Dr. Ian Glover implemented Bluetooth beacons at the Graphic Design studio at Sheffield Hallam University to create "learning zones" and foster the development of learning communities. The beacons were used to curate and share resources between peers, provide guidance from tutors, and connect students to professional design communities. Students reported an increased sense of community and understanding of design processes. Staff were interested in further integrating technology into the physical learning space. The project blog provides more details on using beacon technology in educational settings.

1. Augmenting Formal and Semi-formal
Learning Spaces by Creating 'Learning
Zones' with Bluetooth Beacons
Dr. Ian Glover
Senior Lecturer in Academic
Development

2. Bluetooth Beacons
Small device that transmit a signal over Bluetooth
• Can be a unique ID number, URL, or both
Signals picked up by app on smart device
• URL can be opened directly from notification area
• Unique ID triggers a specified action within an app (if known
ID)
Adjustable transmission strength means area that
receives a signal can be fine-tuned
• Short-range for very local actions
• Long-range for more general actions
Distance from beacons can also be used to trigger
actions
• Display wider contextual info when far from beacon, giving
increase detail when closer
Eddystone

3. How Beacons Work
Simple identifier format means that the same beacon can trigger different actions
in different apps.
Signal effectively becomes a ‘public good’ - if it is there for one purpose, it can’t
(easily) be restricted from other purposes
• Students can create their own apps that use the existing beacon infrastructure

4. Head Post Office project
- January 2015

5. Project Background
Graphic Design moving to a new ‘home’ studio in Sheffield’s former Post
Office
• Opportunity to try something new with the space
• Integrate technology into the learning spaces
• Opportunity to reconsider practice
Conversations and survey with students suggested they wanted:
• More opportunities to share work with peers
• Further connection with tutors
• Increased use of digital tools
• Additional guidance on software and techniques
Staff motivated to improve the student experience

6. Developing Learning Communities
The main purpose of the project was to develop ‘Digital’ learning zones in the
‘Physical’ studio space to help foster the development of different learning
communities:
Peer community
Inspired by seeing what other students are working on to enhance peer
learning (Process)
Tutor community
Seeing where tutors look for inspiration and what attracts them helps to
model professional behaviour, and enables deeper conversation in
tutorials (Closeness)
Professional community
Sharing work with, and commenting on work by, external designers helps to
model professional behaviour, and helps raise awareness of student when
they start looking for jobs. (Connection)

7. Learning Zones in the Studio

8. Presentation Zone - Tutor Community
Tutor-curated content
Delivered through Tumblr
Scaffold learning outside
formal sessions
Develop student ‘closeness’
to tutors

9. Production Zone - Skill Development
Guidance materials for software and techniques
Video tutorials from Lynda.com
Asynchronous support materials
Personalised resources

10. Collaboration Zone - Peer Community
Student-curated content (Process / Influence / Iteration)
Pulled together Instagram content from any account into one central Pinterest
board based on hashtag (Existing)
Curation process automated through IFTTT (Removing Barriers)

11. Feedback from Students and Staff
Students
‘Increased sense of community among peers’
‘More sources of inspiration from shared resources’
‘Gained a better understanding of their tutors and what it means to be a graphic
designer’
‘Developed further understanding of different workflows and design process’
‘Want to see beacons used elsewhere at SHU’
Staff
‘Change in practice’
‘Looking for new ways to mesh the physical space with a digital layer’
‘Interested in developing further connection to students - Closeness’

12. Further Information and Follow-up
Discussion
More project and technical information on project blog:
https://beaconprojectblog.wordpress.com/
If you want to discuss how you might use
beacons in your institution, contact:
Ian Glover, i.glover@shu.ac.uk, @irglover
This work was supported by a faculty Learning and Teaching Innovation grant from the Faculty of Arts,
Computing, Engineering and Sciences at SHU. It has also received a Google Internet of Things Research
Award.