Educational Environment and Students

Introduction to learning environment:                

The term environment has been used in higher education to cover different levels of description. At the institutional level, it describes policy, administration, regulations, buildings and social facilities, while at departmental or school level there is another set of administrative and organizational policies and arrangements, as well as collaborative decisions about how course content is selected and organized. The choice of course content in professional areas is, however, also influenced externally by validating bodies, and by the academic community within the discipline.                          

At any point in time, the learning environment is a social system that includes the learner (including the external relationships and other factors affecting the learner), the individuals with whom the learner interacts, the setting(s) and purpose(s) of the interaction, and the formal and informal rules/policies/norms governing the interaction.                    

As an individual proceeds through medical school and residency training, he/she encounters many discrete learning environments. Each contributes, to a greater or lesser extent, to shaping the individual’s professional attitudes, values and behaviors, as well as knowledge and skills. Together, the discrete learning environments add up to the total experiences of the learner within the educational program.                        

A truly open-ended learning environment would involve students in independent research to find and select their own relevant resources (e.g., in the campus library, on the internet). Beyond these extensive programs, individual researchers can develop their own learning environments for the classroom.  

The Factors Influencing Learning Environment:                

Learning depends on several factors, but a crucial step is the engagement of the learner. This is affected by their motivation and perception of relevance. These, in turn, can be affected by learners’ previous experiences and preferred learning styles and by the context and environment in which the learning is taking place. In adult learning theories, teaching is as much about setting the context or climate for learning as it is about imparting knowledge or sharing expertise.  

The factors influencing the learning environment are:   

1. Motivation: 

Motivation can be intrinsic and extrinsic.  Assessments are usu- ally a strong extrinsic motivator for learners. Individual learners’ intrinsic motivation can be affected by previous experiences, by their desire to achieve, and the relevance of the learning to their future. A teacher’s role in motivation should not be underestimated. Distractions, unhelpful attitudes of teachers, and physical discomfort will prompt learners to disengage. 

Educational 

2. Physiological needs: 

Physical factors can make it difficult for learners and teachers to relax and pay attention. Ensuring adequate breaks and being mindful of the physical environment are part of the teacher’s role.Along with this the difficulties of running sessions in cold or overheated rooms, in long sessions without refreshments, in noisy rooms, in facilities with uncomfortable seating can also effect learning environment.

3. Safety: 

A teacher should aim to provide an environment in which learners feel safe to experiment, voice their concerns, identify their lack of knowledge, and stretch their limits. Remembering names and involving the learners in setting ground rules are other examples of building mutual trust. 

4. Belonging: 

Many factors help to give a student a sense of belonging in a group or team—for example, being a respected member, having one’s voice heard and attended to, being given a useful role, and having colleagues with similar backgrounds, experiences, and goals. Learners are motivated through inclusion and consultation. Their input to a course’s objectives and structure should be sought, valued, and acted on. 

5. Self esteem: 

Praise, words of appreciation, and constructive rather than destructive criticism are important. It can take many positive moments to build self esteem, but just one unkind and thoughtless comment to destroy it. 6. Self actualization: Teachers may need to consider whether the course (or that particular piece of study) is suitable for that student.

6. Relevance: 

The relevance of learning is closely linked to motivation: relevance for immediate needs, for future work, of getting a certificate or degree regardless of content. Learning for learning’s sake is back in vogue in higher education after a move towards vocational or industrial preparation.  Faculty members need to explain to students why these courses are necessary and how they link to future practice. The following figure summarizes the learning environment:

Strategies that we must adapt in order to motivate the students towards learning are:

Teacher as a role model: 

The teacher is the most powerful variable in educational environment.The teacher`s actions, attitudes, enthusiasm and interest in subject will affect learners indirectly. I will hence try to adapt similar attitude so as to be a better role model for students.

Environment: 

Room temperature, comfort of seating, background noise, and visual directions are factors that can affect concentration and motivation. will make sure that all these things are managed accordingly.

Psychological support: 

Respect for the learners and their needs ,praise, encouragement to participate can all lead to a positive learning experience so I will try to practice as much of the afore mentioned practices as much as possible in order to make my teaching more effective and motivational.

Article by

Dr Mahwash Mengal 

Senior Lecturer 

Physiology Department