Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Space
The article “Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces” focuses on colleges of today eliminating the divided and closed in feeling and incorporated an open and inclusive environment to a wide variety of people. Authors Scholl and Betrabet inform in the article how the goal for colleges is to make their students more comfortable included into the campus atmosphere so that they feel involved and apart of the community for which they are dedicating their attendance for the next 2-4+ years. The purpose of this article is to explain how they growth of different demographics and backgrounds of college attendees is impact how much colleges have to change and adapt to the variety of ethnic, cultural, religious, and ideological views that they now have to accommodate.
As college enrollment steadily increases, many cultural norms are being accepted into American society at an increasing pace so students are singled out and made to feel unaccepted. The authors discuss how important it is not to exclude students for it will benefit them in a negative way once they join the work force later on post college. There is a quote used in the article that basically states how indoor and open spaces have a positive effect long term on a students’ learning by encouraging a community feeling. Most of the time making this connection to education is overlooked. College has grown to focus on diversifying its student community. In accepting these individuals from all walks of life the campus as to adapt to them and their individuality needs and comfort. The article provides some background on college and the mark it left on society academically.
To look back on the original purpose for college that was to educate boys of upper class families, it has definitely come a long way. The passing of the Morrill Act of 1862 caused many state colleges to be created and gave middle class men the chance to become more educated and literate. Progressively colleges in the U.S. began to allow minorities and women to gain the same academic opportunities. Now there are women and minorities with jobs in engineering, fortune 500 companies, agriculture, technologies, and secondary education. Because of segregation those chances of careers weren’t available just over 60 years ago.
The article wraps up by emphasizing how important it is to provide spaces throughout college campuses that openly accept any and all social norms. Contrary to popular believe, college spaces that appeal to and encourage learning makes it easier for students to learn. The feeling of being welcomed and part of a community has become a part of what college is all about. Gaining academic knowledge alongside social skills is what students need most once they graduate and enter the workforce. As is students sometimes suffer from attention fatigue or boredom from sitting in class after class. Incorporating technology into the classroom and common areas will help to recapture their attention and get students more involved in the environment on campus. Time well spent outside of instructional time is just as if not more important than class time.