Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aim of this study was to create a student-centred theory of university campus by understanding how students use the physical space for learning and socialising and how this usage changes over time. The study ran for three years at the University of Bradford. The city campus was the site researched and 24 undergraduate students were recruited and retained across three phases of data collection aligned with three academic years; 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22. In years 19/20 and 21/20, data was collected with a place-based method that involved a participant led walking interview combined with audio recorded unstructured interview, participant digital photography of campus and researcher mapping of the route walked. In 20/21, data was collected with online methods via participant produced photos with photo elicitation interviews or unstructured interviews. The objectives of the study were to understand how students used campus for socialising and learning, how their usage changed over time, explore the potential of a novel combined place-based method, and develop an analysis protocol to carry out synchronic and diachronic analysis on visual, textual and spatial data.

Main Topics:

Student experience; university campus; COVID-19 disruption 

Volunteer sample

Face-to-face interview