Abstract
From the foreword:
The University of Kentucky is radically transforming living and learning opportunities on campus. With potential to build up to 9,000 new residence hall beds in the next five to seven years, we are well positioned to reimagine what it means to live on campus in a university experience. But how can we strategically assess the investments made to the living learning environment and its impact on students? By utilizing a post-occupancy evaluation process, students from the School of Interiors completed a nine-month study to investigate and assess the investment in student living and learning spaces. This book presents the findings of the post occupancy evaluation of a living-learning program in a residence hall to better understand how the spaces are utilized and its impact on learning.
In the Spring Semester of 2015, the University of Kentucky Interior Design Education Studio conducted by Rebekah Radtke, completed a post-occupancy evaluation of Champions Court I to explore the utilization of learning spaces for the Living Learning Programs. The focus of the study determined how public and group space influences student success. Over the course of the summer, a team of four students worked with Rebekah to analyze and synthesize the data collected in the spring semester. Students were involved throughout the process: completing space assessments, behavioral observations, administering questionnaires, conducting focus groups, analyzing data, and making recommendations based on their experiences.
A post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is a systematic assessment of an occupied building to better understand the effectiveness of certain design elements. The key purpose of this POE is to investigate, analyze, and report on the successes and weaknesses of the Champions Court I design to inform future LLP residence hall designs. This methodology can improve new projects for the University of Kentucky and educational design nationwide.
The post-occupancy evaluation explored how space influences student behaviors to understand and track engagement, integrated activities, peer to peer learning, and culture in the residence hall of Champions Court I. The site was selected for the study because of its diverse population, high concentration of LLPs, and location. Our research explored the proportion of private to public spaces, the amount of learning spaces, and the utilization to provide insights for optimal space relationships.
Publication Date
2016
Repository Citation
The Live Learn Studio, School of Interiors, College of Design, University of Kentucky, "LLP POE: How the University of Kentucky Is Redefining Living and Learning Spaces on Campus: A Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Living Learning Programs" (2016). Interiors Reports. 1.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/interdes_reports/1
