The move away from transmission-based lecturing toward a more student-centred active learning
approach is well evidenced in STEM higher education. However, the examination of active learning has
generally remained con
fined to formal timetabled contexts, with assumptions made that students
independently manage the transition between timetabled and non-timetabled learning. This paper
introduces research
findings from a mixed methods study that used an ecological approach when
investigating student transitions between a formal lecture theatre and adjacent informal breakout
space in a UK STEM university. Using quantitative occupancy monitoring data to analyse usage
patterns of both spaces, in combination with qualitative ethnographic observations and
field
interviews, permitted a purposeful exploration of student engagement with transitions within and
between the two learning spaces. The ecological approach aided the discovery of spatial, pedagogic
and agentic transitions and tensions, which subsequently informed strategic modification of space
across the institution to facilitate the adoption of active learning pedagogy.