Recommendations
Many research projects, which focus on college campus space, make recommendations to campus planners, designers and architects. The goal of their research is to make improvements to campus design (Sumera, 2018). However, researching and writing from my own perspective as a professor, my recommendations are directed to staff and faculty. I am interested in what changes can be made in our own practice that has the possibility of helping students connect to the physical spaces of their campus.
Understanding student use of college space on a community college campus does not get the attention it deserves. Community college students are often viewed as too busy to spend extra time on campus for extracurriculars or other activities (Chang, 2005), so scholars tend to focus upon classroom engagement, instead (Chang, 2005). However, students do have time to spend on campus between classes, and learning about the spaces they choose to spend time in was a focus of my project and interviews. Through my student/participant interviews, I discovered that the more students know about available spaces, the more likely they are to use them.
Shiloh remembers learning about the gym during his campus tour but could not find it when he tried to look for it. This supports existing literature which suggests that informing students about spaces and resources, through the sharing of campus maps, needs to happen during the first week of classes (Wu, et al., 2021) and be repeated throughout the first semester (Horn & de la Rosa-Pohl, 2022). As students dive into their classes, and become more familiar with their curricular needs, their use of space needs change. A space that may have seemed irrelevant at the beginning of a semester, may take on more currency later on, especially during exam time, when quieter spaces are needed (Wu, et al., 2021). Students would benefit if staff and faculty intentionally introduced and reintroduced the various campus spaces throughout the semester (Horn & de la Rosa-Pohl, 2022)
I also discovered how beneficial it was for students to connect with their professors. In fact, it seemed life affirming. The more faculty can make themselves available to students, the more they will thrive and succeed. Underrepresented students of color benefit from faculty interaction outside of class (Chang, 2005). However, students who do not come to college with positive educational experiences, may not take initiative to meet with their professors (Chang, 2005). Faculty are the ones who must take initiative for out of classroom interactions to happen (Chang, 2005).
Posting office hours is simply not invitational nor welcoming. For Taz, the faculty offices were a mystery to her and for Prosperity, finding a faculty office was challenging. Many of the offices at Midwestern are in office suites, behind closed doors or down long hallways. Students and faculty need to make connections outside of class, with faculty taking the initiative inorder to encourage students who may be reluctant to make it happen (Chang, 2005). Taking time, during class, to take a walk through a part of the campus with your students, ending up at your office, with snacks ready, would be a good way to break the ice.
Educational scholars are discovering that college environments need to support the emotional needs of students as much as the academic needs (Horn & de la Rosa-Pohl, 2022). Restorative spaces - often part of the natural environment - are the places students go to de-stress (Banning, et al., 2010). One of the last questions I asked my student/participants was what their ideal campus space would look like. Dentistry D would like a space that could incorporate the Japanese Garden with an interior classroom. Shiloh would love an open, light filled, loft space, much like high end New York City lofts and Prosperity would love an open circular space that would encourage creative thinking. Rosemarie would love to see all of the classrooms placed around an interior hub, encouraging students to walk through all of the spaces, building a sense of community she feels is lacking. Ariel’s ideal space is also restorative, yet looks towards the individual study alcoves for inspiration. She would love to have individual study spaces, where she could pull a shade up or down, depending upon how quiet she needed it. Each student’s ideal space takes into consideration their own emotional wellbeing.