Dr. Elke Altenburger
Associate Professor, Interior Design
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected Research
Biography
Elke Altenburger is an Associate Professor for Interior Design. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri and has a degree as a Graduate Engineer of Interior Architecture from the University of Applied Science in Düsseldorf, Germany. She practiced interior design in large design teams in Europe and the United States, developing a portfolio featuring cultural buildings and higher education projects. Elke has had an interest in physical environments for children since her time as an undergraduate. Her research revolves around student perspectives on informal learning environments and the spaces between classrooms in public secondary schools and on college campuses.
Current Courses
FCS 499.003 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
FCS 287.002 Independent Study
FCS 400.003 Independent Study
FCS 370.001 Interior Design II: Studio
FCS 370.002 Interior Design II: Studio
FCS 470.001 Interior Design II: Studio
FCS 470.002 Interior Design II: Studio
FCS 291.003 Undergraduate Teaching Experiences In Family And Consumer Sciences
Teaching Interests & Areas
- Design Studios
- Children's Spaces
- Materials, Properties and Connotations
- Professional Drawings and 3 Dimensional Drawing Concepts
- Modern and Contemporary History of Interiors
- Qualitative Research Methods
Research Interests & Areas
- Socio physical school environments
- Design education
Ph D Environment and Behavior
University of Missouri, College of Human Environmental Sciences
Columbia, MO
Graduate Engineer of Interior Architecture
University of Applied Science
Duesseldorf, Germany
Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusivity Award
Family and Consumer Sciences
2025
Catalist Award
ADFii Health
2025
Connie J Ley Outstanding Researcher Award
Family and Consumer Sciences
2024
Gamma Alpha Dissertation Year Fellowship
Chancellor of Graduate Studies of the University of Missouri
2016
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award
College of Human Environmental Science
2016
Dissertation Research Travel Award
Office of Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri
2015
Workshop for Course Design: Creating Significant Learning Experiences
Office of Graduate Studies of the University of Missouri
2015
Marcia W. Healy + Robert N. Healy Graduate Scholarship
2012
Prize for Outstanding Students of Architecture
German Cement Industry
1994
Grants and Contracts
Advancing Research and Creative Scholarship
Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger, Sundeep Inti, Alec Foster.
Illinois State University. October 2025
“Advancing Research and Creative Scholarship (ARCS) Track II”
Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger, Sundeep Inti, Alec Foster, Reem Bagais.
Illinois State University. August 2025 - 2026
CAST Professional Development Funds
Elke Altenburger.
Illinois State University. 2025 - 2025
CAST Publication Incentives
Elke Altenburger.
Illinois State University. 2025 - 2025
CAST Publication Incentives
Elke Altenburger.
Illinois State University. 2024 - 2024
Day of Celebration of Inclusive Intergenerational Environments. CAST Grant for Innovation in Diversity
Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger, Connie Dyar.
CAST DEBI Grant. November 2024 - 2025
"Grants for Innovation in Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI)
Elke Altenburger, Chang Su-Russell, Connie Dyar, Reem Bagais.
Illinois State University. December 2024 - 2025
Publication Support Grant
Elke Altenburger.
Illinois State University. 2024 - 2024
Center for Inclusive Intergenerational Environment
Elke Altenburger, Gabriela Fonseca Pereira, Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell.
Illinois State University. 2023 - 2024
Relaxing Sketch Inhibition with a Hybrid Approach: Studio-Based Assignments and Travel Sketches. SoTL University Research Grant
Elke Altenburger, Poornima Mankame, Rylee Schaafsma.
Center for Integrated Professional Development. July 2023
"First-Gen Favorite Places" Campus Tour. CAST Grant for Innovation in Diversity
Elke Altenburger, Tamekia Bailey.
College of Applied Science and Technology. December 2022 - June 2023
Youth and family experiences of transparent school buildings: Perceptions of connection, exposure, and safety
Elke Altenburger, Luke Russell.
College of Applied Science and Technology - University Research Grant. July 1 2021 - June 30 2022
School Climate at Country High: The Spaces-In-Between at a Rural School
Elke Altenburger.
College of Applied Science and Technology, University Research Grant. July 2018 - January 2020
New Faculty StartUp Support Reserach Grant
Elke Altenburger.
October 15 2017 - September 15 2019
Abstract
A Coffee Shop Environment's Impact on Work Behavior: Perceptions of Working Patrons
Haley Gwin, Elke Altenburger.
IDEC Regional Proceedings, (2023)
Book, Chapter
Perspective Chapter: Perceptions of Glass in High School
Elke Altenburger.
(2024), 10.5772/intechopen.1008329, Materials Science, IntechOpen
Navigating the space between soft leads and mixed reality with design students
Elke Altenburger, Gabriela Fonseca Pereira.
Handbook of Interior Architecture, Routledge
Conference Proceeding
Creating inclusive environments via inter- and transdisciplinary team science.
Luke Russell, E. Sharp, Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger, D. Weiser, Reem Bagais, Connie Dyar, M. Chowdhury.
National Council on Family Relations, (2025)
Three modes to approach sketch inhibition in design students
Elke Altenburger, Poornima Mankame, Rylee Schaafsma.
Interior Design Educators Council, (2024)
Fostering an Intergenerational Agenda with a College Community
Elke Altenburger, Connie Dyar, Reem Bagais.
Environmental Design Research Association
School Climates at Country and Prairie High: The Spaces In-Between at Two Rural High Schools
Elke Altenburger, Benjamin Wellenreiter.
American Educational Research Association
Journal Article
Alarm Will Sound: Student Perspectives on Risk-Free Space at School
Elke Altenburger.
Children, Youth and Environments, 33 (1), 50-75, (2023)
Anticipated satisfaction of technologies in the homes & lives of older adults to prolong independence
Emily Whelan, Connie Dyar, Keri Edwards, Elke Altenburger, Gabriela Fonseca Pereira, B Johnson.
Online Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, (2023)
Relaxing Design Students’ Sketch Inhibition: Experiences with Theoretical Grounding and Impermanent Media
Elke Altenburger, Isabella Falche, Haley Gwin.
International Journal of Art & Design Education, 42 (1), 69-85, (2023), 10.1111/jade.12446
Safety and Exposure in Transparent School Interiors: Patterned User Perceptions of Glass
Elke Altenburger, Luke Russell.
Journal of Interior Design, 48 (4), 223-241, (2023), 10.1177/10717641231202738
Rural High School Libraries: Places Prone to Promote Positive School Climates
Elke Altenburger.
Journal of Learning Spaces, 10 (1), (2021)
Where to Hang Out: Interplay Between School Building Characteristics, Authority Structures and School Micro-Climates
Elke Altenburger, Benjamin Wellenreiter.
Children, Youth and Environments, 31 (2), 1-33, (2021), 10.7721/chilyoutenvi.31.2.0001
A Long-Lasting Disciplinary Morning Ritual: The Wild Walk at Sendak Middle School
Elke Altenburger.
Children, Youth Environments, (2019)
Framing the Teaching Green Building: environmental education through multiple channels in the school environment.
Laura B. Cole, Elke Altenburger.
Environmental Education Research, 25 (11), 1654-1673, (2019), https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1398817
Teaching sketching in college: The role of feedback, fieldtrips, and process sketches.
Elke Altenburger, Poornima Mankame.
Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal - Annual Review, 19 (1), 47-68, https://doi.org/10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v19i01/47-68
Presentations
Creating Inclusive Environments via Inter- and Transdisciplinary Team Science
Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger, Reem Bagais, Connie Dyar.
Annual Conference of National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), Baltimore, MD, November, 2025
Fostering an Intergenerational Agenda with a College Community
Elke Altenburger, Connie Dyar, Reem Bagais.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 56), Halifax Nova Scocia, May, 2025
Informal Campus Learning Spaces: Participatory Action Research Based Community Visions
Elke Altenburger, Reem Bagais, Amy Bardwell, Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell.
Illinois State University Teaching and Learning Symposium, Normal, IL, January, 2025
Belonging/Inclusion in Campus Spaces: Considering Caregiving and Intersectional Identities
Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger, Reem Bagais, Amy Bardwell, Reecia Orzeck, Gabriela Fonseca Pereira.
Annual Conference of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), Bellevue, WA, November, 2024
Re)Defining and (Re)Negotiating Spaces of Belonging: First-Gen Campus Audio Tour
Tamekia Bailey, Elke Altenburger, La Tonya Rease Miles.
Annual Conference of National School Public Relations Association, Anaheim, CA, July, 2024
Developing and Launching a Center for Inclusive Intergenerational Environments: Lessons Learned and Future Directions
Elke Altenburger, Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell.
Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference, Lancaster, PA, July, 2024
Most/Least Favorite Spaces on a University Campus: Examining Leverage Points and (Dis)similarity across Generations
Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell, Elke Altenburger.
Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference, Lancaster, PA, July, 2024
Three Modes to Approach Sketch Inhibition in Design Students.
Elke Altenburger, Poornima Mankame, Rylee Rowley.
Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference (IDEC), New York City, IL, March, 2024
What remains to be explained? Instructional Approaches to Sketch Inhibition.
Elke Altenburger, Poornima Mankame.
Illinois State University-Wide Teaching and Learning Symposium (2024), Normal, IL, January, 2024
A Coffee Shop Environment’s Impact on Work Behavior: Perceptions of Working Patrons
Haley Gwin, Elke Altenburger.
Midwest Regional Conference of the Interior Design Educators Council, Milwaukee, WI, September, 2023
Safety and Exposure in Transparent School Interiors: Patterned User Perceptions of Glass
Elke Altenburger, Luke Russell.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 54), Mexico City, June, 2023
Sketch Inhibition in Interior Design Students: Impact of 3 Studio Interventions on Confidence and Design Development
Elke Altenburger, Isabella Falche, Haley Gwin.
Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference (IDEC), Online, March, 2022
Go Writing on the Wall: Creative Thinking Modes and Collaboration
Elke Altenburger.
Illinois State University-Wide Teaching and Learning Symposium (2022), Normal, illinois, January 5, 2022
Anticipated Satisfaction of Technologies in the Homes & Lives of Older Adults to Prolong Independence
Connie Dyar, Emily Whelan, Keri Edwards, Elke Altenburger, Gabriela Fonseca Pereira, Brenda Johnson.
IDEC National Fall Symposium, Virtual, October 1, 2021
Securing, implementing and surviving a design studio remodel through innovative visioning.
Connie Dyar, Ani Yazedjian, Elke Altenburger.
Teach to Reach: Strategies for the New Realities, Online, September, 2020
Developing an Assessment Framework: Measuring Digital Literacy of Interior Design Students in a Digital Drawing Course
Somang Yang, Connie Dyar, Elke Altenburger, Bill Anderson, Taneshia West-Albert.
IDEC Midwest Conference; Forging Ahead, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 24, 2019
Library Space and High School Climate
Elke Altenburger.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 50), Brooklyn, New York, May 25, 2019
Hallway 1C: A Third Place or a Design Flaw?
Elke Altenburger.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 49), Oklahoma City, OK, May 31, 2018
The Dissertation as a Process
Elke Altenburger.
Summer Workshop Department of Architectural Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, July 28, 2017
Teaching Sustainability through Architecture: Three Case Study Green Schools
Laura Cole, Elke Altenburger.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 48), Madison, WI, June 01, 2017
A School for the Future Challenges the Culture of Control
Elke Altenburger.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 48), Madison, WI, June 01, 2017
Framing Experience: Exploring Student Photography to Understand Youth Experiences in Green School Interiors
Laura Cole, Elke Altenburger.
Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference (IDEC), Chicago, Il, March 09, 2017
Social Space at Orbit High
Elke Altenburger.
Environmental Design Research Association Annual Conference (edra 47), Raleigh, NC, May 25, 2016