A research institute at The University of Nottingham that explores the science behind the way in which we learn has been given a £1 million funding boost.
The new investment from the University will provide the Learning Sciences Research Institute with state-of-the-art facilities and a multi-disciplinary team of academics dedicated to studying every aspect of the way in which we acquire new knowledge.
Professor Mike Sharples, previously a professor at The University of Birmingham, has been appointed as the centre's new director. He said: “Our aim is for this institute to become an international centre of excellence in learning sciences research, which is the study of all the complex processes that are involved in human learning.
“Learning is not restricted to the knowledge that we gain as children in the classroom — we continue to learn whether it be at work, or learning for pleasure in our free time. The LSRI will also study how we learn at home and while on the move.”
The centre, which will be based at the University's award-winning Jubilee Campus, will feature learning science research laboratories and a flexible learning room. A multi-media development lab will be used to simulate classrooms, museum galleries and living rooms, for testing new technologies to assist the learning experience. Researchers and academics from around the University will be able to explore new methods of teaching and learning by collaborating across cyberspace with colleagues all over the world, particularly at the University's new campuses in Malaysia and Ningbo, China.
The new research institute combines the expertise of academics from the University's Schools of Education, Psychology and Computer Science.
Among the research projects that are planned are:
· Study of learning across cultures and the way in which people from different cultures adapt to learning in the UK
· Designing new technologies for learning, including the use of internet, wireless and mobile technologies, to assist learning. For example, delivering information directly to a mobile phone to enhance a museum experience or a simulated environment where language learners can practise their skills.
· New learning environments to benefit people learning on the move. For example, learning facilities based at airports or in hotel lobbies to benefit business people and frequent travellers.
· The biology of learning through the use of functional MRI to look in real time at the brain functions that are used when people learn and perform complex tasks. This research could influence the way in which learning is designed for people with head injuries.
Professor Sharples added: “As human beings we literally cannot stop learning and every new experience provides a new opportunity. Often people associate learning with hard work and say they don't find it enjoyable. We will be looking at ways of making the learning experience both more effective and also more fun.”
Professor David Riley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for learning and teaching and the University's Faculty of Education, said: “It is quite common nowadays for universities to state that their teaching and learning is research-led, meaning that it is informed and enriched by staff undertaking original investigations to gain knowledge and understanding within specific disciplines.
“The expansion of the Learning Sciences Research Institute strengthens the University's commitment to complementary enhancement through pedagogical research. It is especially pleasing that the scope of the LSRI's activity is global in keeping with the University's drive for international excellence.
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Notes to editors: More information is available from Professor Mike Sharples on +44 (0)115 951 3716, mike.sharples@nottingham.ac.uk or Press Officer Emma Thorne in the University's Public Affairs Office on +44 (0)115 951 5793, emma.thorne@nottingham.ac.uk