October 28-30, 2026 |
Kansas City, MO

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Thu Oct 29•9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Beyond the Ribbon: Evaluating the Performance of Learning Ecosystems

EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)TRACK 4: Evidence, Impact & the Future of Practice — Research, systems, sustainability, and accountability

Most school projects are celebrated at ribbon cutting, yet few teams evaluate whether learning environments truly support learning once occupied. This session explores how learning ecosystems influence engagement, wellbeing, and performance over time. Through a narrative of ten chapters, participants will examine how environments evolve in new and existing spaces. Using the COURSE framework and a small-group scorecard activity, attendees will evaluate environments and identify practical strategies they can apply immediately.

Speakers

Brian Proctor
Brian ProctorK-12 Education Leader/Education Specialist, RATIO Design
Dr Robert Dillon
Dr Robert DillonUS Co-Ordinator, Planning Learning Spaces in Practice/ Rogers Elementary School

More Information

Tags:Group C
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:This session qualifies for Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) credit as it focuses on how learning environments influence occupant wellbeing, behavior, and performance after occupancy. Participants will examine how environmental conditions such as lighting, acoustics, spatial layout, and furniture impact comfort, engagement, and safe use of space. Using the C.O.U.R.S.E. framework, participants will evaluate how design decisions and operational systems support healthy, safe, and effective learning environments over time.
Learner Engagement:This session is intentionally designed around adult learning principles that emphasize relevance, reflection, collaboration, and immediate application. Rather than a lecture-style format, participants are actively engaged through a combination of storytelling, guided reflection, small-group discussion, and hands-on evaluation exercise. The session is structured as a narrative of ten “chapters” in the life of a learning environment, allowing participants to connect new ideas to their own experiences as educators, designers, and leaders. Throughout the session, participants are prompted to reflect on their own learning environments and consider how space, culture, and systems influence teaching and learning. Engagement is deepened through structured peer-to-peer interaction. Participants will engage in small-group discussions at key points in the session to share observations, challenge assumptions, and connect the content to their own contexts. The session culminates in a collaborative evaluation activity where participants use the C.O.U.R.S.E. framework and a structured scorecard to assess a learning environment scenario. This hands-on exercise allows participants to apply concepts in real time, analyze environmental performance, and identify practical strategies they can use in their own schools or projects. By combining storytelling, reflection, discussion, and application, the session ensures participants are not only learning new concepts, but actively engaging with them and leaving with tools they can immediately apply in their own learning environments.
Learning Objective 1:Evaluate how learning environments influence student engagement, wellbeing, and instructional practices over time using a post-occupancy lens.

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Tags:Group E
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:NA
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