Use of innovative technologies in enhancing students' learning outcomes

Traditional methods of learning and teaching (L&T) in higher education institutions using lectures and tutorials are proving to be increasingly less effective in engaging today’s students who have ready access to learning technologies. The challenges faced by these institutions, principally due to rapidly evolving technologies resulting in changing educational environment and student expectations, have been highlighted by many recent studies. One of the strategies to improve student engagement resulting in enhanced student learning is to replace the traditional lecture and tutorial spaces with collaborative learning spaces (CLS), making use of this improvement in educational technology. Students can use these spaces to collaborate and work on assigned tasks. Student responses to such spaces have resulted in positive learning outcomes. This chapter presents the use of the CLS in a core civil engineering subject at the Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia. L&T materials were developed to take advantage of the technology-driven learning space. The experience of the facilitator in the development of the L&T material and use of the technology-enhanced space are outlined. Student experiences are also discussed. The opportunities to improve student engagement and the challenges faced by both the facilitator and the students are highlighted.