Knowledge spaces are the thick social spaces through which truth, knowledge and power are created
(Sarah Wright, 2005: 908)

Following the success of the previous four Space Symposia, Knowledge Spaces addressed the role of architecture, spatial planning and the use of different spaces in the construction and experience of curricula and pedagogy in Higher Education.

The symposium addressed the question of how the spaces we create, occupy and challenge, both within the university and beyond it, affect what and how we know, as well as considering who plays what roles in the process of knowledge creation and communication. In particular, the symposium explored:

• the landscapes of learning in Higher Education
• the use of ‘real life’ spaces such as urban, public, employment and community settings for the development and enactment of curricula and assessment
• the relationship between physical classroom spaces and different pedagogical approaches
• the role of university buildings and curricula in shaping pedagogical and political relations between students and staff

The event offered an exciting and diverse programme of keynote lecture(s), participatory workshop(s) and an interactive research exhibition.

Speakers and workshop leaders:

Professor Mike Neary, University of Lincoln
'Learning Landscapes in Higher Education: the struggle for the idea of the University'
Professor Jonothan Neelands, University of Warwick
'Welcome to the Spielraum!'
Oscar van den Wijngaard and Wilfred van Dellen, University College Maastricht
'Colleagues and Peers at University College Maastricht: collaboration and reciprocity as educational strategy'
Dr Sarah Czerny, Luka Paušić and Bernard Koludrović, University of Rijeka, Croatia
'Blocked spaces: (Re)considering the staff-student relation from the perspective of the blokada in Rijeka'

Contributions

Contributions were invited for the research exhibition, in the form of posters, artistic or photographic exhibits, or any other formats which could be reasonably accommodated.