University Business - May 2011 - (Page 40)

Collaboration STATION dedicated, stand-alone buildings. And then there are study areas connected to classrooms, which Irwin sees as an emerging trend. The spaces allow faculty to, say, lecture for 15 minutes and then break the class into groups to research a topic before reporting back to the class. The Link has a few group areas connected to classrooms. From one classroom, an instructor can observe four group study rooms at once on a single projection screen. In residence halls and student centers, group When students using a Duke Link study room run out of space on the whiteboard walls, study areas are also common, but as Shepley Bull- they have been known to continue writing on the window wall. While that wasn’t the original finch architect Sarah Felton notes, they’re designed intent, the windows clean off easily and staff don’t discourage the practice. to be “more social and less academically rigorous.” signed $22 million in high-tech teaching and learning spaces. Knutel, In any facility, study spaces can be open or closed. Even public who is now executive director for academic technology, the library, areas can be more or less private, as William & Mary’s education and online learning, had five years to observe how the very differbuilding shows. A more public area with a laptop bar can fit about ent set-ups in the breakout rooms in the marketing and accounting 30 people working individually or in groups, and a more private areas were working. The accounting lab, with five collaborative work area is down the hall. Both areas have moveable furniture, which stations all in one large room, was more space- and cost-effective students are encouraged to move, Ward says. from a construction perspective than building four individual rooms As Russell Carpenter, director of The Noel Studio for Academic for the marketing lab. Both designs had horseshoe-shaped custom Creativity, which opened in 2010 within Eastern Kentucky Univer- conference tables attached to the wall to simplify the wiring process sity’s library, knows, study space planning is a challenge. “Navigating and offered large displays connected to a PC (plus laptop connecthe need for public and private spaces is something that you’ll have tions). When Knutel wanted to build 24 additional collaborative to negotiate and discuss within the campus culture,” he says. workstations as part of a $17 million library renovation, he opted for Briggs, whose company handled furnishings for the Taber School the individual room marketing lab approach. While more expensive, of Business at Millikin University (Ill.) prior to his becoming presi- it offered more privacy for student teams working in a competitive dent of the board there, points out that “while people have their business school environment. group areas, you’ve still got to be able, at some point, to do what you’ve got to do on your own.” So the Millikin project included both collaborative spaces and individual computer work —Bryan Irwin, Sasaki stations for anyone’s use. A Sasaki project with a public uniAt EKU’s Noel Studio, enclosed breakout spaces are both highversity system illustrates another challenge related to space planning: and low-tech. Besides being equipped with video cameras, monitors, the perceived inefficiency of collaborative spaces. The design for ren- and cameras, there are marker boards and manipulatives such as ovation of a campus library includes wider hallways and stairwells LEGOs that can be used to “introduce a problem to help a student with places for natural collaboration to take place. “That’s all won- think critically,” explains Carpenter. It’s all in line with the facility’s derful, but when you get to the moment of writing up the program integrated model of communicating within a technologically-soand submitting it to the system, they take their traditional space phisticated space for collaboration and hands-on learning. standards—which in their calculation makes this building only 45 Thirty consultants are trained to help facilitate work, such as percent efficient—and say, ‘That’s unacceptable, we’re not going to when education students are in the building to complete their ePortfund it,’” Irwin shares. With the need for these study areas, “a 70 folios. “The consultants will provide a guide-on-the-side approach percent efficient building no longer makes sense. Some people get to collaboration. They’re present, help students talk to one another, it, some people don’t.” and provide guidance and support,” Carpenter says, adding that the consultants are paid graduate and undergraduate students. Beyond Tables and Chairs Architects generally offer furnishing choices and recommendaAs for components of group study spaces, often the best way to “get tions, with nearly endless possibilities. But experimenting with a it” is to observe them in action. When Phillip Knutel came to Bent- piece that doesn’t wind up fitting the space is not likely a wasted ley University (Mass.) 12 years ago, he was part of the team that de- purchase. “If it’s not working in point A, move it to point B and it 40 | May 2011 universitybusiness.com ‘A 70 percent efficient building no longer makes sense. Some people get it, some people don’t.’ http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2011

University Business - May 2011
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Human Resources
Community Colleges
Networks Freshen Up
Collaboration Station
Someone to Watch Over You
What's New
End Note

University Business - May 2011