"Here, students get the opportunity to express their creativity," says Ebba Löfgren, vice president with responsibility for education policy in Örebro Student Union.
The Learning Lab is a test bed for the spaces of the future for learning and higher education pedagogy. Here, teachers and students create their learning environments together in flexible spaces that promote new forms of teaching and student-active learning.
"This feels super wonderful, great fun and well-deserved considering how successful Learning Lab 1.0 has been," says Charlotta Andersson, architecht learning environments at Akademiska Hus.
Örebro University's first Learning Lab was inaugurated in April 2022 and is approximately 300 square metres in size. Learning Lab 2.0 covers an additional 250 square meters and is also located in Långhuset. The flexible learning environments have been created in a collaboration between Örebro University and Akademiska Hus and are part of an extended collaboration agreement until 2027.
"Learning Lab 2.0 is a new test environment for teaching that we have developed by taking advantage of the feedback we have received from teachers who have taught in our first Learning Lab," says Anna-Eva Olsson, coordinator for the university's learning environments.
A national knowledge centre
One of the goals of the Learning Lab is to increase the competence of employees about learning environments – and also to spread this knowledge outside Örebro University, both nationally and internationally.
"Now we hope that more universities will see how good it can be when you really collaborate. We see that others come here and are inspired, and it feels great that the Learning Lab at Örebro University is already on its way to becoming a national knowledge centre," says Kajsa Winnes.
"The Learning Lab is more than a physical place – it is a driving force for change and a platform for knowledge and collaboration. I appreciate the culture of trust and prestige and look forward to continuing in the same spirit, where we explore together, test and learn along the way – and have a lot of fun," says Charlotta Andersson.
Decisive response from students and teachers
The students' feedback has also been important – and Örebro Student Union is part of the steering group. The aim is to promote new forms of teaching and more student-active learning.
Kajsa Winnes, business developer at Akademiska Hus, cut the ribbon at the inauguration together with Magnus Hansson, associate professor and excellent teacher of business administration and educational developer at the Centre for Higher Education Pedagogy.
"I get so happy when I see everyone who is here – not least all the teachers who have done fantastic things. We didn't really know what it was going to be when we started three years ago, and now we're here with an expanded version and everyone is so positive," she says.
Photo: Jerry Gray, Örebro University.
