Learning Outside Classrooms on Campus Ground: A case study in Malaysia

Abstract

This paper reports an assessment on a physical informal learning environment at a public university in Malaysia.  The physical aspects investigated were the space conditions and utilisation that support informal learning activities undertaken by students outside their formal lecture hours. The research was conducted to understand how existing university facilities accommodate informal learning, through the use of observational and field inventory survey techniques.  The study shows that an existing traditional university setting could accommodate a range of informal learning activities, for a limited percentage of the university population. The setting for learning could be better improved through the creation of more varied space conditions for varying learning activities and engagement intensity. It also asserts that quality learning environment should go beyond fulfilling functional needs and cater for the learner’s emotional need for inspiration and sense of identity.

Keywords: Learning; Informal setting; Higher education

eISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.