Digital technologies profoundly affect how, where and when teaching and learning happens. In this course we ask how digital technologies are helping to reshape our learning spaces, for instance by increasingly enabling educational activity to be performed in domestic, social and transitory settings beyond the classroom and campus. A 'learning space' refers here to any setting where teaching, writing, reading, reflection, training or any other form of educational activity happens. This includes traditional settings like lecture theatres, labs, and libraries, but also the museum, gallery, studio, forest, city, café and elsewhere.
To achieve this, you will have the freedom to tailor course themes, readings and assignments to the learning spaces that are most personally or professional meaningful. This may be the school, college, university, library, cultural heritage, professional training, or another setting. You’ll apply theory and research to practice, engaging with themes could include augmented reality, hybridity, mobility, power, sustainability, and the design of positive learning spaces.
Guided by the expertise of the MSc in Digital Education team, you'll participate in research-informed activities and events featuring leading scholars. Stay at the forefront of this dynamic field, with access to the latest studies and innovations that are shaping the future of educational spaces. Join us as we redefine the classroom, campus and other spaces for learning.
Keywords: learning space, hybrid space, mobile learning, campus, classroom
After a week of orientation where you will become familiar with the course aims and learning environments, teaching and learning is mostly built around four, two-week blocks. This will involve you using theory, methodology, empirical studies and practical approaches to explore the ways that contemporary learning spaces are affected by digital technologies.
Course themes adapt with each iteration to the latest thinking and practice around learning spaces. In recent instances, the two-week blocks have explored mobile learning, postdigital learning spaces, theories of space, future classrooms, and evaluating and researching spaces for learning.
After the second course block, you will spend a week completing the first piece of summative assessment. It is focused on putting course themes into practice as you spend a week producing an account that explores how one of your own learning spaces is affected by digital technologies.
The final stages of the course are organised as scaffolding work to support the second summative assessment. This involves the preparation of an essay where you can pursue one or more of the course themes.
“There has never been a more important time to be critically exploring our spaces for learning, and how they are affected by the digital. Advances in digital technologies, combined with pedagogical innovation, have pushed us to radically rethink traditional assumptions around where and how teaching happens. Members of the MSc in Digital Education team are at the cutting-edge of this work, and this course gives you a chance to learn from and with them. Join us!”.
- James Lamb, Course Organiser
Each of the four course blocks involves an asynchronous tutorial in the collaborative whiteboard space of Miro. This will see you delving into three course readings, before responding to discussion prompts and engaging in conversation with the Course Organiser and peers. Each tutorial lasts for the duration of the corresponding two-week block, giving you flexibility and regular opportunities to engage with each reading, and other members of the group.
Alongside these tutorials you will participate in thematic activities that put ideas from the readings into practice. In past instances of the course this has involved collaborating around the creation of propositions for the design of hybrid learning spaces, and suggestions for the design of online makerspaces
There are two assignments in this course.
Postdigital account of a learning space (30%):
Building upon the conceptual and methodological grounding covered in the opening weeks of the course, you will prepare a postdigital account of a learning space. To do this you will first document your different learning spaces over a fixed period of time. This may include taking notes, photographs, reflections, and more. You will then present these data alongside a 1000-word rationale reflecting on what they say about the relationship between learning spaces and digital technologies.
Essay (70%):
You will prepare a 2500-word essay that explores one of the course themes in depth. This will be a theme of your choosing, and connected to your interest or professional need. It will be a written essay, although you are encouraged to include visual and other material where it helps to illustrate ideas or to advance arguments.
These assessments are intended to evaluate your understanding of learning spaces and their interaction with digital technologies. It is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you can apply theoretical knowledge in reflection and writing.
On completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Conceptualise the relationship between learning spaces and technologies
- Critically engage with research around learning spaces, including the potentialities and conflicts associated with digital technologies
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of how digital technologies affect a range of traditional and emergent learning spaces
- Generate and critically analyse data to understand the relationship between digital technologies and a specific learning space
Bayne, S., Gallagher, M.S. & Lamb, J. Being ‘at’ university: the social topologies of distance students. High Educ 67, 569–583 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9662-4
Hills, D., & Thomas, G. (2019). Digital technology and outdoor experiential learning. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 20(2), 155–169. https://doi-org.eux.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/14729679.2019.1604244
Lamb, J. & Carvalho, L. (2024). Postdigital Learning Spaces: Towards Convivial, Equitable and Sustainable Spaces for Learning. Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-59691-9
Lamb, J., Fawns, T., Noteboom, J., & Ross, J. (2025). Choreography and improvisation in hybrid teaching. Higher Education Research & Development, 44(1), 98–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2024.2435855
Mulcahy, D. (2018). Assembling Spaces of Learning ‘In’ Museums and Schools: A Practice-Based Sociomaterial Perspective. In: Ellis, R., Goodyear, P. (eds) Spaces of Teaching and Learning. Understanding Teaching-Learning Practice. Springer, Singapore. https://doi-org.eux.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7155-3_2
Are makerspaces equitable learning spaces? (Course essay by Jacqueline Currie) https://www.de.ed.ac.uk/showcase/are-makerspaces-equitable-learning-spaces
The Postdigital Classroom (research seminar recording) https://media.ed.ac.uk/media/1_twgftyv9