Wednesday, February 3, 2016

UK Learning Space Toolkit

A "UK Higher Education Learning Space Toolkit" has been issued by the Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association at
University of Oxford. This is a 92 page report, available as chapters or one PDF download. It is to help plan new formats of teaching rooms, usually called "innovative and collaborative spaces" to replace traditional tiered lecture theatres and small tutorial rooms. The idea is to provide for both presentations and group work in the one room, combining the lecture and tutorial. 

The toolkit provides detailed advice on designing new learning spaces, including the placement of equipment. After investigating many complex designs over several years, I decided that simplest was best: rectangular rooms with flat floors, white-board walls which can be projected on. All furniture should be on wheels, so it can be rearranged. The same standard computer and audio-visual equipment as used in lecture theaters should be installed, but otherwise there should be no computers installed (assuming students bring their own).

ps: I received an acknowledgement in the document, but couldn't recall what it was I contributed. Apparently they changed changed some of the terminology used, based on my suggestions.


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