Exploring ECU’s Pilot Spaces: First Impressions From Educators

How Educators are Using the Pilot Spaces to Explore the Future of Teaching and Learning at ECU City

In anticipation of the new ECU City campus opening in Semester One, 2026, ECU has opened Pilot Spaces at the Mount Lawley and Joondalup campuses. These are replica learning spaces designed to prepare educators and students for these new teaching environments. The spaces allow users to ideate, practice, and refine diverse and dynamic teaching and learning approaches.

Over the course of Semester Two, 2024, the Educational Experience (EdEx) team welcomed educators from various Schools to teach a class in the Pilot Spaces. Our team interviewed some of the educators who took part in this opportunity, and they shared valuable feedback.

Reimagining What is Possible

After Tania Visosevic’s (Lecturer, School of Arts and Humanities) initial class in the Pilot Space, she rewrote the activities for the next class to fully utilise the potential of the new space. She found that the activities were far more invigorating because she could use the space in more engaging ways than in traditional classrooms. She also noted that the atmosphere of the space was much more dynamic. Not only are they new, but the experience of using the spaces feels significantly better, and she believed the students picked up on this as well. One student who had missed the initial class in the Pilot Space later heard from peers that he had missed out on a great experience—”so much fun,” they told him. Hearing students speak positively about their experience, completely unprompted, was incredibly rewarding for Tania.

There was an enthusiasm from the students to walk into a space that was fresh and seemed to have potential. They enjoyed being there. – Tania Visosevic’s (Lecturer, School of Arts and Humanities)

Embracing Technology to Enhance Engagement

Ahmad Khanfar (Lecturer, School of Business and Law) found that the technology-rich affordances in the Digital Learning Pilot Space made his class delivery more efficient and fostered strong student engagement. The ability to seamlessly switch between sharing his screen and displaying student work kept the class focused and responsive to each task. Having integrated microphones that were easily accessible and in good working order made things very easy and were especially helpful for students joining the class online.

Bringing Online Students Into the Classroom Experience

Vahri McKenzie (Senior Lecturer, Arts and Cultural Management at WAAPA) typically structures her classes by delivering a talk or lecture to on-campus students while recording it for those learning online. However, she often felt restricted by being tethered to her laptop, as both the microphone and camera were built into it. This constraint usually limits her ability to fully embody her teaching. The Learning Space’s microphone uplift function changed that—she could now activate it and move freely around the room without any loss of audio for online students. Additionally, she could set up the video to capture both the entire classroom and the slide presentation, creating a more immersive and engaging experience for online learners.

Getting Creative

Craig Dalton (Lecturer, WAAPA) utilised the Learning Space for an assessment where students created a podcast episode about a figure in musical theatre history. Previously, students submitted a finished video directly to Craig for his review, but by utilising the Pilot Spaces, students presented their podcasts live, with the room arranged in a semi-circle. The “presenter’s studio” was positioned at the front, surrounded by a live audience made up of the students in the class. This setup enhanced creativity and engagement, as students received real-time reactions to their jokes and content. The immediate feedback added an extra dimension to their learning experience, making the session more dynamic and interactive.

In an AI introduction class held in the Digital Learning Space, Craig had shared information via email before the session, but the tech pods made it much easier to access and display this information during class. Typically, students would sit in groups facing each other while working individually. However, using the pods—where one laptop served as the central driver of the activity—encouraged true collaboration. Instead of working independently, students had to engage as a team, focusing on a shared screen. This setup fostered a more interactive learning experience, allowing students to explore broad tasks collaboratively without Craig needing to be too prescriptive. His goal was for them to dive into the activity, experiment, and discover for themselves both the capabilities and limitations of AI.

Should You Get Involved in the Pilot Spaces in 2025?

When asked if they would recommend the Pilot Spaces to other educators, the response was overwhelmingly positive.

Totally! It’s going to be great to spend a semester there and redesign activities to make the most of the space.
– Tania Visosevic (Lecturer, School of Arts and Humanities)

Craig Dalton (Lecturer, WAAPA) found that the experience shifted his perspective, prompting him to consider, ‘if this is what the space can do, what can I do?’ Instead of viewing the classroom as a challenge—limited by heavy desks or fixed layouts—the Pilot Spaces allowed for easy adaptation and reconfiguration. This flexibility reinforced the importance of integrating the potential of these spaces into lesson planning early on.

Not only did educators have a great experience teaching in these spaces, but they also felt it was preparing them for the transition to ECU City and its new learning environments. Being able to visualise what teaching at ECU City will be like and understanding the potential for engagement has allowed them to plan and reimagine their classes, opening the door for deeper interaction with future students. The goal is to ensure that when educators arrive at ECU City, they feel confident and prepared rather than overwhelmed by unfamiliar technology.

The EdEx team is grateful to the educators who gave their time, both to experience the Pilot Spaces and for sharing their crucial feedback with us. We are looking forward to seeing what this semester’s classes will bring and hope that it will encourage creativity and exploration in learning design as well as building confidence for the move to ECU City.

What’s Next?

Want to learn more about upcoming opportunities to utilise our Pilot Spaces in 2025? Whether you’re looking to explore innovative teaching methods or experience these dynamic learning environments firsthand, the EdEx team is here to help! Get in touch with us today to find out how you can get involved.