McGill.CA / Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) / Teaching and learning spaces / Renovated learning spaces

Centennial Centre 163

AV Instructions

Alignment with principles for designing Teaching and Learning Spaces

Academic challenge

Promote individual, active engagement with content.

Layout

Large tablet work surface for notebooks, laptops, or textbooks.

Acoustics: Acoustic design to avoid distraction from outside and inside sources.

Furniture

Lightweight chairs permit students to work individually or in groups.

Technologies

Access to resources: LMS, internet (via student laptops). Dual-source projection and multiple screens permit simultaneous display of different learning materials.

Lighting & colour

Appropriate lighting for individual work.

Photograph of a classroom in Centennial Centre 163
View facing the back of the classroom.

Learning with peers

Promote active engagement with one another.

Layout

Flexible layout permits students to move easily from small group to larger group activities.

Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations among students.

Furniture

Lightweight chairs permit students to turn and discuss with those nearby, and allow for easy reconfiguration of the classroom to support a variety of collaborative learning approaches.

Technologies

Whiteboards wrap the room, providing ample shared workspace for student brainstorming, work on projects, and presenting.

Lighting & colour

Large windows bring in natural light, and lighting fixtures provide additional light.

Photograph of a classroom in Centennial Centre 163
View facing the front of the classroom.

Experiences with faculty

Promote interaction and communication.

Layout

Instructor is not limited to the “front of the room” and instead has access to all students due to mobile furniture and multiple aisles between the chairs. Chairs can be set up in different configurations according to the pedagogical activity and goals.

Acoustics: Sound zones ensure that not only are students able to hear the instructor, but that the instructor is also able to hear the students.

Furniture

A small podium does not interfere with sightlines or movement, while still being large enough for all instructional materials. Mobile furniture supports different teaching strategies.

Technologies

Multiple classroom technology sources (document camera, data projector, Sympodium, Blu-Ray/DVD, etc.) permit display of different learning materials.

Lighting & colour

Lighting patterns support multiple types of teaching tasks; brightly coloured chairs visually add to the space.

Photograph of a classroom in Centennial Centre 163
View of instructor podium.

Contributions to the campus environment

Classrooms that incorporate elements of active and collaborative learning are part of a vision for campus learning spaces of many different sizes. This classroom is designed for flexible furniture use and 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. Both physical and virtual affordances help maximize High Impact Practices (HIPs) for student learning within and beyond this classroom.

McGill University is on land which has served and continues to serve as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. Teaching and Learning Services acknowledges and thanks the diverse Indigenous peoples whose footsteps mark this territory on which peoples of the world now gather. This land acknowledgement is shared as a starting point to provide context for further learning and action.

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