The HP Catalyst Initiative is helping the Fraunhofer IAO Institute for Industrial Engineering in its search for an ideal learning environment.

FUTURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Is there such a thing as an ideal learning environment?

The Fraunhofer IAO Institute for Industrial Engineering in Stuttgart, Germany, believes it is a question worth exploring. Through the HP Catalyst Initiative’s Future Learning Environments project, the institute aims to discover the most universally effective learning environment.

A member of the Pedagogy 3.0 consortium, the institute considers a wide range of factors that impact learning, including past and current learning models, room design patterns, communication facilities, technology, and media.

The group also studies the relationships between variables in a typical learning environment. From e-learning and mobile learning to group learning, workplace-based learning, or just-in-time learning, the institute hopes to find the right mix of methods that will improve comprehension.

Plus, the project will create a network of research partners and user organizations, concentrating on the interplay of real and virtual learning environments.

Based on the research findings, the institute will develop practical guidelines for creating innovative, learner-centered environments.