A good learning environment is important because:

It is a fundamentally basic condition for you to learn anything.

At MN, the focus of learning environment work is centered around your learning. At MN, the vision in our education strategy (only in norwegian) is that we want you to "succeed academically and professionally." This means that we are working to shift the focus away from us ("we educate and teach") to the most important thing: You and your learning process.

It allows you to interact safely with other students.

We know that learning occurs when you build new knowledge based on what you already know. Additionally, we know that you learn when you actively participate in your own learning process through interaction and collaboration with others. Did you know that 90% of learning occurs when you have to explain something to someone else?

It increases the possibilities for varied forms of learning.

At MN, we place great emphasis on student-active learning methods. This means that as a student, you will encounter a variety of activities in teaching, such as writing activities, discussions in pairs or groups, and student response systems. For you to learn as much as possible, it is important that you actively participate in the teaching and support both yourself and your fellow students in the learning work.

It is a prerequisite for professional success.

You will go through many different ways of learning in your studies, both collaboration with others and increased demands for independence. Perhaps you also enjoy studying mostly by yourself. Nevertheless, we cannot avoid that our job is also to educate you for the working world, and good skills in interaction and communication of what you know is something the labor market seeks.

It increases the likelihood of you succeeding in your studies.

It ensures active participation, and in this way, we learn more about what you as students need. An important prerequisite for learning is therefore a good and safe learning environment. If you experience that you are socially secure and integrated, you will also find it safe to actively participate in the teaching. Vincent Tinto already published a study in 1994 which suggested that social and academic integration plays a significant role in whether you continue your studies. [3]. Tinto's work has been nuanced in later research which emphasizes that both the students' background and the fact that there is not just one academic culture play a part in this picture [4].

It is one of our important tasks.

The focus on the learning environment is clear from authorities and departments, and has significantly increased at Norwegian educational institutions in recent years. [1]. As an educational institution, we are legally required through the University and College Act to facilitate a good learning environment. You can read more about what we commit ourselves to as an institution at Lovdata.

Important characteristics of a good learning environment are:

That you feel a sense of belonging and safety.

This will allow you to use your energy on the actual learning instead of fighting to find your place. You shouldn't feel that you have to conceal your knowledge because you are competing with others; instead, collaboration is a prerequisite for success.

That you experience the ability to influence your surroundings.

We know that expectations about what you encounter and what you believe you are capable of influence both learning outcomes and your decision to continue your studies. The most effective antidote to a large gap between expectation and actual experience is feeling a sense of belonging, both academically and socially, and feeling heard. Early discussions between teachers and other staff with students about their expectations can have a positive effect [3], and this requires dialogue. We also want students to be part of the decision-making process at MN.

That you have good physical environments and various types of arenas suitable for learning.

Extensive collaboration sets requirements for the physical learning environment. At MN, we therefore work to ensure that there are many different types of spaces and arenas for learning, including reading spaces, meeting places for program students, and various types of accessible rooms.

That you receive help when obstacles become too great.

We work both to strengthen the sense of belonging to the program so that you as students take good care of each other, and to further develop our services in terms of accommodation, counseling, and academic support.

This page is translated from norwegian with UiO-GPT and quality assured by the MN-faculty.

References used in the text above:

[1] Iyad Abualrub and Bjørn Stensaker (2018): How are universities responding to demands for an improved learning environment? https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1311991

[2] Holmegaard et al (2013) A journey of negotiation and belonging: Understanding students’ transitions to science and engineering in higher education https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11422-013-9542-3

[3] Tinto, Vincent (1994): Leaving College - Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition

[4] Bolland et al (2023): What challenges do students face in introductory STEM courses, and how can instructors help? https://bioceed.uib.no/dropfolder/bioCEED/MNT2023-Bolland.pdf