes:

A physical learning environment is where there are face-to-face interactions with people, and learning is centered through active participation from everyone.   

This setting usually involves a regular space with an arranged meeting time. A physical learning environment typically emphasizes the role of a teacher to conduct lessons and to lead oral discussions.  

This type of in-person environment promotes connection between other students and learning through being engaged in the physical environment around you.

Virtual learning continues to evolve with the rapid expansion of technology and can differ depending on the material that is being taught.   

Also known as eLearning, this environment typically allows students to learn at their own pace. In these environments, students have a ton of options when it comes to their preferred learning style: e-learning can use various devices such as computers, tablets, or mobile devices.  

While some forms of online learning operate similarly to physical learning (with a designated time and lecture-style of teaching), most virtual learning settings allow students to have greater autonomy.   

Related: ​​ What is M Learning? Mobile Learning Pros/Cons & Tips

A learner-centered learning environment allows students to bring their own unique beliefs, attitudes, skills, cultural backgrounds, and knowledge to the table.   

This type of learning places an emphasis on the needs of students and builds the structure of the class around what students already know. A learner-centered learning environment advocates for students to share their own experiences, with the teacher then filling the gap between new learning and what students already know.  

This kind of learning style gives students control of the learning process and the content they consume.

A knowledge-centered learning environment applies learning in a practical manner to the outside world. This type of learning uses real-world examples that support deep analysis and generative learning.   

This environment gives students the opportunity to reflect on their ideas, and a respectful place for further discussions.   

Knowledge-centered learning environments have a clear outline for what is anticipated from students to achieve their learning goals, and students are provided feedback on how to accomplish this.

A formal learning environment is when material is taught in a systematic intentional way. Lessons are predetermined and there is a strict structure to the course and what students are expected to learn.   

Formal learning typically consists of face-to-face interactions along with an organized activity and curriculum in a classroom setting. Formal learning environments can also be guided by an instructor in an online setting.

Informal learning environment

On the other hand, an informal learning environment is completely the opposite of a formal environment – lessons are usually unstructured, spontaneous, and very often unintentional.  

This style favors a non-traditional format (i.e., outside the classroom), and does not have a standardized program, schedule, or curriculum. An informal learning environment goes along well with a learner-centered environment, as discussions flow with students’ knowledge and ideas around topics.   

Discussion forums (which can take place in-person or online) are an example of informal learning, as the discussion can branch out in many different directions or sub-threads.

Mixed learning environment

A mixed learning environment blends different components of the learning types all together into a unique environment that entirely depends on the desired learning goal of the course.   

For example, a mixed learning environment can be a combination of physical and online learning, with other styles of learning intertwined to suit the learning needs of students.  

Best practices for creating an ideal learning environment

  An ideal learning environment is one where students feel safe and supported in all aspects of their learning. A positive atmosphere enables learners to be able to effectively engage with the material that is presented to them.   

This is vital to guarantee the success of your students! Ensuring that learners’ have a safe environment that suits their needs will allow them to feel comfortable with expanding their curiosity and knowledge and encourage them to meet their learning goals.   

Learning environments provide students with the opportunity to absorb information and build connections that support their learning. They provide a space for students to discover the full potential of their abilities, and a welcoming atmosphere where students can feel comfortable and gain self-confidence in learning.  

Outlined below are the most important tips to follow to create an ideal learning environment: 

To have a positive learning space, it’s imperative to create a warm, friendly, and relaxed environment that is welcoming and inclusive to everyone. When a learning environment has a positive and uplifting atmosphere, it will make students more inclined to stay engaged and motivated to learn.   

Modeling social and emotional competencies will guide students in how to treat others in the class and help students be respectful.   

Some tips for creating a positive atmosphere for a physical learning environment: 

• Arranging the seating in an open manner allows for connections with other students. Where students are seated can greatly impact their learning, behaviour, and performance.
• Introduce warm lightning in the class to create a friendly environment. 
• Adjust noise levels to something that is appropriate for what you are teaching and ensure that outside sounds won’t be a distraction for your students. 
• Optimize your space by adding your own special touches that are personal to you or showcase some of the material that is being taught, to create a welcoming environment. 

Some tips for creating a positive atmosphere for an online learning environment:

• Make sure everyone has their cameras and microphones turned on if it’s a live lecture or discussion. 
• Introduce an icebreaker so that everyone has a chance to introduce themselves and speak on camera. 
• Provide outside resources for your students and be readily available to answer their questions at appropriate times during the day. 
• Record class meetings/lectures so students who weren’t in attendance are still able to engage with the material being taught. 
• Start an online buddy system so that students have a classmate to turn to if they have questions.

Creating a positive atmosphere for your students develops an initial level of trust right off the bat, and it will encourage students to turn to you when they need. Don’t be afraid to but your own personal touch on creating a welcoming environment for learners.

Encourage your students to tap into their creative mindsets and take risks with their learning… when you gently push students out of their comfort zone, it helps them grow in ways they may not even realize at first.   

Also, make sure your students are asking questions – meaningful learning happens when students are curious! Spark their curiosity and get them to ask questions they don’t know the answer to… this encourages productive and effective classroom discussions. Giving students the freedom to voice their curiosity will lead to more enthusiastic and passionate conversations.  

Make it known to your students that asking questions is more valuable than having the answers to those questions. Asking questions allows students to increase their critical thinking skills and shift their perspective to a new mindset. It allows the class to explore topics more in-depth and stay engaged while doing so.   

Creating a habit out of getting students to challenge their learning goals and ask questions they may not know the answer will help them stay focused and motivated to continue learning.

Differentiation and inclusivity

Everyone has different preferences and ways of doing things. Offering your students the flexibility to learn with their preferred style will ultimately lead to them better understanding the material and meeting their learning goals.   

Allowing students the option to choose their preferred assessment type or varying the types of assessment given can make all the difference – it supports diverse learning styles and levels. It’s important to not single out students in a group setting (this could be discouraging), so offering different options for assessment throughout the course allows for students to reduce their stress or anxiety levels.   

Having an inclusive course shows that the teacher supports the wellbeing of their students and proves that the individual success of students’ learning is important to them.   

Course differentiation also refers to ensuring various learning models are used. By diversifying the types of learning environments – in-person, eLearning, learner-centered, informal, etc. – students can stay engaged through the varying learning approaches.  

To create an ideal learning environment, it may also be beneficial to provide a variety of ways to engage in learning independently or collaboratively. This flexibility allows students to find out which model best supports their learning needs and goals. 

Encouraging leadership and adaptability

Any environment that supports the success of others will encourage leadership and adaptability. This provides students with a challenge, and to step outside of their comfort zone. It helps them build new skill sets (even if they are not particularly interested in being a leader in the subject) and encourages them to take on some new responsibilities.  

Leadership also aids students in working together and fostering a collaborative learning environment. It helps establish connections between learners, in turn creates a comfortable and familiar learning environment.   

The uses of social engagement through providing leadership opportunities allows students to thrive in their own unique ways, and it assists them in reaching their learning goals – and even going beyond what they sought to achieve.   

Being able to change and adapt to your environment is not only a valuable life skill to have, but it also promotes a sense of achievement and accomplishment. 

An essential component of an ideal learning environment includes student reflection and assessments. This is a great way for teachers to understand the level of learning students are at, and what gaps need to be filled in or reached. This allows for everyone to stay on the same page and ensure that no one falls behind.   

Sometimes assessments can be intimidating, which is why self-assessments are a fantastic way for students to communicate how they are feeling with the material they are being taught. Providing these student check-ins regularly can allow for the teacher to stay informed of the engagement levels in their classroom. 

It may be advantageous to provide a range of different kinds of assessments, such as activity-based, oral, written, or group projects for example. This keeps students engaged and supports a variety of learning styles.  

Reflection and the self-assessment of learning are not only a thorough measure of how students are achieving, but also a good way for the teacher to gauge how they are performing.   

Final thoughts  

Creating an ideal learning environment for your students is something that through practice – and trial and error – you will find what works best for your style of teaching and your students.   

Everyone has a setting where they can absorb information the best, and the foundation of an ideal learning environment is a positive learning environment that supports learners’ goals, thoughts, and ideas. Keep in mind that a conducive learning environment considers the physical, psychological, social, and cultural needs of learners, and what they require to achieve success.   

There are many different types of learning environments, and you may find one that suits your teaching needs, or you may mix a few of them together to find the perfect learning environment for your students.   

Try implementing different practices in your space to create a welcoming atmosphere where students can feel comfortable and gain self-confidence with their learning.  

You will be able to get a precise measure on the effectiveness of your learning environment from your students: Are they happy and thriving? Do they feel comfortable coming to you with questions? What are your student interactions like? Is your course atmosphere positive, inclusive, and welcoming?  

Ask yourself these questions to determine if you need to make any changes or adjustments to your space to create an ideal learning environment. 

Highly creative and curious about life, Megan is a blog writer and content creator who loves to inspire and uplift people with the written word. During her free time she is an avid yogi, travel junkie, beach enthusiast, and reader.

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What are learning environments? The school community as an ecosystem

As learning is at the heart of every school in the wider IB ecosystem, learning environments are expected to be considered first in strategic planning and resourcing.

“If the school community is an ecosystem, the learning environment is the key part to check its health. “

The International Baccalaureate’s (IB) Programme standards and practices defines two types of environments.

• School environments indirectly support learning. School environments include physical and virtual facilities, human and fiscal resources, and the organizational structure and operations of the school.
• Learning environments directly support learning. Learning environments should include safe spaces that foster well-being and intellectual development, thoughtful learning support and a school environment that supports the learning that takes place.

If the school community is an ecosystem, the learning environment is the key part to check its health. The learner, the learning environment and the school environment are interdependent, but the learning environment is the most obvious expression of how the school environment is utilized and transformed to facilitate learning and teaching.

Learning environments consist of:

• people, that is learners and teachers
• spaces, both physical and digital
• resources, that is the content, supplies and infrastructure needed to keep the environment healthy
• policies, that is the rules and agreements of the school community that support learning and teaching

“Engaging learning environments inspire the imagination and creativity of learners, and encourage the process of inquiry, action and reflection.”

The best evidence of successful learning environments in schools in the IB ecosystem comes from learners.

Engaging learning environments inspire the imagination and creativity of learners and encourage the process of inquiry, action and reflection. These environments provide opportunities for emerging inquiries; students may take their learning in new and unexpected directions, developing and demonstrating the attributes of the IB learner profile.

To explore how to use learning environments within the wide IB ecosystem for strategic planning and resourcing within daily practices, please attend one of our new webinars in Developing as a lifelong learner: Inquiry into an IB education  series. Find out more details about each individual webinar, including dates and times here.

This post created by Zachary Fernebok, Product Marketing Manager for the Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme at the International Baccalaureate, and one of the hosts of IB Voices. For more information about developing learning environments and educator resources click here

If you enjoyed this story, consider reading more below:

engaging students , learning environment , school environments

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Ideal Learning Environment: Definition, Benefits, Best Practices

Discover the key characteristics of an ideal learning environment, including fostering positive relationships, creating a safe and supportive space, and embracing technology and innovation.

Creating an Ideal Learning Environment

The concept of an "ideal learning environment" encompasses more than just the physical space in which education takes place. It also includes the overall culture of the school or class - its values and the way individuals interact with one another. Additionally, it encompasses the way in which teachers design and organize the setting to facilitate learning.

An optimal learning environment is one that provides learners with the tools and opportunities to succeed, while also catering to the unique needs and goals of each individual. It is a place where learners can support one another without compromising their own objectives. Above all, it is a space that feels personally fulfilling for each student.

In this article, we will discuss the key characteristics of a successful learning environment.

Ideal Learning Environment: fostering positive, asset-based relationships

The relationship between students and teachers is crucial and should be built on trust from the start. This means getting to know students, identifying their strengths and assets, and valuing their perspectives. One way to do this is by gathering information about students and making an effort to greet them when you see them.

Allowing students a voice in matters that concern them

Students living in challenging situations can often feel a loss of control and helplessness. A good learning environment empowers them by providing opportunities for them to build confidence, speak up, address issues, take risks, and make decisions about what works for them. Encouraging students to share their opinions and make choices helps them feel more invested in their own learning.

Making lessons relevant through connections to students' lives

An ideal learning environment develops lessons that meaningfully connect to students' experiences and encourages them to become emotionally invested in learning. For example, linking literary characters and literature to students' personal lives, cultural, social, and world experiences can validate students' strengths and interests.

Establishing predictable routines and practices

Having a predictable schedule that includes routines and rituals is essential for creating a sense of normalcy and control for students living with adversity. For example, starting each day with a meeting to outline the schedule and discuss how students will transition from one activity to another can help students feel more calm and positive.

Encouraging students to ask questions

Asking questions is important for effective learning and can help increase students' thinking skills. However, it's also important for teachers to ask questions that guide learners and balance the process of questioning and answering.

Valuing questions over answers

For effective learning, questions are just as important as answers. They open the mind and increase critical thinking skills. Asking the right questions can be more valuable than providing answers.

Providing opportunities for collaboration and teamwork

An ideal learning environment encourages collaboration and teamwork among students . This can be achieved through group projects, peer-to-peer learning, and other activities that foster a sense of community and support. Collaboration and teamwork can help students develop important social and communication skills, as well as learn from one another.

Creating a safe and supportive space

A safe and supportive learning environment is one where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and sharing their thoughts and ideas. This can be achieved by creating a culture of respect and inclusivity, and by providing resources and support for students who may be struggling. A safe and supportive environment can help students feel more engaged and motivated to learn.

Embracing technology and innovation

Technology and innovation play an important role in today's education, providing new and exciting ways for students to learn and engage with the material. An ideal learning environment embraces technology and innovation, providing students with access to the latest tools and resources to enhance their learning experiences.

In conclusion, an ideal learning environment is one that provides learners with the tools and opportunities to succeed, while also catering to the unique needs and goals of each individual. It is a space that is safe, supportive, and inclusive, and encourages collaboration, teamwork, and innovation. By understanding the key characteristics of a successful learning environment, educators and administrators can create an environment where students can thrive and reach their full potential.

Read more:  Flipped Classroom Models in Online Learning

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Managing the Learning Environment

Who's Doing This at UT?

Stephanie Cawthon , Educational Psychology, investigates issues of equity and access in education from multiple vantage points. She has found teaching to be as much about facilitating dialogue and shared critical thinking as it is about providing opportunities to learn the facts and procedural knowledge needed to gain expertise in a field. Both go hand in hand.

How Can I Do This?

The learning environment is not merely a background variable. Teaching is most effective when the physical, virtual, and cultural spaces of the classroom are conducive to both personal and social learning.

Whether your course is lecture-based or emphasizes group-discussion, think about modifying the physical space so students can engage with you, the content, and each other.

• Examine the size and shape of the room, the arrangement of desks and chairs, and the classroom technology.
• Think about how you can utilize the space during class: move between rows, lecture from the back, and encourage students to choose different seats throughout the semester.
• Even in lecture halls, consider ways to encourage student movement: have students turn around for partner activities, or assign groups and organize them in different sections of the classroom.

Whether you teach online or face-to-face, it is important to think about how technology can increase student interaction with you, each other, and the course content.

• Consider social media (i.e., Twitter and Facebook) as a way to engage students with course content and communicate about course processes.
• A blog is useful if you want your students to compile individual posts.
• If you want your students to develop a written product as a group, try a Wiki! A wiki is an asynchronous communication tool that allows users to access and edit information at any time.
• Creating your own instructional videos that students can view at home can free up class-time for group work or higher order application of content.

“That is, the headspace of the people who inhabit the learning environment...In the same way that we can talk about furniture in physical space, we can talk about furniture in cultural space: valued behaviours, routines, self-concept, the way the students and teachers think about what they’re doing and why they’re there” (Collis, 2016).

• Get to know your students. Different students will enter your course with a variety of diverse identities, experiences, and (mis)perceptions about the content and the learning process (Hoidn, 2016, p. 84).
• Establish guidelines for interaction early and often. Students and faculty play a role and have a responsibility in creating positive classroom environments.
• Provide choices. Vary your instructional strategies, allow students to access content using a variety of means, and encourage them to demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways.
• Encourage collaboration. Create opportunities for students to work together. Additionally, connect students to the campus community (resources, events, etc).
• Engage in collaboration. Talk with your colleagues, your students, and the FIC to get feedback about creating and managing your learning environment.
• "The behaviors that support the development of an effective learning environment need to be determined collectively whenever possible” (Saunders, 2012).

Why Is This Important?

The learning environment can produce conditions and mediate relationships that can positively influence student cognitive, social, emotional, and mental well-being, and increase student receptivity to you, content, exchange in the classroom, student motivation and study habits, and learning (Hess & Smythe, 2004).

Research shows that purposeful modifications to course design and formal learning environments leads to “increased levels of conceptual understanding, especially among the top tier of students, improved problem-solving skills, attitudes and class attendance rates and a reduction in both the overall and at-risk student failure rates” (Beichner et al, 2007; Brooks, 2010).

• An effective learning environment is created by intentional design choices about how an activity, course, or curriculum will lead to desired outcomes for student learning regardless of student differences.
• In order to maintain interest in a learning area, manage a working knowledge of it, and eventually master it, students need opportunities and environments that support reflection, practice, constructive feedback, and collaboration.
• Learn more about course design

Research shows that if instructors provide a learning environment where students feel emotionally supported, comfortable and free to express opinions, and connected to the learning community, students demonstrate more interest in subjects, are more likely to internalize tasks, have reduced learning apprehension and may even be less likely to engage in academic dishonesty (Müller & Louw, 2004; Ellis, 2004; Bouville, 2010; DiPietro, 2012; Barr, 2016).

• The climate of the learning environment is important for social and academic adjustment—especially for underrepresented students (Reid and Radhakrishnan, 2003; Malcom and Feder, 2016).
• “Student’s self-reports of their learning and of their learning efficiency were significantly related to their personal perceptions of the learning environment” (Ellet, Loup, Culross, McMullen & Rugutt, 2002; Henard & Leprince-Ringuet, 2008).

Effective learning environments are about "developing proactive ways to prevent problems from occurring in the first place while creating a positive learning environment" (Weimer, n.d.).

• Incivilities that are not addressed properly not only negatively impact learning within the course in which it is experienced, but may also negatively influence a student's success at an institution (Hirschy & Braxton, 2004).
• Think about ways to handle disruptions before they occur. Certain classroom management issues that resurface every semester. Have different strategies for response ready.
• Establish rules of engagement early. Provide students with examples of (un)acceptable behavior to clarify expectations. Share your pet peeves and encourage students to share theirs.
• Read more about disruptions and ways to resolve them in this handout from UNC Charlotte

Practicing Self-Care

Maintaining focus and energy during busy days teaching and learning online

Inclusive Teaching and Learning

How might you best create opportunities for all students to connect with you, the course material, and each other?

Instructional Strategies

Engagement is essential for learning.

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What Is a Modern Learning Environment?

Education has shifted dramatically in recent decades — from an emphasis on fact memorization through “drill and kill” and “sage on the stage” teaching styles to a focus on higher-order thinking and future-ready skills such as critical thinking and problem solving . Along the way, schools have raced to incorporate technology, first through stand-alone computer labs, and then through one-to-one device initiatives and massive networking upgrades. But in many cases, the K–12 classroom itself has remained stubbornly static , with students sitting in rows of desks and a teacher delivering instruction at a whiteboard or projector screen at the front of the room.

The concept of the modern learning environment is beginning to change with school districts attempting to align their physical spaces with contemporary pedagogical philosophy . In a modern learning environment, flexible classroom spaces organically integrate technology, helping teachers to better engage students and facilitate the mix of independent, small-group and whole-class learning that is now viewed as essential to student success.

Typically, a modern learning environment incorporates three key elements: connected devices (such as notebooks, tablets or even smartphones); audiovisual tools (including projectors and touch-screen displays); and purposeful furniture that allows students to learn in different ways at different times (such as standing desks, collaborative workstations and connected seating).

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Today's Classrooms Embrace Tech in All Aspects of Learning

While the concept of outfitting classrooms with connected devices is certainly not new, the reality is that student devices are often not put to their highest use , precisely because they are sometimes seen as an afterthought — or an “add-on” — rather than as tools that are essential to teaching and learning. Most school buildings predate the tablets and laptops that students are using by several decades, and although school leaders have done their best to incorporate technology into instruction, they have been aiming at a moving target. For a time, many schools relied on laptop carts, but this solution was cumbersome, with teachers unsure of when they would have access to the technology, and whether the computers would be powered up when they needed them.

Some districts have found success with bring-your-own-device policies, but others have found it nearly impossible to manage a computing environment where every student has a different device. Even in districts that have invested in one-to-one programs, leaders have sometimes been disappointed by lackluster adoption, found it difficult to continue funding the programs over time or failed to make the networking upgrades necessary to ensure a high level of performance.

By contrast, modern learning environments are designed with the assumption that students will have constant access to connectivity — and are supported by the back-end technology and teacher training necessary to ensure that student devices play a central role in the classroom.

Similarly, audiovisual solutions in a modern learning environment directly support student learning and engagement.

Depending on grade level and instructional goals, these solutions may include interactive whiteboards , document cameras , multitouch digital displays, projectors and even microphone lanyards for soft-spoken teachers in larger classrooms. The key is not to implement any single audiovisual tool with a one size-fits-all approach, but rather to outfit classrooms with the solutions that will best help teachers reach their students .

FOLLOW US : EdTech: Focus on K–12 is now on Pinterest! Discover smart ways to use tech in the classroom.

Flexible Furniture Provides High-Impact Benefits

Finally, while classroom furniture may seem like a decidedly low-tech solution, it can be a high-impact tool that literally puts students in the right learning posture. A modern learning environment requires a flexible and agile physical setup that will accommodate both independent and group work, and one where students can learn in ways that make them feel comfortable and help them focus.

Perhaps the simplest example of this is the standing desk , which gives students a break from sitting all day, heightens alertness and even helps burn calories. Other types of convertible furniture quickly transform from individual workstations into group gathering spaces . In the business world, adults move around throughout their workdays, going from ergonomic chairs in their offices to conference tables to quiet corners, depending on the task at hand. It’s important that kids be allowed to do the same. Many furniture options now come equipped with USB or three-prong charging ports , helping students to keep their devices powered up throughout the day.

For more information on the benefits of modernizing the classroom, take a look at the CDW whitepaper, " A Modern Learning Environment ."

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My Conductive Learning Environment Essay In 300 Words

In this short essay, we explore the topic of “My Conductive Learning Environment” from the perspective of a student. From supportive teachers to helpful resources, we provide a brief overview of what makes a learning environment conducive to success.

My Conductive Learning Environment Essay (300 Words)

1. Introduction Paragraph

As a student, I have come to appreciate the importance of a conducive learning environment. A conductive learning environment is a place where students can learn, grow, and succeed. There are several factors that contribute to a conductive learning environment, and I am fortunate to have experienced many of them.

2. Body Paragraph

One of the key components of a conductive learning environment is supportive teachers. Teachers who are passionate about their subject and committed to their students’ success can make a huge difference in the learning process. They encourage questions, provide clear explanations, and offer helpful feedback. They make learning engaging, interesting, and fun.

Another important aspect of a conductive learning environment is access to helpful resources. This includes textbooks, online resources, and educational tools. Having access to these resources makes it easier for students to learn and understand the material. It also helps to foster a sense of independence and self-directed learning.

A conducive learning environment is also one that is inclusive and welcoming. This means that students from all backgrounds and abilities are treated with respect and given equal opportunities to learn and succeed. In such an environment, students feel safe and supported, which helps them to learn and grow to their full potential.

Finally, a conductive learning environment is one that promotes collaboration and teamwork. This involves creating opportunities for students to work together on projects, assignments, and activities. Collaborative learning not only helps students to develop important social and communication skills, but it also enhances their ability to learn and retain information.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion, a conductive learning environment is essential to student success. Supportive teachers, helpful inclusive resources and teamwork are key factors that contribute to such an environment. As a student, I am grateful for the conductive learning environment I have experienced, and I hope that others can have the same opportunities to learn and succeed.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

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Safe and Secure Learning Environment Essay

Introduction.

It’s the duty of “teachers, students, parents and law enforcement agencies, businesses, and faith based organizations to ensure that schools” provide secure learning environments (Stewart & Knott 2002, p. 10). Indeed children have the right to be educated in environments that are certified to be secure and free from all forms of bullying, harassment, violence, abuse and neglect (Clandinin & Connelly 1986).

This paper seeks to identify three policies (the excursion policy, child protection policy and the anti-bullying policy) and analyse their effectiveness as far as provision of safe and secure learning environments is concerned. The paper will critically appraise these policies, identifying their strengths and give recommendations on areas where improvements should be conducted.

The Excursion Policy

The excursion policy entails the relevant rules that should be adhered to when students from schools in the districts under the jurisdiction are out on a trip that is within the country. The policy clearly states the exact process that should be taken right from the planning stage to the end of the excursion activity. The safety and security measures that should be taken by the school administration are clearly stated in the excursion policy.

The policy states that educational excursions should provide enriching experiences for students in a variety of environments; the excursions planned by any given school should be within the educational program; the total costs of the excursions should be footed by the school; as for ACT government schools, the equity fund should be used to support disadvantaged students during excursions; in case additional expenses will be required during the excursion then parents should be notified beforehand; any communications between parents and schools in regard to the excursion activity should be done in writing (Benson 1999).

The excursion policy framework covers all local and overnight excursions. It further states the responsibilities of the principle in regard to the excursion activity and more importantly, outlines all the requirements that should be religiously followed to ensure the safety of the students on excursions (ACT Government 2011).

The policy does not address excursions that may fall under the following circumstances: those that pertain to work experience and vocational work placements; those that entail overseas trips including overseas student exchange programs that are sanctioned by private organisations; and finally, excursions that are within a particular college of high school program, involving a small group of students who may not require supervision.

The excursion policy outlines the responsibilities that should be taken by the principle and the teacher in charge of the excursion activity.

The teacher in charge is required: to be aware of the relevant policies and comply with them fully; to inform the students and parents of the rules and transport arrangements; to ensure that a hired vehicle is properly insured; to have a first aid certificate and a fully stocked first aid kit; to verify that all accompanying adults are qualified in their areas; to ensure that parents have given consent and each students medical information is verified; to put in place the emergency contacts and procedures for the excursions; finally, to determine that all accommodation facilities are secure, safe and separately available differently for the sexes (ACT Government 2011).

There are also responsibilities of the host school in regard to the safety and accommodation arrangements.

Identification of Strengths and analysis of the excursion policy

As described in the Education Legislation of 2004 , schools owe a duty of care to the students they accept for enrolment (ACT Government 2011). The excursion policy is detailed and covers all the pertinent areas of concern in an excursion activity.

Indeed, the policy echoes the school safety requirements by adopting a comprehensive approach that seeks to prevent, intervene and ensure the safety of students and other participants during an excursion that are described in the Australian Constitution.

The policy fosters a sense of community connection among schools, teachers and parents to ensure that excursion activities are largely secured and are in line with the school program. By stressing the fact that excursions are optional, the policy promotes appropriate scrutiny as to whether certain excursions are necessary (Butler & Mathews 2007).

The roles of the teacher in charge, principal, host school and other accompanying staff are clearly stipulated in line with statutory requirements that give the duty of care to the students.

The strengths of the excursion policy can be seen when the following important aspects are considered:

Financing of the excursion activities, where the principal is required to ensure that the school or college incurs all the costs which will later paid by parents or deducted from the equity fund in case the student is from a poor background; relevance of the excursion activities through ensuring that all the excursion activities are within the educational program of the institution; and ensuring security of the students by placing all excursion activities under the supervision of qualified adults.

It’s important to note that excursions involve activities that may pose dangers to the students. Such dangers are described both in the sections of the Child Protection Act 1999 and the Education Act of 2004 (Tronc 2005).

Excursion policy limitations and recommendations

In spite of the fact that the policy is good, it has some short comings that may actually comprise the safety and security of the students on an excursion or discourage excursion activities altogether.

First, the policy is too complex and has a few unrealistic requirements that may not be met by many teachers in a given institution. The requirement that the teacher in charge should be a certified first aid provider sets a high bar for any teacher who may want to take his students on an excursion.

It could have been much better for the excursion policy to include a provision for hiring a first aid provider so that the burden of first aid is not placed on teachers. This requirement simply implies that teachers should take additional training in first aid if they are to take their students on excursions (Clandinin & Conelly 1986).

Secondly, through the requirement that principles, host schools and the teacher in charge take full responsibility during excursion activities, the policy ensures that they are directly liable for any violations that may take place. The potential collision with the law places a big burden on the teachers in charge to an extent that excursions may be discouraged.

The policy also gives similar roles to the principal and the teacher in charge. For instance, the requirement that parents are informed is both placed under the responsibilities of the teacher in charge and the principal.

In spite of the fact that such a measure ensures double checking for the fulfilment of all the requirements, it may lead to confusion or it may not be easy to establish the liable party in case of a violation. The law requires a clear distinction of duties so that it can be easy to pinpoint the culprit in case of a violation (Benson 1999).

Owing to the fact that schools have established statutory mechanisms through which communication with parents is carried out, activities that require the consent of parents should be channelled through this establishments and confirmed by the principle or the teacher in charge.

If the complexity surrounding the excursion policy is ironed out then improvements in the frontline practice will actually be achieved as far as school excursion activities are concerned (Stewart & Knott 2002).

Child Protection and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect in ACT Public Schools policy

Sound policy development plays an important role as a child protection and reporting abuse tool. Through anticipation of the dangers that may face children, schools and other stakeholders enhance their ability to avoid or respond to a crisis (Butler & Mathews 2007).

The child protection policy states that ACT public schools should be able to provide a secure learning environment for all students (ACT Government 2011). The responsibility to protect student from neglect and abuse lies with all the staff members in at the school and the visitors.

This policy is intended to assist the Department of Education Directorate and Training employees and visitors to schools to understand and fulfil their responsibilities in relation to child protection and responding to suspected child abuse and neglect (ACT Government 2011).

The policy has some specific procedures that need to be adhered to by the staffs of the Directorate and visitors who have been given the mandate to report incidences of child abuse or neglect. Briefly, the staffs of a given school or visitors who think that a certain case of child abuse or neglect necessitates police assistance should call an emergency service number.

Authorised and required reporters should report any proved cases that a certain young person or child is going through or has gone through sexual abuse and/or non accidental physical injury (ACT Government 2011). These reporters are also required to report proved cases of emotional ill-treatment or neglect. Such reports are to be sent immediately to the Care and Protection Services Centralised Intake Service.

If an abuse or neglect is taking place or is likely to take place in the school then the principal should be notified. If in any case the report involves a staff member of the Directorate then the mandated and required reporters and visitors must first register the report with the principal’s office, and if the subject of the report is the principal then the mandated reporters should inform the network leader.

Information regarding cases of neglect that are sent to the Care and Protection Services Centralised Intake Service should be stored safely in a secure location (ACT Government 2011).

Principals in ACT schools are required to ensure the protection of children by carrying out the following activities: ensuring that annual training activities are undertaken and the conducts of all staff evaluated;

keeping records of all staff training activities and putting particular emphasis to the staff members that fail to attend; ensure that new staff members who haven’t had the training are properly inducted into the responsibilities prescribed by the policy;

establish mechanisms by which visitors can be informed on how to report suspicious incidences to the principles office; ensure that young people and children are properly taught on how to enhance their emotional and social skills (ACT Government 2011).

Teachers are required to protect children by adhering to the teachers’ professional code of practice, receiving the mandatory annual training and teaching young people and children in secure and safe conduct (ACT Government 2011).

Analysis and identification of strengths of the Child Protection and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect in ACT Public Schools policy

In compliance with common law jurisdictions and the education act, the child protection policy transfers the role of parents to teachers based on the loco parentis concept, thus the school is required by the policy to act like a prudent parent (Ainsworth 2002).

The legislation that covers mandatory reporting of child abuse is captured in the children and community Services amendment Act 20 08 that was incorporated in the previous Act of 2004 (Tronc 2005) .

The child protection measures that are described in this policy reflect the changing trends of child protection systems in Australia.

This shows the “organizational; expansion of child welfare systems; and the legislative changes” that have been undertaken to ensure that children are taught in safe and secure environments (Benson 1999). Indeed child protection is a challenging task mainly due to the fact those who are given the responsibility to care for them are the same people that molest and abuse them.

This policy takes into account all this measures and gives the responsibility to every person to protect children and young people that are described in section 356 of the Children and Young People Act 2008 (ACT Government 2011).

The policy framework stipulates the necessary measures that should be undertaken by advanced and diverse societies to ensure that children are cared for and brought up in a manner that will enable them to develop into responsible adults.

The measures outlined in the policy are in line with statutory, legislative and constitutional requirements in regard to the protection of children and young people, especially as described in the Child protection Act 1999 (Stewart & Knott 2002).

Limitations of the policy and the recommendations

Though this policy can be described to be largely good and effective, it has some gray areas as to how identified cases should be punished. The Child Protection and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect in ACT Public Schools policy stops at the point at the point of reporting proved or suspected incidences.

It does not outline what happens after the cases have been reported. Its common knowledge that child abuse and neglect are criminal offences that are punishable by law, any policy should at least outline the kinds of punishment so that this can function as deterrence to potential offenders. The policy does not offer any guideline on how silent cases should be investigated and unearthed.

There are many cases where children are molested or abused and often do not report because they are either threatened or enticed. Thus a framework should be developed within the policy through which such cases can be easily recognized and reported to the relevant authorities.

Such measures may include encouraging children to report such cases or observing behaviour changes that may come as a result of abuse, molestation or neglect (Tomison 2002).

Anti-bullying policy

Bullying behaviours have thrived in schools for a long time. To counter this, policies, legislations and other mechanisms have been developed to try and address the vice. The most common form of bullying is physical where teachers or most commonly, older students mistreat other students.

However, in recent times, following the robust technological advancement witnessed, a new form of bullying referred to as cyber- bullying has come up. This new type of bullying is mainly perpetuated through electronic devices such as computers and cell phones.

Cyber bullying is conducted over the internet where minors are harassed using profane language, shown adult rated videos and pictures, threatened, molested and extorted off money and other valuables by adults.

To stop the ever increasing cases of bullying, stakeholders in the education sector have drafted policies that are intended to curb the vice.

The anti-bullying policy describes as the repeated negative actions by individuals or groups against a target individual or group, the actions involve imbalance of power ( ACT Government 2011).

The anti-bullying policy states that, consistent with the provisions in the providing safer schools policy each school should come up with mechanisms of countering bullying, harassment and violence; schools should develop practices and programs that tailored to ensure that all students are guarded from violence, harassment and other forms of bullying;

In case of any bullying instances, appropriate reports should be send in writing and via telephone to the leader of the school network without delay, desirably within 24 hours; every school should develop appropriate procedures for reporting, intervening, accessing help and support and professional learning for the different affected parties; finally, the school should keep a statistical record of all the incidences of bullying (ACT Government 2011).

This policy is framework is addressed to all ACT public schools and requires them to be able to identify the different forms of bullying and develop mechanisms of dealing with the varying cases.

In the specific school policy reviewed, non- punitive, restorative approaches are used to deal with the culprits. The school has tried to design measures that match the scope of the bullying problems identified. In case of violence, the school determines whether the state law imposes any requirements regarding the suspension of the student(s) or imposition of other minor disciplinary measures (ACT Government 2011).

The school has a management plan that deals with new cases of harassment. The consequences are identified in regard to the degree of the violation. Monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to track cases of repeated offending. In this case, the repeat offender may be suspended of expelled from the school.

In regard to cyber-bullying, the school has established measures that ensure the students are sufficiently protected from cyber-predators. Such measures include: the establishment of a code of practice for information security management that is in line with the federal requirements.

Thus, any one who is using the internet facility is asked to sign a user friendly agreement that limits his/her activities on the internet. The policy also ensures cooperation between teachers and parents to ensure that the rules are not violated at home.

Analysis and Strengths of the anti-bullying policy

The anti-bullying policy has been developed by considering the safety practices that are captured in the “constitution, federal statutes and their implementing regulations” (Tronc 2005).

However, cyber bulling is relatively a recent phenomenon, the very few laws, legislative framework and systems that are available to tackle the vice. Bullying is however classified as an act of crime that attracts varying forms of intervention including punishment by the law as stipulated in section 35 of the Education ACT 2004 (ACT Government 2011). This may apply if the student is found to be persistently and wilfully non- compliant.

The anti-bulling policy mentioned above is well thought out and reasonable as far as bullying is concerned. Legislation in all jurisdictions requires that intervention measures are put in place to cover young people up to the age of 18 (Mc Grath & Noble 2006). It uses the non-punitive approach in dealing with bullying cases in the institution.

This is a good measure as it ensures the correction of student’s behaviours without necessarily affecting their psyche. This approach further deals effectively with the legal issues that may arise in prescribing other forms of punishment for the students. The state law requires a school to adopt policies that are reasonable to address whatever bullying problem they face (Constantino 2003).

This implies that the extent of bullying should have a rationale relationship with the expected consequence. As in the case of the above analyzed policy, the approach ranges mediation to expulsion depending on the degree of the bullying instance and whether there are repeated cases.

Limitations of the anti-bullying policy and the recommendations

It’s well established that comprehensive safety plans form an integral part of school management (Benson 1999). In cases of bullying, that may result from weak policies and rules the school be potentially held liable. Thus the policy above seems to reflect the catch-22 situation that plagues school administrations.

It’s important to note that courts have often held schools responsible in situations under the principle that where a school “increases efforts to curb bullying or violence, it assumes a greater duty to supervise students and persons on school grounds in part because people rely on the provisions of the plan to protect them” (Stewart & Knott 2002, p. 56).

Thus the policy analysed may have been designed in relation to this, in part to shift the liability of extreme cases of bullying to the involved individuals. However, in recent cases, liability has often been asserted on the school administration if it fails to put in place a strong policy to guard against bullying.

This paper sought to identify three policies (the excursion policy, child protection policy and the anti-bullying policy) and analyse their effectiveness as far as provision of safe and secure learning environments is concerned. Additionally, the paper sought to critically appraise these policies, identifying their strengths and give recommendations on areas where improvements should be conducted.

The three policies identified include: excursion policy which entails the pertinent rules that should be adhered to when students in schools are to go on a short trip within the country (ACT Government 2011).

The policies analysed, describe the pertinent measures that should be taken by all stakeholders in the education sector to ensure that schools provide safe and secure learning environments.

The policies reflect legal and practical considerations that are applicable in developing safety measures for students (Tronc 2005). It’s important that concerted efforts are geared towards the schools safety issue so that all or most of the challenges are tackled on several fronts.

Apart from what has been described in the policies, it’s important to note that administrative support is essential in ensuring that all the required resources are mobilised towards the attainment of safer learning environments (Tronc 2005).

With vigilant and careful execution of plans and further monitoring activities, teachers, students and other members of the community then schools can make great strides towards the realisation of safe and secure learning environments.

Ainsworth, F 2002, ‘Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect: Why would you want it?’ Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, 4 : 5-8.

ACT Government 2011. ‘Policies’. Education and training , Benson, D 1999, A narrative inquiry of school and parent councils: A partnership and the promise of power or “hollow words” ? Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Vancouver: Simon Fraser University.

Best, R 2010. The new mandatory reporting requirements , Sydney: Emil Ford & Co.

Butler, D., & Mathews, B 2007, Schools and the law. Annandale. NSW: Federation Press.

Clandinin, D.J & Connelly, F.M 1986, ‘Rhythms in teaching: The narrative study of teachers’ personal practical knowledge of classrooms’. Teaching & Teacher Education , 2(4),pp. 377-387.

Constantino, S.M 2003, Engaging all families: Creating a positive school culture by putting research into practice . Lanham, ML: Scarecrow Education.

McGrath H & Noble, T 2006, Bullying solutions: Evidence-based approaches to bullying in Australian school, Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia

Stewart, D.J & Knott A. E 2002, Schools, Courts and the Law , Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson.

Tomison, A., 2002. Mandatory reporting: A question of theory versus practice . Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, 4 :13-17.

Tronc, K., 2005. Schools and the law: Alcohol dangers at non-official post-formal student parties. Australian Educational Leader, (27(3) 14.

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