Teacher Transition Into Innovative Learning Environments: A Global Perspective

This open access book focuses on the design of learning environments that change as teaching practices and education policies change. It addresses how these new environments are used, how teachers are adapting their practices, the challenges these changes present and effective evaluation of these changes.

The book reports on emerging research in learning environment developments, with a particular emphasis on how teachers are transitioning from traditional classrooms to innovative learning environments and assesses the effectiveness of these learning environments.

This book is the first ever evidence-based global assessment of current research in this field. Readers will gain new insight through its comprehensive international perspective that brings practice and theory together in one publication.

Wesley Imms is an Associate Professor of Education at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, co-director of the Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN), and director of LEaRN@MGSE. In these roles he teaches in Master’s and Doctoral programs on subjects bridging curriculum and learning environments, and conducts research projects with partners ranging from individual schools to entire education systems. He has authored approximately 90 scholarly papers and reports on learning environment use and evaluation. He has secured extensive external funding for research including the Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change (ILETC) project; he is also Chief Investigator for the innovative Plans to Pedagogy (P2P) project, which focuses on building teachers’ spatial competency skills in schools across Australia and New Zealand.

Professor Thomas Kvan is the Director of AURIN at the University of Melbourne. He is internationally recognized for his work in the management of design practice and development of digital applications in design. In the course of his academic career, he has worked at the Universities of Melbourne, Hong Kong and Sydney and is an active researcher and author in design, digital environments and design management. His engagement in the design of campuses for educational and industrial purposes spans various forms and technologies, including research into the intersection of Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces. He is currently founding Director of LEaRN, the Learning Environments Applied Research Network, and founding Director of AURIN, the Australian Urban Research Information Network, hosted at the University of Melbourne, which focuses on developing a national digital infrastructure to support urban research.