The Teaching Spaces Audit Service helps departments evaluate and improve their teaching spaces.
It supports the development of inclusive, technology-enabled rooms that meet the diverse needs of students and staff and enable innovative teaching and learning.
Delivered jointly with the Centre for Teaching and Learning, this service integrates audio-visual (AV)/IT expertise with pedagogical insight to offer a holistic view of each teaching space’s current functionality and opportunities for improvement.
What’s involved
The audit process is collaborative and supportive. Participating departments can expect:
- A visit from the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the audio-visual support service to find out how up to three teaching spaces function in practice
- During the visit, a conversation with staff to understand how the space(s) and available AV equipment are used day-to-day, from the teaching activities they support, to any common challenges encountered. The insights and experiences of those most familiar with the space(s) are crucial to shaping meaningful recommendations for improvement
- The conversation and will inform the evaluation of each space against the Teaching and Learning Standards. The standards set out what makes a space inclusive and ready to support a wide range of teaching practices. This framework is evidence-informed, endorsed by Education Committee, and validated by student feedback.
What you’ll receive
After the visit, you will receive a tailored report to support ongoing planning, including:
- Practical recommendations for improvements, based on observed use of the space and aligned with inclusive and innovative teaching and audio-visual best practices
- A clear results summary outlining how each space performs against the Teaching and Learning Standards
Together, the recommendations and results summary provide a concise resource to support internal planning discussions and strengthen future funding bids for teaching space upgrades.
Guidance on identifying viable funding pathways for implementing teaching space improvements is available in the Teaching Spaces Investment Map.
How to request an audit
If you are interested in a Teaching Spaces Audit, please request this via IT Self-Service. A member of the team will be in touch to schedule your visit at a convenient time.
Background
Good quality physical teaching spaces are a fundamental need - meeting this basic is the foundation for innovation. This project has helped to shine a light on the value of inclusive, well-equipped environments that support both staff and students in delivering and engaging with excellent teaching.
Prof Helen Christian
The service was developed and refined through the Physical Teaching Spaces project, launched in 2023 as part of the Digital Transformation Programme and aligned with the Digital Education Strategy 2023-27. During the pilot phase, more than 100 audits were carried out across the University, drawing on both AV IT and educational practice to identify opportunities for improvements. The team developed a University-wide matrix of standards, informed by a literature review and audit visits, and validated by student feedback.
