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

Education 627

AV Instructions

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: Acoustically treated doors and windows to avoid distraction.

Furniture

Comfortable furniture: adjustable, ergonomically approved chairs.

Technologies

Access to infrastructure: power for student laptops, networked printing, desktop computers available. Access to resources: LMS, internet (via laptops or available desktops).

Lighting & colour

Appropriate lighting for individual work. Intentional use of color to promote focus.

Photograph of a classroom in Education 627
View of EDUC 627 facing the front of the classroom.

 

Learning with peers

Promote active engagement with one another.

Layout

Promote face-to-face communication: round tables encourage students to communicate with one another in groups of up to 9. Individuals can move about easily, and sight lines are unobstructed.

Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations at student tables. Appropriate amplification available (student table mics, carefully placed speakers).

Furniture

Flexible seating (chairs on wheels).

Technologies

Shared workspaces (writable walls, screen-sharing).

Lighting & colour

Different lighting patterns support different activities. Writable wall board colours match table colours to define the collaborative brainstorm space for each group.

Photograph of a classroom in Education 627
View of EDUC 627 facing the back of the classroom.

Experiences with faculty

Promote interaction and communication.

Layout

Easy access to all students: Instructor is in middle of room and can circulate easily from table to table.

Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations. Wireless and wired audio amplification available.

Furniture

djustable-height podium doesn't interfere with sightlines, movement and interaction, and has ample surface space for instructional materials. 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 (Sympodium, document camera, student computers, etc.) and multiple screens permit simultaneous display of different learning materials. Instructor can control classroom technologies away from the podium via wireless mouse.

Lighting & colour

Different lighting patterns support multiple types of teaching tasks. Colours distinguish what groups work on which writable wall boards.

Photograph of a classroom in Education 627
View of instructor's podium.

Contributions to the campus environment

Classrooms that incorporate elements of active and collaborative learning are part of a vision for a variety of flexible campus learning spaces. 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. 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.

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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