Bodil Hovaldt Bøjer

My research explores the relationship between design, learning environments and pedagogical practice, with a particular interest in how the physical environment can become an active resource in teaching and learning. I investigate how learning environments are designed, experienced and used, and how design processes can contribute to the development of new pedagogical practices and forms of learning.

A central focus of my research is co-creative and participatory design of learning environments. I am interested in how teachers, students and other users can contribute to shaping the environments in which they teach and learn, and how their knowledge and experiences can be integrated into design processes. This includes exploring how spatial qualities, organisational practices and pedagogical approaches interact and how the potential of the physical environment can be activated through practice.

More broadly, my research is concerned with design as a means of development and change. I explore how design can support the development of human capabilities, professional practices and organisations, as well as contribute to more sustainable ways of living and working. My research interests therefore span learning environment design, design pedagogy, participatory design, sustainable design methods, and the relationship between spatial design and practice.

My research is informed by both design research and educational research, as well as by extensive experience working at the intersection of research and practice. Before entering academia, I worked as a project manager at Rune Fjord Studio and Bosch & Fjord, where I was involved in the development of learning environments and user-centred design processes. This practice-based experience continues to inform my research approach and my interest in understanding design not only as a process of creating artefacts and spaces, but as a way of enabling change.