Space Matters: Leading Organizational Change with Innovative Learning Environments

Many institutions have come to recognize the importance of designing physical and digital learning environments based on what we know about how students learn. While higher education can support active learning anywhere, choice architecture suggests that where we learn has a significant impact on how we learn. This chapter will focus on a 25-year retrospective case analysis of leading change with developing physical and digital learning environments at a research-intensive university, through multiple educational disruptions. Adaptations to these changes are structured using change frameworks from the literature to distill four key areas. First, “developing a collaborative vision, governance, and strategic planning” moved opportunistic events to a structured vision. “Decisions based on pedagogical principles, diversity and inclusion” focused on student success and what research has demonstrated can enable successful learning to guide decisions. “Create comprehensive sustainable support” enables a shift of thinking on emerging technologies to look at pedagogical innovation for the long term. Lastly, a “focus on data driven decision making” avoids anecdotal change to support decisions based on actual evidence. This chapter will look toward the future and how learning environments continue to contribute to future teaching and learning success as we adapt to a new disruption bringing us into the age of artificial intelligence (AI). We conclude with recommendations for leaders and centers for teaching and learning (CTLs) on planning physical and digital learning environments and preparing for the next wave of disruption.