Spaces to Learn- Transcend Newsletter XII 🚪
How online content has changed physical learning spaces
Morning!
This week we are focusing on physical learning spaces, and how the blend of online and offline can create new opportunities to build communities of learning.
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tl;dr: because online content is universal, the way we think about using physical spaces for learning has changed fundamentally - we are excited about the potential for new learning communities and for more partnerships in this space.
1) What are they?
It's what you think it is - a physical space designed for the purpose of learning - sometimes for a specific course (for bootcamps, schools) or open to whatever learners want to do. Recently, we’ve seen a few new projects in this space and we thought we’d share our thoughts!
2) Why should we care?
The line between the online and offline world is becoming increasingly blurry, and this is paving the way for innovation in physical learning spaces: online learning initially broke in to democratize access to learning content, but clearly lacked the engagement and community parts of learning process (thus leading to terrible completion rates). This new wave of learning interventions are focused on driving community through physical interactions to make sense out of the infinite wealth of content that’s available for free online.
The components we see in physical learning spaces are these:
🌐1. Building learning communities - the main reason for the physical dimension is the potential for greater engagement and retention experienced through community.
🌠2. Curation & support - physical learning spaces often have a curator/coach-like figure that can help learners engage with the work beyond their individual capabilities.
👐3. Collaboration - the experience is enhanced by the interaction with peers that both informs and motivates.
🚪4. Physical space design - this is an opportunity to get creative and apply many of the lessons of classroom design without the constraints of the traditional education system.
👣5. Engaging with the local space: these learning communities provide an opportunity to further engage with local groups and ground the learning experience by addressing tangible local issues.
The main challenge to date is the scalability of the operational model: can one scale the physical costs of maintaining a learning space? A potential solution could be in the form of partnerships between fully online players (course providers, online schools) and coworking spaces (like WeWork) or enterprise clients.
3) The future we see: Online-offline learning communities
We think a lot about the future of learning communities, which used to be very isolated and exclusive (e.g. private clubs), but are now opening up as the result of increased access to tools and online content. These will happen in 3 spaces:
a) Online: main component is the access to infinite content. E.g. Twitter, Discord communities, Outschool. The main question here is: can there be a meaningful software platform wrapped around it to augment the experience?
b) Offline: the main focus is on human connection, which provides the initial hook and motivation to keep going as well as accountability. E.g. universities to date, schools, bookclubs.
c) Hybrid: the main aspect is the curation and guidance - in a group of self-learners, how can we introduce some guidance and curation from experts and peers? What aspects of these will be automated (and thus live online?).
4) Projects in the space
Shift_Up (Detroit, US) is creating “learning gyms”, focused on learning coding skills for now but looking to expand to more space types, learning tools and disciplines.
Learnlife (Barcelona, Spain) is focused on providing a space and learning guidance to lifelong learners looking to learn about whatever they want.
NewCampus (Singapore) is a physical campus with a focus on providing access to workshops and content as well as guiding lifelong learners.
LRNG (Chicago, US), acquired by SNHU, works with local governments to identify opportunities for workforce training and deliver them using their public spaces.
Recurse Center (NYC, US) runs free and self-directed coding programs through batches in NYC.
What do you think? We’d love to get your thoughts, please leave a comment at the bottom of the newsletter!
🔨This month we had the pleasure of meeting Van Ton-Quinlivan at a Bloomberg Beta event, and she reflect on this event and the future of workplace training in her new piece.
✳️Calbright, the newest community college in California, is opening up its innovative new model to its first students.
🎓University VC scout programs Dorm Room Fund and Contrary Capital are taking applications for their 2019/20 academic year.
🖥️Learn about the experience of teaching aspiring policy makers how to code from this Medium article
Arena.inc
The Arena, Inc. is a nonprofit educational organization empowering resource-constrained young adults in building meaningful, stable lives and supporting employers in creating local, diverse talent pipelines, founded in the Bay Area and growing to other metro areas in the US.
This new organization is hiring for two positions based in the Bay Area: a Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff.
Let us know if you are interested in learning more about the role, and we can send more information on the job.
Jobs in our Network
Graide Network - Marketing Manager
Aula - Multiple Roles (Remote, US & UK)
Minerva Schools - Associate for Global Network Development
Christensen Institute - Research Fellow, Education Practice
Ark Invest - Asian Innovation Analyst
Strive - Customer Success Manager | Strategy & Operations Lead | Marketing Intern
d.school K12 Lab - Education Futurist Fellow
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Alberto (alberto@transcend-network.com) & Michael (michael@transcend-network.com)