Development of a Requirement Specification for CDIO Workspaces

A systematic approach for developing the requirement specification, or design brief, of new learning spaces is presented. The process involves the identification of all the learning events and the mapping of these events onto appropriate learning spaces. When combined with class sizes, the result of this exercise can be used to generate the requirement in terms of learning space. The requirement specification is further enhanced through the identification of the physical resources required in each learning space. The overall analysis shows that informal learning events, such as those typical in project-based learning, require a much more diverse range of learning spaces and physical resources than the traditional approach to learning, typified by lectures and tutorials. As there is a general trend towards learning through more informal methods this has obvious resource implications if more progressing learning environments are to be developed and supported.