Evolving Library Space: From "Information Commons" to "Collaborative Learning Commons"

This is the title of an interesting presentation that highlights a proposed "Collaborative Learning Commons" for UNC Asheville. A fresh perspective and links to loads of references and images. Unfortunately, not all the links are still active, but the ones that are provide much to think about.

Design Criteria for Informal Learning Spaces

Recently, I listened to an interesting podcast put together by the Educational Technology Service at Pennsylvania State University. About midway through, the author identifies general design criteria for informal learning spaces as follows:

1) Comfortable
2) Inviting
3) Interesting color, shape and layout
4) Free of distractions
5) Movable furniture which students can reconfigure to meet their needs
6) Aesthically pleasing
7) Able to accommodate individual as well as collaborative work
8) Provides an ambiance for learning that stimulates, motivates and inspires.
9) Provides a combination of physical and technological attributes that enhance learning

Hard to argue with any of that.

There are other resources at this site that you might find of interest.

Update to Educational Specifications

At the end of September we published the Final Update to the Educational Specifications.

Recently, we updated the package with two addendums - "The Learning Landscape" and the "Educational Technology Plan." We developed these to initiate a dialogue which will ultimately provide important design guidance to Urban Works, Inc., the project architect

To access these documents at the Project Web Site, see the earlier post, "Project Update and Design Meeting."

Designing Spaces for Effective Learning

Use link to the left under Learning Spaces to access and download this the pdf document. It is an excellent reference with many ideas concerning specific IT applications.

Planning & Designing Technology-Rich Learning Spaces

We have a link under "Learning Spaces" to this website in the UK. The material here is first rate, and in a short space, they present a great amount of useful information. There only a few quirky terms, such as "bespoke," but importantly the site has many good references and links to plenty of pictures. For pictures, go to the "Resource Collection," and then select "Flickr Photo Library."

This site is sponsored by JISC Info Net. JISC stands for "Joint Information Systems Committee. In the "About Us" section, JISC states, "JISC InfoNet aims to be the UK's leading advisory service for managers in the post-compulsory education sector promoting the effective strategic planning, implementation and management of information and learning technology."

Sounds bureaucratic, but I think the site is very helpful.

Learning Spaces

There is so much going on in this area that it is hard to know where to start.

To the left, we plan to list under "Learning Spaces" some of the better resources we have found on the web. We invite your comments and references to sources that you find helpful.

On its website, Educause states that it is, "a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology."

This is a vast website with lots of areas and topics to explore. One of the Educause major initiatives is "ELI" or Educause Learning Initiative and under "ELI Resources" you will find the reference to the Learning Spaces e-book which was published in August 2006 and to which we have provided a link.

There is a lot of information here, but it is as good a place to start as any.

Project Update and Design Meeting

On Oct 17 we met with the staff and faculty at the UH Center in West Hawaii (Kealakekua) and with members of the HawCC Advisory Committee to review our progress to date, describe three alternative site utilization plans and present some preliminary architectural concepts. This meeting was preceded by a meeting a week earlier on Wed, Oct 8 with members of the UH staff to review the three Alternative Site Utilization Plans.

Copies of presentation materials may be found at our project web site.

To access the site, click on "Project Web Site" in "Other Links" to the left, then select, "Project - West Hawaii Center." This will take you to the site homepage.

Check out the "Sitemap" in the "Navigation" window. Click on "Sitemap" and go to "Update LRDP." Here you will find a folder with the meeting presentation materials.

Palamanui Meeting

On Oct 16, Sheldon Zane and I met Guido Giacometti and John Moore at the Palamanui site. We discussed progress to date and reviewed arrangements for civil infrastructure.

Towards the end of the visit, we met with Helen Beljean from "Arts of Kona." She described their interest in developing a performing arts center for Kona.