Summary of Scholl & Gulwadi: Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces

Link to article: here

Scholl and Gulwadi’s piece on campus landscapes focuses on how the environment surrounding college students influences their performance in school. The article begins by stating that college is a “stimulating and demanding time in a student’s life” that requires “direct, focused attention.” Therefore, college officials should take care to ensure that there are areas on campus with “potential [to replenish] cognitive functioning for attentional fatigued students.”

The article continues to discuss the historical context of college campuses, explaining that American campuses as they were in the 1770’s were “self-sufficient and often built in rural locations,” whereas campuses today are less focused on preserving green, open spaces than they are on new structures and facilities.

In the 3rd section of the paper, Scholl and Gulwadi explain the psychological benefits of being exposed to “green nature,” such as “a chance to rest and replenish,” which can in turn benefit the overall academic state of college students. Therefore, Scholl and Gulwadi deem it essential to provide students with open spaces to help replenish their “learning mechanisms.”