People who continuously learn new skills enjoy better career prospects, job satisfaction, social connections, and cognitive health. To support long-term holistic success, universities across the world must do more than impart specific knowledge and prepare students to embark on a career path. When universities expand into “experience arenas” — diverse, socially conscious environments — students build the foundational skills and mindsets to return to their education after they leave campus.

To reimagine higher education with an emphasis on lifelong learning, universities will have to broaden the definition of a college campus and the function of the classroom. The design industry has a unique opportunity to transform the spaces where the student journey unfolds by incorporating learning landscapes: intentionally designed areas that enhance different modes of learning and imbue the teaching-learning process with purpose, agility, resilience, and equity. We conducted original research at five universities in Latin America to understand the challenges universities and students face and the ways learning landscapes can help overcome these challenges.