Collecting Data

Collecting Quantitative Data

This can take a number of forms, for instance:

• Numbers of users over time - can be collected automatically by magnetic swipe or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors
• Equipment loans (such as laptops or PDAs) - dates of loans, length of loan, course of study

Collecting Qualitative Data

This can also take a number of forms, for instance:

• Video diaries
• Written diaries produced by users
• User blog sites
• Web forum. An example of this is a small item on changes in learning spaces, where students choose to learn and the spaces they like on Heriot-Watt University's Students Association Forum.

Methods For Collecting Both Quantitative And Qualitative Data

• Feedback questionnaires
• Focus groups - using the variety of stakeholders described in the section on Working With Others
• Behavioural observation - how do users interact? What group sizes are most common?
• Photographic studies - The University of Dayton in Ohio has used the photographic study approach in three innovative spaces. Photos are taken every hour for a week recording the configuration of furniture and the uses to which the space is being put. The study will continue at intervals over a number of years and changes in the use of space will be recorded.
• Edge Hill University chose to take an ethnographic approach to evaluating their SOLSTICE Space, focusing on student and tutor experiences on a particular foundation degree module over ten weeks. This approach included observation of sessions, student focus group interview (followed by further paper-based questions) and tutor reflections. A presentation by John Davey, Manager of SOLSTICE, complements the Edge Hill case studies.