Active Learning Spaces

With the paradigm shift to student-centered learning, thephysical teaching space is being examined The configuration ofclassrooms, the technology within them, and the behaviors theyencourage are frequently represented as a barrier to enactingstudent-centered teaching methods, because traditionally designedrooms typically lack flexibility in seating arrangement, areconfigured to privilege a speaker at the front of the room, andlack technology to facilitate student collaboration.But many colleges and universities are redesigning the spaces inwhich students learn, collapsing traditional lecture halls and labsto create new, hybrid spaces--large technology-enrichedstudios--with the flexibility to support active andcollaborative learning in larger class sizes. With this change, ourclassrooms are coming to embody the 21st-century pedagogy whichmany educators accept, and research and teaching practice arebeginning to help us to understand the educational implications ofthoughtfully engineered classrooms--in particular, that spaceand how we use it affects what, how, and how much studentslearn.This is the 137th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher educationseries. It offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques forimproving college teaching based on the experience of seasonedinstructors and the latest findings of educational andpsychological researchers.

EDITORS' NOTES 1D. Christopher Brooks, J. D. Walker, Paul Baepler1. History and Evolution of Active Learning Spaces 9Robert J. BeichnerThis chapter reaches into the ancient past to bring us up todate on the evolution of the lecture, classrooms, andtechnology.2. Using Qualitative Research to Assess Teaching and Learning inTechnology-Infused TILE Classrooms 17Sam Van Horne, Cecilia Titiek Murniati, Kem Saichaie, MaggieJesse, Jean C. Florman, Beth F. IngramThis qualitative study examines the challenges involved indelivering better faculty development to prepare instructors tohave the best experience in Iowa's TILE classrooms.3. Active Learning Classrooms and Educational Alliances:Changing Relationships to Improve Learning 27Paul Baepler, J. D. WalkerThis preliminary study addresses the question, how are socialrelations among students and between students and instructorsaffected by newly configured, technology-enhanced classrooms?4. Coffeehouse as Classroom: Examination of a New Style ofActive Learning Environment 41Anastasia S. Morrone, Judith A. Ouimet, Greg Siering, Ian T.ArthurThis mixed methods study looks at a unique active learningspace, the Collaboration Cafe. Using video data, daily checklists,and student surveys, the authors evaluate the space and itspotential for exploratory teaching.5. Pedagogy Matters, Too: The Impact of Adapting TeachingApproaches to Formal Learning Environments on StudentLearning 53D. Christopher Brooks, Catherine A. SolheimThis quasi-experimental study follows an instructor who teachesin an active learning class for the first time and later adapts herteaching methods to fit the physical characteristics of theroom.6. Strategies to Address Common Challenges When Teaching in anActive Learning Classroom 63Christina I. Petersen, Kristen S. GormanWhat practical considerations should instructors be aware ofbeforeteaching in an active learning classroom for the first time?7. Conducting an Introductory Biology Course in an Active LearningClassroom: A Case Study of an Experienced Faculty Member 71David Langley, S. Selcen GuzeyThis in-depth case study of a biology professor traces thepedagogical practices of an experienced instructor as he transformshis class for delivery in the active learning classroom.8. TILE at Iowa: Adoption and Adaptation 77Jean C. FlormanWhat factors are critical to the successful launch of a newstyle of learning spaces?9. Active Learning Environments in Nursing Education: TheExperience of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing85Beth Fahlberg, Elizabeth Rice, Rebecca Muehrer, DanielleBreyThree instructors reflect upon their experiences in a prototypeactive learning classroom in advance of sweeping curricular changeand a move into a new suite of classrooms.10. Conclusion: Advancing Active Learning Spaces 95Aimee L. WhitesideIn this concluding chapter, the previous chapters are recountedand directions for future research are considered.INDEX 9