Environment Of A University: An experience at university will open many new doors for your child or young person. Living away from home, meeting people from all around the globe and managing study time alongside free time will all become part of their daily lives.
University environments consist of physical surroundings, classrooms and peers – each factoring in to your transition process to college. Overall campus atmosphere will play an integral part in how successful it will be for you.
1) Physical Environment
The environment where students spend much of their time has an immense effect on both their wellbeing and learning experiences. Since most activities take place while sitting, seating comfort and ergonomics become particularly crucial components in creating an engaging learning experience for students. Acoustic properties of classrooms or offices play a vital role in providing an atmosphere that fosters concentration, cognitive abilities, productivity while simultaneously alleviating anxiety or stress levels for them.
Structure and culture at universities also impact their physical environments in important ways, encouraging or disincentivizing students from being physically active. Sedentary behavior has been linked to various health risks including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and mental disorders; increasing options for daily physical activity thus holds great public health value.
Our study explored how two universities’ structural environments influence students’ everyday movements and sedentary behavior. Participants reported several barriers preventing them from making use of all available opportunities to be physically active on campus; at University 2, for instance, central plastered area in the shape of an amphitheater is frequently used as sitting zone rather than walking space – people tend to avoid moving through or within half-ovals for fear of being noticed (C: Figure 3).
University 1 offers a large circular path in the center of campus (“rondel”), inviting people to stroll while talking, sipping coffee and learning. However, several barriers prevent them from making use of this offer such as uncertainty regarding usage policies of campus lawns or whether students can play ball games there.
2) Social Environment
An individual’s social environment consists of the people and places where he or she resides, works, and plays. A university provides an ideal example of such an environment due to its unique blend of students, faculty members, culture and traditions that form its community – not to mention physical activities which take place there! Considering all this social aspect can have significant bearing on an individual’s behavior especially physical activities that take place there.
As multiple measures have been employed to examine the social environment, comparing and drawing conclusions across studies can be challenging. To combat this difficulty, a deductive codebook was devised based on constructs identified during literature review – crime and safety concerns, economic disadvantage, disorder and incivility issues, neighborhood/community characteristics as well as sense of place/belonging are some examples of dimensions identified herein.
Crime & Safety, Economic & Social Disadvantage, Disorder & Incivilities, Neighborhood Characteristics & Belonging were measured on an aggregate level in over half of studies included in this review, while authors explicitly recognized elements within these dimensions as aspects of social environment at least half the time.
Social Environment refers to four dimensions (Social Relationships & Norms, Social Support & Networks, Neighborhood Experiences & Activities and Social Cohesion & Capital), but these may be better assessed as individual elements rather than aggregate measures.
University 1 features a large circular path called “rondel” at its core that encourages students to walk during breaks, yet some participants in a Photovoice study noted its unappealing appearance was an impediment to physical activity as it reminded them of rundown urban areas.
University is an intensely social environment and it can be hard for students to avoid social interaction. At university, new relationships are formed as old ones are maintained; often through chance encounters like sitting next to someone in your 9 am sociology class or seeing him walking to his biology lab.
3) Academic Environment
As they adjust to college life, newcomers must adapt to an entirely different academic environment. This collegiate environment includes not only physical buildings and university officials on campus, but also factors that interact to shape a student’s learning experience such as academic advising available and interactions with university officials and fellow students. To fully appreciate what makes up a university’s academic environment it is vitally important to comprehend both its formal characteristics and its overall feel.
Academic environments in universities can be defined by the classrooms and other spaces where students learn. From formal lecture halls to informal discussion groups, classroom environments depend on an institution’s educational philosophy as well as its student body composition.
New students may initially find the classroom environment intimidating or daunting. Adjusting to higher education’s fast-paced nature may prove challenging. But with dedication and determination, incoming students can quickly become part of academic life.
Students need to understand their professors’ teaching styles and expectations and collaborate with them in order to achieve optimal academic results. A good professor should be fair and considerate while giving his or her students every chance possible to be successful; additionally they will offer support and guidance as necessary.
Universities are adapting to meet the shifting demands of students by increasing online resources for them. Virtual Learning Environments, or VLEs, have become more widespread, giving students one-stop shopping experiences for all of their educational needs – including assignments submission, receiving grades and managing e-portfolios.
Current research into academic environments for STEM fields may still be limited, yet it is evident that various elements contribute to a supportive learning environment. According to NASEM reports, working effectively with diverse peers and teams is key to the success of students studying STEM disciplines; this requires effective communication, teamwork, collaboration as well as cultural awareness and empathy among other skills.
4) Personal Environment
Universities must also consider environmental factors related to student experience when setting environmental policy. Universities are spaces where students come not only to learn but also socialize with peers and build traditions while developing new skills they will use once graduated. During debate, this topic of universities as places for ‘coming of age’ was raised several times and examples given of universities acting as therapeutic havens during exam season with coloring books, petting zoos or even providing destress teepees for massages as a therapeutic relief measure.
This debate explored the value of feeling connected to campus and its effect on academic achievement, with particular attention given to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may feel marginalized from their peers – which can have an enormous effect on their education success. Support staff plays an essential part in helping these students feel more at home at university.
Chimaechi Allan, content marketing manager of Pearson College London, noted that universities now serve more than simply academic purposes; their purpose is also about aiding in the transformation of lives and helping bridge social gaps between those with resources and those without.
The debate was an engaging and stimulating discussion, with delegates sharing their own experiences of higher education. Audience members came away from this event feeling that universities now fulfill multiple roles – from being centers for industry practice to cultural engagement initiatives and even driving the local economy. Hosted by Pearson College London’s Centre for Industry Engagement under Lord Willetts MP’s moderated guidance.
Also Read:- How To Get The Most Out Of University For New Students?
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