Spaces is a Social Learning Environment (SLE) which has been developed by KISD – Köln International School of Design (Faculty of Cultural Studies, TH Köln, University of Applied Sciences) since 2008. It offers a communication platform, facilitates the organization of learning, and allows students to work together in a digital learning network. Students and teachers present their project, seminar or research work, share their research results, discuss online, and mutually support each other.
Spaces enable new forms of learning
Spaces provides a student-centered digital learning environment for project-based and research learning. Students can organize their learning independently and learn together in a team. Each space serves as a virtual course representation and accompanies the participants during all project phases. Students and teachers have equal rights on Spaces and can create and manage digital learning rooms and their content. It is part of the students personal learning environment and can be used in an open, non-hierarchical, and unrestricted way.
Digital Open Learning Lab
The Digital Open Learning Lab is ab interdisciplinary Lab where innovative concepts for supporting digital competence-oriented teaching are designed and researched. In the Digital Open Learning Lab applications are developed iteratively. They are explored in real-world learning situations immediately, evaluated, improved and reimplemented. The activities of the Lab aim to increase the quality and flexibility of teaching and learning in project- and research based learning scenarios . Flat hierarchies promote students' self-determined participation and support the development of a participatory culture within our digital Campus and Community. Students help to shape the implementation process and the digital applications intensively and act as multipliers. They are involved in all processes as equal members of the Lab which takes their particular view of learning and teaching into account. This is essential for a better acceptance and an active student participation in the developed digital learning platforms and tools.
