Universities needs an Open Space
Studying can be stressful and raise many questions. Regardless of whether they are about the university itself, i.e. the process, buildings, submitting documents, choosing a subject, etc., or relate directly to a subject, the first problem is uncertainty about who to ask. For university questions, you can usually contact the office staff of the respective university. For subject-related questions, it becomes more difficult. Of course, there are many lecturers who are happy to answer them, or fellow students or former students who can help. But what if all these possibilities are not available and the question remains unanswered? I would like to give you the answer: Welcome to Open Space!
Open Space? — Open Space!
The first question that will go through your mind as a reader is what do I mean by Open Space? At my university of applied sciences in Graz, FH Joanneum, there is a subject called “Open Space” in the Master’s programme Content Strategy. This subject takes place three to four times each semester and lasts two units. This subject is led by Ms Hilary Marsh, who is there for us students to answer any questions. For these few hours she takes on the roles of a therapist, a helper, a lecturer, a friend, a motivator and many more. You wonder why she takes on all these roles? Then I’ll answer the question “What is the reason for the Open Space?”.
Open Space offers us students the opportunity to ask unanswered questions about any topic or subject. We also have the opportunity to discuss direct scenarios from our working life and to hear the opinion of Ms Marsh as well as fellow students. For us students of the Master’s programme Content Strategy, this is a great opportunity to get a deeper insight, but also an explanation for various topics. We, or I personally , need this because the topic of content strategy can mean something different to many people. We have a lot of great lecturers who focus differently on content strategy, because the field is so broad that there is no one right answer. Also, it is sometimes difficult to follow the different practical business cases in class when the approach is different between the lecturer’s home country (mostly UK or US) and mine (Austria).
For this reason, it has been a great concern of the study programme that they offer us, the students, the possibility to talk about open questions as well as uncertainties. And I, as a student, am really grateful for that. Even if you don’t have a specific question, nothing is unclear to you, or you just don’t feel like doing university, it’s great to see that there’s still someone you can ask. It’s also good for your self-confidence to hear that your fellow students haven’t quite understood the topic, are struggling with the assignment or are having problems holding their own in the working world. At this point, we are joined again by Ms Hilary Marsh, who is a luminary in her field and always has an open ear for us.
Open Space also needs a good lector
Hilary Marsh is a content strategist, a content manager, a web operator… She has extensive expertise in every field of content strategy and is leading her own company. For us, all in all, she is simply a great support. With a soft voice and a behaviour very reminiscent of a wise grandma, she gets us to talk about all the problems we have in our studies or that our studies bring us. Personally, I could not say at this stage if this subject would bring me the same benefit with another person. I think my fellow students feel the same way, so I would like to share the following statements from fellow students with you:
“Hilary is super interesting and extremely knowledgeable. Wish she were a full-time instructor” — Azza El Arabi
“It feels to me like Hilary might have a more practical vision of things, which is cool.” — Gabriele Culot
“Hilary is so cool!” — Fida Sarji
“Hilary Marsh for president!” — Azza El Arabi
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the FH Joanneum and the degree programme that offers me / us this opportunity.
For you, it probably reads like a tribute to Hilary Marsh and my degree programme, but you thought wrong! So far I just wanted to give you an insight into an Open Space, and now I’ll get straight to the reasons why such a subject should also be offered at your university.
Reasons for an Open Space
1. Getting answers to unanswered questions
As already mentioned, an Open Space gives you the opportunity to ask questions. You didn’t quite understand something? You can ask questions here. You don’t understand the background? Here you get a clear answer. You are not sure if you can compare apples and pears? Here, the whole variety of the fruit basket is explained to you.
2. Practice-related issues
Imagine you have a problem or a project in your work that fits exactly with your studies and you don’t know how to solve it or how to approach it. Guess what an Open Space can be good for. Exactly! To discuss specific practical circumstances and to get the opinion of an expert and your fellow students. And the whole thing is even free of charge.
3. Exchange with fellow students
This reason is one of the most important for me. I am aware that you naturally talk to your fellow students and some of them have already become friends. However, how often does it happen that you don’t talk about exams or stressful lecturers? How often do you actually talk about the topics and deeper realities of certain subjects? Of course, I can only speak for myself here and that happens rather rarely. In an Open Space, however, you have the opportunity to enter into an exchange with your fellow students that you would never have thought of before. And even if there is no direct communication, you will become wiser just through the topics and questions addressed.
4. We are all in this together
Last but not least, an Open Space is also a meeting place where people can express their personal views on certain topics. Here you can express your opinion and also say if you are frustrated because you don’t understand something or if you personally handle it differently than the editors would like to see it. The best example of this happened in my last Open Space session, where I explained how hard it is for me to see that content strategy is above marketing. In Austria, this is mostly part of the marketing department and lectors from the US always declare it to be higher positioned. It was wonderful for me to see that fellow students jumped right in and expressed their displeasure about it. They too thought they were alone in thinking this way. This feeling encourages you to think that you are not completely wrong and gives you a loving, motivating push. Just like the saying: We are all in the same boat!
Open Space as a main subject
Personally, I think the subject Open Space is really great and I’m also looking forward to having it on the program in the next two semesters. I also think that universities worldwide, but especially in Austria, should include this subject in their curricula. There are far too many unanswered questions and sometimes too little background knowledge among students. Universities should take a good look at themselves in order to eliminate them. Until that time comes, you as an ordinary student can also set up such an Open Space by yourself. Just grab your fellow students and invite experts in the respective field to a symposium. Here you will surely get all the answers and also personal opinions and views.
