UNE’s Center for the Enrichment of Teaching and Learning plans classroom renovation project
The Center for the Enrichment of Teaching and Learning along with UNE Facilities and Information Technology are collaborating with Herman Miller, a major American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment, which conducts an ongoing project called the Learning Spaces Research Program. Since 2007, more than 35 institutions have collaborated with Herman Miller on this program in which higher education institutions pilot new approaches to educational spaces that go beyond furniture and include use of space, lighting, sound and technology.
By participating in the program, UNE can:
- Test ways to design space that supports the latest pedagogical methods and learning styles
- Experiment with solutions for both traditional and non-traditional learning spaces
- Evaluate new approaches to learning spaces on a small scale before investing in -large-scale solutions
- Increase engagement among students and between faculty and students for more effective learning
- Help gather data and insights to shape more effective learning spaces in the future
Two of our classrooms are designated for this study, 108 Blewett on the Portland campus and 303 Marcil on the Biddeford campus. A core group of faculty volunteered to become part of the initiative and were involved in a visioning workshop last week to design the classrooms. Over the summer they will participate in two days of professional development training focused on pedagogical techniques to actively engage students and most will teach in these spaces utilizing active learning techniques in fall 2016.