The Project
Produced by Video and Media The University of Melbourne.
Overview
A study about all students in all spaces ILE+SE: The Evidence is a comprehensive response to demands for evidence. Over 200 international experts across industry, school, and academe – identified (1) students are inequitably impacted in their schooling due to a myriad of functional, cognitive and physical capacities; (2) designs of learning environments must influence this range of experiences; and (3) there exists very little foundational evidence to help designers, educators, and academics to understand this phenomenon1. While studies are now showing innovative learning environments (ILEs) are linked to better teaching and improved learning2, there remains no comprehensive evidence to help us understand the student component – what works, with whom, and under what circumstances.
The ILE+SE Scoping Study was clear in its findings; the gaps that currently exist in ILE research are consistent across geographies, and we need evidence that can inform localised ‘in-depth’ understandings of how spaces impact students. Using 217 world leaders from industries, education bodies, and academics, and a 37-member Delphi international expert group, it identified 20 ‘most significant’ research gaps and prioritised the five most urgent.
Unique research approach
In response to the Scoping Study findings, ILE+SE: The Evidence will utilise a two-study strategy, the first directly funded by independent consortiums, the second embedded in this study but independently developed and funded due to their specialised foci.
(1) First, ILE+SE: The Evidence will run as an ‘umbrella’ project over three years to produce evidence based on the Scoping Study’s priorities. It will address how school designs impact students across three streams: a) student learning outcomes, both the academic outcomes and ‘affective’ skills; b) student engagement and participation, that is, all students achieving to their potential; and c) inclusivity and well-being – creating spaces that are good for all. These three streams will gather comprehensive empirical data, capable of significant correlational analyses.
(2) Second, a suite of ‘in-depth’ studies will be developed from year 1 ‘umbrella’ analyses. These will ‘unpack’ the umbrella evidence within the context of localised issues. In other words, partner organisations will use our exclusive empirical data to explore their own complex associations of their spaces and student experiences. Due to their ‘localised’ foci, these will be independently designed and run by the partner organisations, they will access funding through local grant schemes, but will access all needed support from the LEaRN research team. They will remain embedded in the ILE+SE: The Evidence research community, comparing methods and results, and building ongoing research networks and partnerships.
1 – See the ILESE White paper and supporting technical reports at www.ilesescopingstudy.com.au/useful-links
2 – Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change, www.iletc.com.au
An invitation for current or perspective consortiums
A rare opportunity exists to collect convincing evidence about how students are impacted by school designs. Expressions of interest to share in the development and use of this knowledge are now being invited. The rarity comes from a confluence of events. We have significant research that provides a strong baseline from the ILETC and ILE+SE Scoping Study projects. We have an established international network of industry, education, and academic leaders in this field. We have refined our international cross-sector collaboration methods through the Scoping Study. We own intellectual property on effective measurement tools.
- ILE+SE: The Evidence will allow its partner organisations to demonstrate which of their designs are working, and under what circumstances.
- It will identify correlations between design, student learning outcomes, engagement and participation, and inclusivity and wellbeing.
- It will enable evaluation of existing small or large infrastructure and inform future school developments.
- It will allow participating industries, academics, and educational bodies the opportunity to tailor analyses of complex arrangements of school designs and how they are used, then benchmark against international data.
ILE+SE: The Evidence will produce a data set of unprecedented size and scope, informed in part by each partner organisation’s requirements. This will be available for their exclusive use, providing them with issues-relevant analyses. It will provide partner organisations a one-off opportunity to link their developments with a high-quality body of evidence.
This is a unique opportunity to underpin massive investment in learning environments infrastructure with nuanced factual evidence of their benefits.