- Location: 3644 Peel St., Montreal, QC
- Capacity: 72 students
- Type: Flat classroom
Alignment with principles for designing Teaching and Learning Spaces
Academic challenge
Promote individual, active engagement with content.
Layout
Students can work individually or in groups at tables with ample space for notebooks, laptops, and textbooks.
Acoustics: Design includes acoustic panels to avoid distraction.
Furniture
Comfortable, adjustable, ergonomically approved chairs on wheels permit students to work individually or in groups.
Technologies
Access to resources: Learning Management System, internet (via student laptops). Multiple sources (Sympodium, document camera) and screens for simultaneous display of different learning materials. Lecture recording permits individual review of course materials after attending class.
Lighting & colour
Appropriate lighting for individual work.
Learning with peers
Promote active engagement with one another.
Layout
A flexible layout permits students to collaborate with one another and configure the space in multiple ways, moving easily from small group (groups of 3-6 students) to larger group activities.
Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations among students.
Furniture
Comfortable, adjustable-height chairs on wheels permit students to turn to discuss and work with those next to or behind them. Mobile chairs and tables allow for reconfiguration of the classroom to support a variety of collaborative learning approaches.
Technologies
Glass writable boards are available around the room, providing ample shared workspace for student brainstorming, work on projects, and presenting. Students can share their laptop screen wirelessly with the classroom projector screens.
Lighting & colour
Tall ceilings, natural light and appropriate overhead lighting create a spacious environment with ample light for group work. Bright green chairs bring an energizing accent colour to this space.
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 easily mobile furniture.
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. Wired and wireless instructor microphones are available.
Furniture
The podium provides ample space for all instructional materials, and has a height adjustment for accessibility and convenience. Mobile furniture for students supports different teaching strategies.
Technologies
Classroom technologies (data projector, document camera, sympodium, wireless screen sharing) permit display of different learning materials.
Lighting & colour
The wood-paneled walls and brightly coloured chairs help to provide a welcoming ambiance in the room.
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 classroom 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.
