The development of an evaluation methodology to assess the efficacy of a furniture design for STEM education

The nature of the delivery of education is changing. Traditional “chalk and talk” methods of delivery, featuring hierarchical class structures where knowledge is handed down to students from a teacher located at the front of the class are moving towards collaborative and group learning methodologies where the teacher, as facilitator, guides learners on their own journey of self-discovery. This change is particularly prevalent in practice-based learning and collaborative problem-solving activities. These activities are commonly used in the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. A feature of this type of educational methodology is the use of collaborative, hands-on, open-ended projects and activities where learners solve real-world problems by making and testing prototype solutions, typically using programmable kits such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi. This type of project work presents challenges in the provision of a suitable classroom environment and relevant educational furniture as the work typically involves a diverse range of activities carried out in a collaborative manner. Using a case study of the development of the development of a Learning Analytics System (LAS) and a suitable physical environment in which to deploy it, this article aims to describe the development of an evaluation methodology, by which the efficacy of the proposed furniture design for STEM education can be measured against criteria set out in the design brief. The findings indicate that the application of an evaluation matrix with mixed method data inputs can be used to rate the performance of a design and the conclusion points to other potential scenarios to which this approach could be applied.