- Location:
- Capacity: 38Â students, plus a 12-seat seminar room with a mobile wall
- Type: Active learning classroom
Alignment with principles for designing Teaching and Learning Spaces
Academic challenge
Promote individual, active engagement with content.
Layout
Work surfaces for notebooks, laptops, and textbooks: large, shared tables.
Acoustics: Design includes acoustic panels to mitigates distraction from outside and inside noise sources.
Furniture
Adjustable height computer monitors for optimal comfort.
Technologies
Access to infrastructure: desktop computers (1:1 student-computer ratio) and power for student laptops, networked printing. Access to resources: LMS, internet, software.
Lighting & colour
Appropriate overhead and natural lighting for individual work.
Learning with peers
Promote active engagement with one another.
Layout
Promote face-to-face communication: hourglass-shaped tables encourage students to communicate with one another in groups of 3 or 6. Individuals can move about easily.
Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations among students.
Furniture
Flexible seating (chairs on wheels).
Technologies
Shared workspaces (writable walls, screen-sharing).
Lighting & colour
Sufficient lighting for group work.
Experiences with faculty
Promote interaction and communication.
Layout
Easy access to all students: Instructor can easily move around room and can circulate from table to table.
Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations.
Furniture
Smaller podium does not interfere with sightlines or interaction. Mobile chairs support different teaching strategies (e.g., group work in various sizes, student presentations, etc.)
Technologies
Dual-source projection and multiple classroom technology sources (Smartboard, document camera, instructor computer) and multiple screens permit simultaneous display of different learning materials.
Lighting & colour
Different lighting patterns to support multiple types of teaching tasks.
Contributions to the campus environment
This room is designed to integrate with surrounding spaces; the classroom opens onto a break-out space (Burnside 512) and the Geographic Information Commons (GIC), which provides abundant space and the technological resources for students to work individually or in small groups. This room is designed for all populations using the space: well-lit, with a standardized room control panel that simplifies instructors’ use of equipment in classrooms across campus. University standards were applied, including improved ventilation and sustainable building practices. IT is consistent with teaching and learning needs, and durable furniture contributes to sustainability efforts. Both physical and virtual affordances help maximize High Impact Practices (HIPs) for student learning within and beyond this classroom.
