Background & Context

 

Type of Project

 

The Blended Learning Unit (BLU) has developed two learning spaces at the University of Hertfordshire - one in the main College Lane accommodation and one in the College Lane Learning Resources Centre. They are refurbishments/re-purposing of original spaces.

 

Start and End Dates

 

The BLU, a HEFCE CETL, was established in 2005 and the refurbishment and repurposing work was carried out from mid 2005 and the spaces were brought into service in February and May 2006.

 

Case Study tags: university of hertfordshire, learning spaces, refurbishment, south-east england, higher education

 

The BLU has been set up as a self-contained unit with the aim of supporting the development and evaluation of blended models of learning and teaching i.e. the combining of established ways of teaching and learning with emergent opportunities afforded by learning technologies. It has developed two learning spaces that are designed primarily to support collaborative learning, but also to be flexible enough to support other approaches.

ROOM ONE is a technology-rich learning space for up to 24 students. The room has 24 custom-made trapezoidal tables that can be arranged in various configurations, depending on the desired dynamics (e.g. conference, cabaret or lecture style). The tables were designed to be large enough to work as individual workstations, yet lightweight enough to allow the room layout to be readily reconfigured. The default layout has four groups of six tables in a conference arrangement for collaborative working. Wheeled, office style chairs enable those in the room to move about readily. It is used for a range of teaching projects (mainly involving BLU teachers) and staff development events.

• It offers considerable potential for increasing our understanding of collaborative learning and the degree to which such technology can enhance this process. This will contribute to our views on room specification more widely.
• The wireless laptop provision and flexibility of room layout will mean that it can support a range of computer based learning activities, including a training area for staff wanting to learn to use interactive whiteboards or tablet input devices.
• It provides a well specified environment simply to experiment within.
• Finally, we envisage that it will be made available to groups of staff wishing to work on particular projects - for example, redesigning a curriculum - in a high tech environment, conducive to collaboration and creativity.

 

ROOM TWO, suitable for 48 students, draws on many of the design features of Room One, but was intended to be scaleable. It has a similar teaching wall, but no interactive whiteboards. The furniture is arranged in 6 tables of 8, each of which has access to wall mounted whiteboards and flipcharts. An early student evaluation of this room rated the audio-visual support and the room layout particularly highly.

 

Both rooms were underpinned by a student-centric view of learning, with collaborative learning opportunities forming the primary focus of the designs. The use of low desks for the teachers, rather than lecterns, was also intended to put all users of the room on a more equal footing. The rooms are also intended to be easy to use. This is definitely the case with ROOM TWO, but the use of a range of novel technologies, particularly the interactive whiteboards, in ROOM ONE means that teachers, in particular, need a good induction to the room.

 

Funding Sources

 

The BLU draws on recurrent funding to enable a core of blended learning teachers to have the time and resources to develop and evaluate their own practice and research, and support a variety of dissemination activities. It used part of its capital funding to equip the two dedicated learning spaces and to set up a visible presence within the Learning Resource Centre at the College Lane Campus.

 

Cost of Project

ROOM ONE Audio visual equipment: £55K
ROOM TWO Audio visual equipment: £20K

 

Technology

 

ROOM ONE is fully equipped with a state-of-the-art teaching wall that includes dual data projection, an interactive whiteboard, an ordinary whiteboard, several computer inputs, tablet interface, VCR, DVD and visualiser. There are also four interactive whiteboards around the room to support students' small group collaborative work. A touch screen control unit enables the output of any device to be projected on any of the room's six screens. Instead of a lectern, there is a low level cabinet towards the front of the room, minimising physical barriers between tutor and students. The room is wirelessly networked and includes a rack of 18 portable laptops for computer based activities.

 

The teaching wall enables the teacher to use a wide range of inputs and capture the teaching activity via such techniques as audio recording and presentation recording. The interactive whiteboards enable students to develop, record and display their ideas electronically and save them to their StudyNet (University of Hertfordshire's managed learning environment) websites. Their work can also be shared with other groups using the control unit. If all the laptops are deployed, the room can be used as a computer laboratory.

 

The teaching wall in ROOM TWO can be used in a similar way and the students can also work in groups using the whiteboards and flipcharts. If outputs need to be saved, the students can take photographs with digital cameras and load the results onto their StudyNet sites.

 

Adding Value

 

The technology adds value by supporting collaborative work in a resource rich environment (i.e. access to the internet, module websites and the University's electronic catalogue are all readily available). It facilitates sharing between groups and the archiving of activity onto StudyNet websites, so that students can review work retrospectively. The students have also reported that they find the environment stimulating. In addition, many develop new IT skills as part of the learning process.

 

Success Factors

 

What Makes The Space Successful?

 

ROOM ONE

 

The flexibility of the furniture and the technology facilitates different kinds of collaborative working and reduces the barrier between teacher and students. Tutors who use the space as a computer lab are particularly pleased with the opportunities the room offers.

 

ROOM TWO

 

The flexibility of the furniture and the technology facilitates different kinds of group working and the general ambience of the room has prompted very positive feedback from users.

 

What Is Innovative About The Design And The Use Of The Space?

 

The space is designed to provide maximum flexibility in its configuration. The room is equipped with a teaching wall that includes dual data projection, and an interactive whiteboard alongside a standard whiteboard. However, the main feature of the room is its ability to support student group activities: The remaining walls carry four further interactive whiteboards and a Crestron MediaManager system enables the output of any device e.g. a tablet, a VCR, DVD player, or visualiser, to be projected on to any one of the room's six screens.

 

A highly equipped space such as this must be flexible enough to accommodate varied pedagogic and disciplinary aims. The BLU has commissioned custom-made trapezoidal tables which are large enough to be used as individual workstations, and light enough to be rearranged to provide conference-style groups of seven for collaborative learning activities. The trapezoidal design has made optimum use of the available space and wheeled office-style chairs enable easy movement between groups or stations.

 

This testbed space will further the understanding of the role of technology in collaborative learning alongside established methods, and has already informed the development of other teaching spaces. A further BLU teaching room of a more generic design will be available for the academic year 2006/07. This will be equipped with one main teaching wall comprising a tablet, data projector, visualiser and standard whiteboard - it has been found that this combination will suit large group teaching rooms better than an interactive whiteboard. With access to the wireless and local area network, resources on StudyNet will be more readily integrated into teaching sessions. Once again trapezoidal tables have been installed in this room to support varied pedagogic approaches, but with an emphasis on collaborative group learning.

 

Top Tips

 

Academic and media services staff need to work closely so that both perspectives can inform the final design (our design team included five academics and our senior media consultant).

 

Lessons Learned

 

Academics and students will always think up new wish lists for rooms - this is true, even in highly specified rooms such as these.

 

The 18 laptops require a lot of setting-up and putting-away time. They are used in relatively few sessions and we have also had to introduce processes for ensuring Windows and virus checker updates do not interfere with teaching time.

Post Occupancy: Changes Made As A Result Of Feedback

The touch screen controls on ROOM ONE's Crestron MediaManager control unit has had some minor amendments to make audio easier to use (initially the audio followed the use of a particular screen, but now the user has a menu to select the relevant audio input).

 

Contact Details

 

The Blended Learning Unit (BLU) website: www.herts.ac.uk/blu
Jon Alltree, Deputy Director, BLU: j.r.alltree@herts.ac.uk