MU plans for interactive model classroom
The classroom will have swivel chairs and three projection screens.
Published March 9, 2010
Strickland Hall room 117 is a fairly typical MU classroom; brown armchair desks in scrambled rows face the front of the room toward the teacher's table, chalkboard and overhead projector screen. But come fall 2010, the room will feature swivel chairs in a concentric oval layout, multiple projectors, increased whiteboard space and numerous other features which will make it unlike any other MU classroom.
The projected cost for the model classroom is estimated to be approximately $100,000 including furnishings and audio/visual equipment, Space Planning and Management Director Heiddi Davis said in an e-mail.
The "model classroom" has been in the works since fall 2009 when Davis began giving tours of renovated and un-renovated rooms on campus to instructors to gain their input for the classroom's design.
"We asked the teachers to assess their surroundings and then we asked them what they think could use improvement," Davis said.
One concern expressed by instructors was in classrooms where desks with chairs had replaced the desks with p-shaped writing surfaces, moving the desks so students could do group work was cumbersome. To combat that issue, the classroom will feature swivel chairs.
"The swivel chairs allow students to follow the teacher and to work with fellow students without the disruption of moving chairs," Davis said. "The larger rectangular top will be more conducive to using laptops, large materials and calculators."
Academic Support Center Director David Dunkin said Steelcase, a company that does research in the instructional environment and its physiological and psychological components, developed the chairs. Dunkin was a part of two faculty groups that visited the company's Grand Rapids, Mich., headquarters.
"This classroom is going to try and incorporate some of the research they have done," said Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies Jim Spain, who also visited Steelcase.
Another concern expressed by teachers was the difficulty of reaching students in the back of the classroom, an issue addressed by the oval layout of the room.
"The faculty member can move into the oval to get closer to students who are usually in the back of the room," Davis said. "This won't stop teachers with a regular lecture style."
The combination of circular seating and swivel chairs would also allow students to see their peers.
"One of the issues the campus is sensitive to is learners being able to communicate with each other," Dunkin said.
The circular seating would provide clear sight lines so students can see each other during discussions, Spain said.
Instead of a single projector streaming video, room 117 will have three so students won't be too close or too far from the screen, Dunkin said.
"With the multiple screens it will be easier for students to see and track the discussion," Spain said.
The remodeling of the room will also include moving a cinderblock wall, which creates an isolated alcove in the room. Moving the wall will instead create a nook in the hallway where standup tables and a bench will be installed.
"These little nooks can allow a teacher to talk with a student outside the class when another class is coming in," Davis said.
Changes will be made to the construction of the classroom as well.
"Acoustic treatments include acoustic ceiling tiles and wall panels above the white boards," Davis said.
The floors will also be carpeted to reduce noise, which can be disruptive in rooms with the traditional laminate flooring.
Teachers will be asked for their feedback of the classroom after using it next semester, said Davis, who also plans to do a tour with students later this spring.