space & collaboration proposal

Title: Space and Collaboration

Significance and Need: The project focuses on better enhancing the academic culture of the university by better facilitating collaboration between students. I have made observations on the nature and trends of work and study spaces occupied within university. My opinion is that university is a place that should encourage students, lecturers, researchers and scholars to collaborate, teach and brainstorm ideas in order to meet a shared goal in their respected areas of interests. I have noticed that work and study spaces have been built to only provide ‘room’ for these groups to work in, however, I find it somewhat inefficient in how these people are able to gather and let alone collaborate with one another. The driver of collaboration is the ability to communicate with another person or group. I find that face to face collaboration is most effective compared to online collaboration because communicating to someone directly provides more depth in discussions and the experience is not quite the same compared to the online alternative. Collaboration is essential if people want to meet a shared goal.

Clients: Supervisor intended and UNSW FBE.

Supervisor Support: Web base support and permission to use spaces for project.

Aims and Objectives: This project aims to create a web-based system that will help students be grouped in rooms according to their areas of interests at that time. The system will act as a ‘check-in’ system where students can ‘check-in’ into a room. This data can be used to inform users that this student is in this room and willing to collaborate on ideas. The rooms would be defined in the systems so students are able to pick which ever room they are occupying. Because it is a ‘check-in’ web-based system, students are able to choose whether or not they want to use it. This respects the students who want quiet study in the building. Since the students are able to ‘check-in’, it would also mean students are to ‘check-out’ of the room once they are finished occupying the room. Since this system is web-based, users are able to access this from any device that allows internet access. The system will also act as an editable online profile as it will help other students know what other student’s areas of interests are, this will help in the grouping of the students. Through this, I aim to better facilitate collaboration between students in the FBE.

Purpose and Motivation: To better enhance the academic culture of the university by better facilitating collaboration between students. I see a lack in collaboration between students from different years and courses. Part of the reason is because the physical spaces in the FBE separate students and this means students are more likely to stay within their year or course groups. This would be a barrier for them to interact and collaborate with other students they would not normally talk to.

I’ve stated that university should be a place that should encourage students to collaborate and share ideas to meet a shared goal. The Red Centre is different to other buildings in the UNSW, the building groups all students studying the built environment, and this means the building is full of like-minded designers that have similar goals and career aspirations. I want to use this environment to group students together and create an academic culture where students from different years and courses are able to collaborate.

It would be ideal for studios and study places to be open and not contained in rooms because it would mean that groups and discussions are better accessible and visible to other students and people. This would mean students are able to view other people’s works without feeling they are intruding in any way. Although ideal, it’s quite unlikely because it requires physical changes and costs. The only other alternative to create this sort of environment is through the use of technology.

By using technology, it would allow students to know for certain which people and areas of interest groups are in what rooms in the building. This would allow students to be grouped by areas of interests which would encourage and facilitate better collaboration between students from different years and courses.

Technologies used: Web programming and design to create the system proposed. The system would be entirely user-generated.

Methodology: precedent studies on similar websites and systems; research into web development and programming methods for system; test out researched methods; apply to a smaller test building (such as home); test with other people checking into spaces; apply final tests to FBE with selected FBE students; evaluate and improve website if needed; and upload onto website.

Deliverables: a web-based system that facilitates collaboration, website detailing the needs for this system and project, report and precedent studies.