Samuel Kai Wah Chu - Evolving Landscape of Residential Education: Enhancing Students’ Learning in University Residential Halls

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Most universities around the world provide residential accommodation; yet, only a few, such as Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge, perceive residential halls as part of the higher education curriculum and as providing educational value. Since interpretations of residential education vary among universities and countries, this chapter first describes the history of university residential halls. Then, it provides an overview of current residential hall systems worldwide and examines them from an educational perspective. At the end of the first chapter, a review of relevant literature in regard to the challenges encountered in university residential settings is elaborated upon, so that educators and researchers who are interested in the field may further work on the identified issues to enhance the educational value of university residential halls.

Residential university is a concept that was newly raised by the end of the thirteenth century. Neither Oxford nor Cambridge was established as a residential university when it was founded. However, a university residential model named the Oxbridge model emerged from these two medieval universities, in the hope of providing a better and safer teaching and learning environment for scholars and students.

As one of the oldest universities in Western society, Oxford grew rapidly after 1167, when students were banned from attending the University of Paris by the British government (Morris, ). Social conflicts between students and townspeople arose during the medieval period, as the British King granted more privileges regarding food and shelter to Oxford students. These privileges directly harmed the interests of merchants in the town, as well as deepening social inequality, which resulted in intense relationships between the town and the university in the late twelfth century. Fierce riots broke out when town authorities did not consult orthodox bodies and hanged two Oxford scholars after accusing them of causing the death of a woman. These events resulted in the suspension and reform of Oxford, including the establishment of primitive halls of residence to protect students. Therefore, this context led to the founding of the two oldest colleges in Oxford: Balliol College (1263) and Merton College (1264).