Campus Technology Magazine’s May 2013 edition has an article on Designing Collaborative Spaces from an architect’s perspective. There are some very good insights here on designing both formal and informal spaces.
[PDF Version of article]
-LKH
Tag Archives: news
Annual Report on Informal Group on Learning Spaces Now Available
The Annual Report on the Informal Group on Learning Spaces covering Summer 2012 through Spring 2013 has been posted. This report summarizes the activities of the group for the past year. Our membership has grown by about 10% over the last year (having counted this very informally — based on how many names I remember adding to the mailing group). Most folks learn about the group through word-of-mouth and are really excited to be joining. That sure helps keep the group energetic and always adding new perspectives, just the way we like it!
And now is your chance to provide feedback on the Informal Group on Learning Spaces! For the first time in our 3-year history, I am conducting a small survey to gather feedback to help make this group even better!! Please go to the Survey right now to send in your thoughts. This group is a great community, and I hope to keep moving it in the right direction so that we maintain the incredible enthusiasm for learning that everyone brings. Thanks for another great year!
And let me remind you that meeting notes and archives are available for anyone who wants to review where we’ve been how we got here.
-Leslie Hammersmith
125 Classrooms Getting Comprehensive Renovation Over Next 5 Years
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The Instructional Space Improvement initiative is a $70M, 5-year project that will bring some substantial improvements to learning spaces on the Illinois campus. A recent article in Inside Illinois shares the details of the huge project and features photos from the flexible learning pilot spaces in Henry Administration Building. The HAB classrooms are used as examples of some of the innovation the campus hopes results from this kind of comprehensive renovation.
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you are well aware that this project on flexible learning classrooms is near-and-dear to my heart. Based on the CITES Faculty Development Lab I designed in 2006 to showcase a flexible learning environment and conduct a pilot study on student engagement, faculty support and learning space design, the HAB rooms were funded by the Library IT Fee Committee to increase support of the highly collaborative pedagogy and increasing dependence on digital educational resources, such as etexts, that the Rhetoric Program required.
A snapshot of the article teaser on the Inside Illinois website. This photo shows one of the renovated Henry Administration Building rooms.
I am thrilled to see that learning spaces and innovation in our classrooms are becoming top speaking points at the highest levels of our administration, and I am even more thrilled to offer a place for every interested person to gather to learn and share a vision of learning spaces for our campus’ future. Join the Informal Group on Learning Spaces every other week to get in the conversation.
Spring 2012 Series Announced for Informal Group on Learning Spaces
Join your colleagues in a bi-weekly informal gathering to talk about instructional spaces and informal learning spaces at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We meet bi-weekly on Thursdays from 9 AM – 10 AM in 23 Illini Hall (unless otherwise announced) starting February 9, 2012.
The purpose of the informal group is to provide a friendly, informal place for stakeholders at any level in the university to share projects, ideas, needs, dreams, etc about learning spaces. Come to build your network of colleagues who are interested and involved in many aspects of designing, using, and thinking about formal and informal learning spaces. Share your projects that are currently in progress, brainstorm ideas for the future, and get to know people who can help you be successful.
Spring 2012 Series Meeting Dates:
February 9
February 23
March 8
March 22 (Spring Break Special!)
April 5
April 19
See where we were in 2011! http://go.illinois.edu/grouponlearningspaces
Upcoming Presentation: Engaged Scholarship and Digital Storytelling
CITES Academic Technology Services is hosting a brown bag presentation titled “Engaged Scholarship and Digital Storytelling,” featuring Martin Wolske of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Date and time: Wednesday, October 26 from 12 PM to 1 PM
Location: 23 Illini Hall
Abstract
Stories are used to entertain and educate us, and to define and preserve our cultural history. Initiatives such as the Center for Digital Storytelling, the KQED Digital Storytelling Initiative, and Story Corps have brought new attention to the value of digital storytelling by extending the reach of the storytellers and enhancing their use of new media. Join Martin Wolske for a thoughtful look at the ways in which digital storytelling has been combined with engaged scholarship as part of research and teaching at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Brown Bag Series
The CITES Academic Technology Services “Teaching with Technology” Brown Bag Series features award-winning Illinois faculty discussing how they successfully integrated web-based technologies into their teaching. This forum includes presentations on expanding and developing teaching strategies through using emergent technologies and online resources in a variety of disciplines. For more information please visit:
http://go.illinois.edu/citesatsbrownbags
Informal Group On Learning Spaces Hosts Tour On March 24
Who will be on campus tomorrow? If you are one of the lucky ones, consider joining the Informal Group on Learning Spaces at 9 AM to tour some of the newest facilities for students and see some fantastic learning spaces outside of classrooms! There will even be a demonstration of the cool donut-making machine in the Student Dining and Residential Programs (SDRP) Building! (Did you know that students could get fresh made donuts as part of their regular dining experience? I’m jealous!)
Tour details are below, and please be prompt as there are a lot of great spaces to see in a short time. Drop me a line if you plan to come so we will look for you.
SDRP/Nugent Hall Tour Thursday, March 24, 2011 9 AM SHARP in SDRP Lobby Hosts: Melissa Marriott and Gretchen MadsenNugent is the new hall that connects to SDRP and the first floor is dedicated to Beckwith program residents. SDRP has seminar room (classroom) spaces, small study spaces, the learning commons (including the library and computer lab), larger meeting rooms, dining for 1200, servery venues, coffee house, and c-store. It is a lot to squeeze in, but will give everyone a good look at learning spaces outside of classrooms.
Please gather in the lobby of the SDRP at 9 AM and we will depart from there. SDRP is on Gregory Drive, right behind Clark hall.
Submit your proposal for FSI 2011 today!
On behalf of the Faculty Summer Institute (FSI) Steering Committee, we would like to invite you to submit a proposal for this year’s conference, to be held May 16-19, 2011 on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Please mark your calendars now!
The conference theme is “Big-Better-Best: Big Ideas, Better Ways, Best Practices.” The conference will offer Presentations, Headliner Workshops, Learning Teams, Discovery Labs, and of course, plenty of networking opportunities!
For more information and to submit a proposal, please visit the conference website @ www.regonline.com/fsi2011. Follow @FSI or #fsi2011 on Twitter.
Important Dates:
- Call for Proposals Opens: Tuesday, March 1, 2011
- Call for Proposals Closes: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
- Proposals Approved & Presenters Notified by: Friday, April 1, 2011
- Conference Registration Opens: Friday, April 1, 2011
- Acceptance by Presenters/Facilitators: Friday, April 8, 2011
- FSI Conference: May 16-19, 2011
Don’t Delay – Submit a Proposal TODAY!