Survey on Student’s Perception of Class Room Environment in an Engineering College

Abstract

Effective learning is possible if students new learning patterns, evolving education technologies and methodologies are better understood by all stakeholders. The man-machine model for a class-room is proposed and analyzed through a case study. The paper focuses on the student’s perception of current teaching-learning environment and the issues therein. A questionnaire survey (n=178) is done on the students of one of the engineering colleges in the State of Kerala in India. The factor analysis of the worksystem factors indicated three distinct dimensions, i.e., ‘Technology’, ‘General environment’ and ‘Work environment’, and that for outcome measures indicated the following three dimensions, ‘Performance’, ‘Review effort’, and ‘Mental & physical strain’. The case study indicated a weak ‘Technology’ interface, i.e., use of modern IT & Communication facility is low, internet facility is inadequate. In ‘General environment’ dimension heat-stress, glare and audibility is cause for concern. In ‘Work environment’ dimension physical configuration due to furniture arrangement is a cause for concern. In ‘Review effort’ dimension the self-study effort needed is high. Students rating for ‘Performance’ dimension are largely satisfactory, but their ratings for ‘Mental & Physical strain’ dimensions indicate they are not satisfied. This calls for ‘Technology’ improvement by providing stable internet facility and connectivity. The ‘Work environment’ could be improved through ergonomic design of furniture design and its layout, while ‘General environment’ could be improved through better air circulation or air-conditioning. Traditional  classrooms  with  rows  of  desk  facing  the  teacher  and  the  board  do  not  fulfil present  day  educational  needs  and  expectations;  therefore  the  available  space  at  colleges requires adaptation to new contexts and roles in education. Human factors such as age, experience, motivation and course factors such as course type, content and scheduling needs to be explored so that the nature and impact on the interactions in teaching-learning environment can be better understood. The causal loops of worksystem factors on outcome measures could be studied through a structural equation modelling.

Keywords: Smart class-room, Active learning, Ergonomics, Man-machine interaction, Information technology, Students perception, Factor analysis