Students' perceptions of an innovative learning environment in higher education: an exploratory analysis

Following the guidelines for reconfiguring learning spaces that emerged from the need to develop 21st century skills, a redesign of an educational space was carried out in a Portuguese institution of higher education, changing it to an innovative learning environment (ILE). Thus, this preliminary study focuses on identifying students' perceptions of the attributes of this ILE, according to three main dimensions: physical space, technology, and pedagogy. For this purpose, a survey was applied to undergraduate students who frequently used the ILE. Findings showed that at least 60 percent of the participants evaluated each attribute of the ILE and the impact of the ILE attributes on students' performance with the highest ratings. Additionally, more than 75% of students attributed higher values of the impact on the pedagogical approach experienced in all features inquired and more than 80% considered the ILE layout appropriate for interaction with others.