We’re so excited that the School of Information Sciences has a number of great courses this summer, with some, including my Informal Learning Spaces and Pedagogies class, open for enrollment for continuing education graduate credit. To learn more, jump over to http://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/171116.html
As regards my Informal Learning Spaces and Pedagogies course, it seeks to explore the design of space and pedagogy for informal learning in libraries, museums, the workplace, and other collaborative spaces. We will investigate together a variety of informal learning spaces such as information and learning commons, learning labs, and Makerspaces to understand the impact environment has on learning, and will review key literature concerning informal learning pedagogy and critical sociotechnical perspectives on technology and society. We will also consider qualitative and quantitative evaluation strategies for measuring output and impact of design of space and programming for informal learning in libraries, museums,
and other public venues.
The general learning outcome objectives for the course are to help students:
• Create a working definition of informal learning that can be used as a starting point in support of evolving professional and community valued beings and doings;
• Develop a holistic and nuanced understanding of informal learning pedagogies in support of community
cultural wealth and multiple ways of knowing;
• Advance personal and collaborative agency to appropriate and innovate-in-use physical spaces & tools,
analog and digital technologies, and people’s functional diversities to achieve high performance in their
own learning outcome goals; and
• Create a list of possible evaluation tools that could be effectively tested within different contexts to
assess application of the first three learning outcomes in a given moment, facilitating use of a growth/failforward
mindset in community, with community, for community to further advance informal learning.
This summer’s offering is especially unique given we only meet 8 times for this 4-credit course. To keep things moving forward each week, we will co-explore a specific topic together using the following general structure:
- Complete the community inquiry from the previous week through brief report backs by the class;
- Formal presentation of the new community inquiry cycle being launched for the week;
- Presentation of a case example, including several guest presentations; and
- Assigned and pick-one readings, and synchronous and asynchronous conversations through Professional Journal Reflections, reviews of those of peers, and replies to your Reflection posts between class sessions.
More details can be found on my syllabus for the semester. Or drop me a line with questions, comments, and/or suggestions!