University students spend 20 to 30 hours a week in classrooms and labs. At Intellis, we know that educational institutions want to match the dedication of their students to time spent working in one setting with a commitment to ensuring their atmosphere is healthy, safe, stimulating, and prepared to meet the individual needs of its learners.
How to improve the learning environment and deliver a better student experience
Recent studies show that the challenges for managing and maintaining education facilities are mounting. College and university buildings are, on average, more than 42 years old and have been rated at a troubling D+ for infrastructure. According to America’s Infrastructure Report Card, deferred maintenance and dollars for capital renewals are growing larger every day. So what can facilities leaders do?
Top 4 environmental conditions that improve student success
Here, we discuss four key areas of focus that will help create healthier and more effective learning environments.
Lighting
poor lighting can be a massive distraction to student learning. Lighting in the classroom should be high enough for students to see optimally but natural enough to be soothing.
Noise
Noisy distractions from hallways and nearby rooms can disrupt students’ ability to focus and hear.
Temperature
It’s difficult for anyone to focus and do their best when shivering or sweating due to poorly regulated temperatures. Stuffy, warm rooms naturally lead to drowsy learners, and a chilly environment may keep students alert, but they’ll also be uncomfortable and have difficulty performing at their optimal level.
Air Quality
Poor air quality can have significant consequences, including student and faculty illness, a rise in absenteeism, and severe repercussions for students with asthma, allergies, and other breathing difficulties.
As a facility manager, planner, director of finance, or chief operations officer working in higher education, we know your mission is to provide students and staff with the best possible learning environment. Your students deserve the best, and the best isn't humid classrooms, poor lighting, or bad air quality.
An improved indoor environment and air quality can help everyone, especially college and university students more susceptible to infection than adults. Every aspect of your physical assets—from building design to cleanliness, lighting, and ventilation—impacts the mental state of students and staff in educational facilities.
Managing and planning facility maintenance at higher education institutions demands organization, accountability, and reliability. Our facilities management and capital planning software offers multi-site functionality to help you manage affiliate sites across networks, buildings on campus, outdoor fields, and everything in between.
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- Environmental conditions are crucial to student success and a healthy learning environment.
- College and education facility managers, planners, and university business officers can improve four critical environmental conditions to enhance student success.
- The top four environmental conditions to improve are lighting, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and acoustics.
- Improving these conditions can lead to better academic performance, lower absenteeism rates, and a healthier learning environment.
