Informal Learning Spaces

I've just embarked on a project into informal learning spaces. over the next 10 weeks I'll be researching and implementing ideas about informal learning spaces throughout Dundee University campus. but first of all what is an informal learning space?

An informal learning space is any area outside a classroom, where people informally learn. In the case of Dundee this can be the library café, the Seminar rooms at Ninewells hospital, or even the local coffee shops around Dundee.

At this stage I'm looking at the scope of the project and all the possible directions it can be taken. I had a meeting this morning with Janet Hughes and Lorraine Walsh to discuss the main goals, so far I believe the goals of the project to be as follows:

find out the level of awareness of ILS, possibly do something to increase this
find out what students are doing when there
find out how students are using the spaces

these goals pose many questions that can be looked at, for example what is it about successful ILS that less popular areas are missing. does this differ between different student groups and different times of the year?

there seem to be 2 sides to this investigation - what the students say, and what actually happens. one avenue we could explore is counting the number of students in each area across time.

A few of the technology ideas we came up with were perhaps to use a twitter application, sms, face book, a web application, a phone application, rss feeds. these could be used to gather the data or perhaps raise awareness of areas. to begin with though the emphasis is on data gathering, and seeing where this can go.