Trading Spaces, Pedagogies, and Technologies: Developing a University Active Learning Center via Public-Private Partnership

Abstract

ABSTRACT Faculty in higher education are challenged to change their instructional approaches in outmoded, stagnant learning spaces to meet the needs of 21st century learners. Traditional learning spaces on most college campuses consist of locked, rowed seating and desks designed to maximize room capacity and accommodate large numbers of students. The physical constraints of these spaces often limit the use of more innovative teaching methods that allow students to assume greater ownership of their learning. For more active, student-centered learning to occur, greater mobility in the physical learning space may be necessary to allow for improved connection, collaboration, interest, and engagement. In this paper, we share experiences in forging a public-private partnership to transform a 46-seat computer lab into a 32-seat active learning center (ALC) in which mobility is a signature feature. Upon using the ALC for the first time, options for space and furniture configuration allowed instructors to create, and re-create, work groups to facilitate student collaboration while digital technology and active learning tools allowed students to share information easily and often. Most students rated their experiences in the ALC favorably, though not all participants embraced the active learning approach and instructional space with immediacy. Original research would help to understand students’ experiences and isolate the effects of space on student learning and engagement. Our successes and challenges in building and using the ALC may be used to meaningfully inform other public-private partnerships in higher education to transform teaching and learning through active instructional design approaches.