Open spaces, mobile learning: findings from the iBorrow project

Abstract

Introduction

Augustine House was one of the most important building programmes in Canterbury Christ Church Universitys history. The purpose was to create and develop a large state of the art library and student support centre that offered innovative, technology-rich facilities for staff and students to use. An important feature of Augustine House was the creation of fl exible recreational and learning spaces that would allow students to learn, work and relax in a manner and place of their choosing.

The iBorrow project was part of the second phase of the Joint Information Systems Committees institutional innovation programme. The aim of the project was to create a laptop loan service that was entirely self-service and that should be no more complicated than borrowing a book. Radio-frequency identifi cation (RFID) tags were placed inside iBorrow notebooks in the anticipation that the geo-location tracking data overlaid with additional information would provide a better understanding on how students use the digital and electronic resources available to them as individuals or within groups.