New report on evaluation of learning spaces in Catholic schools

The ILETC project is part of the Learning Environments Applied Network (LEaRN) at the University of Melbourne. This cross disciplinary group are involved in a range of research projects, including commissioned research for education authorities.  A recent project with Catholic Education Melbourne provides valuable insights on the link between learning spaces and practices…

The Towards Effective Learning Environments in Catholic Schools: An Evidence based Approach (TELE) project (2015-2017) is one of the largest known studies to have evaluated the relationships between the built environment and the practices, activities and behaviours of school students and teachers. Set up as a collaborative research initiative between Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM), Catholic Education Office Parramatta (CEOP) and the Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) at the University of Melbourne, the objective of the project was to develop an evidence base to inform both the design and pedagogical use of learning environments (school facilities) in Catholic Schools – as-well-as schools more widely.

The Summary of Findings report can be found here.

Evaluation fieldwork was conducted in 43 learning environments across 38 schools – primary and secondary – using LEaRN Evaluation Module 3 – Alignment of Pedagogy and Learning Environments. The findings of the project represent the opinions of 3782 students and 300 teachers about their day-to-day experience of learning and teaching in the learning environments found at their schools.

The TELE project was led by Dr Benjamin Cleveland, with strategic advice on the design and conduct of the project from Associate Professor Wesley Imms. Dr Pippa Soccio expertly managed the day-to-day operation of the project as Research Manager. Research assistance was provided by Ms Roz Mountain.