On-campus Third Places for Collaborative Use and BYOD
Abstract: The affordances for informal interaction in existing university premises are often limited to informal learning (libraries) and social activities (cafés). However, secondary spaces located in popular areas on the campuses, possess potential to become redesigned into novel social and informal learning spaces. Case study of such “third places” on Tampere University of Technology, Finland has revealed the need for variety of social learning spaces with ICT support. Pleasant environment together with elements creating privacy among an active area are preferred. The architectural elements and the furniture encourage users-adjustments for collaborative use enhanced with ICT support and BYOD. This paper discusses the different design directions these third places can take to further support various collaborative uses. A need for social ergonomics has been identified – affordances that do not hinder the flow of activities in the co-located use of ICT in collaboration.