Last month, we held a joint study session titled “Thinking about Learning Support and Operations at the Kanazawa University Learning Commons.” Mr. Okabe, the division manager of our university’s central library, provided an explanation of the history leading up to the Learning Commons from the library’s perspective, the background behind the shift from Information Commons to Learning Commons, and the Learning Commons itself, including examples from universities both in Japan and abroad. I have been providing some modest assistance regarding learning support. Mr. Okabe is also quite interested in and understanding of learning support, so it is enjoyable to have such productive discussions with him.
Information Commons were originally built to provide integrated services such as access to printers and multimedia, OPAC, and group study spaces, in a way that took on part of the role of information literacy education. While group study spaces were included, it seems that information literacy learning was primarily done individually through the use of the library. However, by effectively utilizing the resources that a library can provide, it is possible to offer a better learning environment. I believe this is why there is so much attention on Learning Commons, as represented by the phrase “from Information Commons to Learning Commons.” Of course, this is also a response to major problems libraries face, such as declining usage rates, reduced budgets, and cuts to library staff.
However, what surprised me a little, as Mr. Okabe also mentioned, was that the shift in the view of learning—from “knowledge transmission” to “knowledge creation”—was also touched upon as another background factor for the Learning Commons. While the term “knowledge creation” might be a bit of an overstatement, in the field of learning sciences, the view of learning has shifted from the one-way “knowledge transmission” from a knowledgeable person, such as an instructor, to a learner, toward a social constructivist view of learning, which gained attention mainly in the 1990s, where “humans reconstruct knowledge through interaction with other people and artifacts.” It was a surprise to me that libraries were also conscious of (or were they?) something similar to this (of course, I do not deny the meaning or effectiveness of knowledge transmission. It is important to grasp that learning is not a passive thing, but an active behavior of humans who possess curiosity). Unless one is involved in educational research in departments such as the Faculty of Education, this kind of thinking is not well known even among faculty members involved in education in other departments. To get an overview of this, the special feature on Learning Commons in “IDE-Contemporary Higher Education,” published by the IDE University Association, is a useful reference. In the latter part, there is also a discussion about TEAL in relation to learning environment design, written by Professor Yano.
However, a space like a Learning Commons cannot be created by a single library department. It is closely related to the use of ICT, so collaboration with departments that are proficient in information technology is necessary. At our university, the Information Department manages this, so I personally imagine that we might be able to manage it. For space design, it is also important to have movable furniture that can be rearranged according to the number of people in a group to support learning such as problem-based learning and project-based learning, which are based on a social constructivist view of learning, as well as proper zoning. It is quite difficult to create not just a “quiet space,” but a “place where peers can repeat dialogues and develop their learning.” Such a space will be created within the library for our university’s Learning Commons as well. However, the point that is arguably the “most” important in a Learning Commons lies in learning support. In universities abroad, learning support organizations such as career centers are well-established within the Learning Commons. In Japanese universities, too, learning support systems are being created, such as the student assistants LiSA at Ochanomizu University, learning concierges at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, and learning support staff at Nagoya University. This is a painful point for regional universities that lack funds. But if this is missing, it cannot be called a Learning Commons. It is even more painful because at regional universities, there are some small-minded faculty members who worry about the term “center.”
However, in a place like our university where there are researchers in Educational Technology who have been conducting research on collaborative learning and CSCL from a psychological perspective, even if we are not professionals in operations, being able to build support designs and systems based on research findings might be a significant advantage compared to universities that do not have such researchers. I am thinking about various things. Within the limits of the resources that can be devoted to support, I am considering methods of learning support that make use of this learning space. Documents and papers on Educational Technology that touch on the social constructivist view of learning have been increasing since the late 1990s, but I personally find that the classics of Educational Technology are quite useful. The classics have good things written in them, don’t they?
I also believe that workshops for faculty members are necessary. Yesterday, I attended a Contemporary GP symposium at the University of Tokyo, and I heard that they held a summer program for faculty members to promote the educational use of KALS at UTokyo as well. This is important. However, I don’t think there is any point in doing the one-way lecture style often seen in FD training sessions, so I would like to think of various methods. In that respect, UTokyo was doing it well. I would like to use them as a reference.
I believe that the Learning Commons is an attractive space and will play a very important role in supporting learning both inside and outside the classroom at universities, but it is certain that the burden on faculty and staff will increase accordingly. I think it is highly likely that the creation of new forms of learning will lead to new problems and burdens that we cannot even imagine. However, we cannot do anything if we are afraid of that, and I think this is an important opportunity for regional universities to show their unique characteristics.
I have looked at domestic and international papers in journals related to Learning Commons, but I felt that there are still few that are thoroughly researched. As far as I have read, I remember there were only a few papers in The Journal of Academic Librarianship (though foreign journals were educational. Also, since the types of university students are different from those in Japan, it doesn’t mean that it will be the same in Japan). I think it is still just the beginning. I believe the number of universities introducing Learning Commons will increase in the future, and I would like to produce research findings that can be utilized by various universities.
When thinking about a Learning Commons, why not consider learning support in collaboration with educational researchers?