Learning Resources

Abstract: This session will highlight how a collaborative team promoted innovation to enable decision making throughout the Plant Sciences Initiative design process at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Built pre-pandemic, this future-proofed building continues to successfully serve as an energizing hub for innovation. NCSU's integrated planning and data-driven process for designing a flexible academic research building has inspired cross-functional collaboration, leading to increased industry partnerships and innovations. Come learn how leveraging benchmarking, analytics, and an integrated planning process can produce a successfully designed, forward-thinking research building.

Abstract: Integrated planning is essential for delivering campus facilities that support institutional vision and create a strong student academic experience. Juniata College was at a crossroads related to vision and curriculum direction while it was launching a comprehensive campaign that prioritized a library renovation. This session will focus on one provost's vision for planning and designing a learning commons around a new curriculum and share post-occupancy data to define what worked. Come learn how the planning, funding, and design process behind this inclusive facility has dramatically increased library use by students, faculty, and outside groups.

Abstract: Building consensus is challenging, but planners who are empowered by knowledge of their campus's space can make informed decisions on how to plan for its most efficient usage. Through an integrated, inclusive, and tactile study of space, we'll share how diverse groups can help build a new baseline of knowledge. Come learn how to develop a grassroots approach on your campus by applying a space occupancy and utilization study that uses actual data and analytical graphics to aid in decision making and strategic planning on a small and large scale.

Abstract: Campus facility design is a complex process that involves many sources of opinion and influence. Educational environments must enhance evolving pedagogies, support learning, administrative, and social functions, and accommodate ever-changing institutional needs. The systematic use of standardized evaluation tools for assessment of higher education facilities provides comprehensive insight into occupant experience from diverse, unique perspectives for informed and integrated planning decisions. In this session, we'll share practical strategies for conducting occupant evaluations across all types of facilities, as well as occupant outcome findings and the resulting planning decisions.

Abstract: Designing a forward-thinking research building without identified occupants is a bold undertaking. Through an integrated planning and data-driven process, North Carolina State University (NCSU) designed a flexible academic research building, inspiring cross-functional collaboration which has led to increased industry partnerships and innovation. This session will highlight how a collaborative team enabled decision-making throughout the design process to create a future-proofed, energizing hub for academic research. Come learn how to leverage benchmarking, analytics, and an integrated planning process to design successful and innovative buildings on your campus.

Abstract: Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of learning space is now an essential tool for institutions to align capital decisions with student performance. We will explore exemplary active-learning environments and the evaluation methodology we used to measure how these environments have elicited learning behaviors that foster student engagement. You will learn which aspects of the learning environment are important to measure, how to measure them, and how the collected data connects to metrics that matter to institutions.

Abstract: Connection hubs re-vision the traditional campus commons so it encourages community, personal interaction, and wellness. These flexible and transformable spaces allow students, faculty, and staff to gather, collaborate, and emotionally bond with the environment. We will look at examples of connection hubs and discuss how they are designed, their benefits, and how their impact is measured.

Abstract: We are all invited to take the stage in some form in our lives, whether that be in an interview for work, a speech at a wedding, or simply asking a question in a business meeting or classroom setting. We all have ideas, questions or explorations which we hold back from sharing because our brains are hardwired to prioritize acceptance by our peers and avoid rejection and ridicule. Sometimes, this keeps us safe—but more often than not—it keeps us from truly stepping into a life of opportunity.

The first major theme of the presentation is the psychology of fear. What makes so many of our hands shake, our body’s fidget and our minds forget our words once so perfectly rehearsed? It is an evolutionary response, developed eons ago, designed to protect us. Public speaking asks us to do the one thing we are hard-wired not to do – step outside of the tribe and ask to be invited back in. As relatively weak and slow planetary beings, we survived only in community. Public speaking is the most vulnerable and scary thing that we can do. We will explore the role of this response and how it “shows up” for us in our modern-day world and body and four scientifically-proven ways to shift out of fear and into action using both science and story to address the “hack”.

The second major presentation theme is the role of nonverbal communication. Research shows that over 93% of communication is nonverbal, demonstrating that our brains are wired to prioritize nonverbal over verbal communication. But as presenters, we focus on what we say – rather than how we say it. We engage in fun-partner work to learn how our brains are specifically attuned to body language – and the signals that we are unintentionally demonstrating while speaking from a place of fear or anxiety.

The presentation is concluded with a challenge: to invite each audience member to make one commitment to themselves to lean in towards one area of fear in their life, whether that’s practicing a strategy at home or stepping onto the stage to share their message with the world.

Abstract: Many institutions are trying to figure out what to do with buildings from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, many of which could be considered “background buildings”. With failing systems and extensive upgrade costs, what are the pros and cons of renew versus replace? Can “old” be made new again while maintaining architectural diversity for students on campus? See how other campuses are dealing with this issue as it relates to policy and capital projects. We'll include case studies of both rehabilitation and tear-down.

Abstract: While nontraditional students now make up the majority of most student bodies, we continue to use physical planning outreach and engagement tools designed for traditional students. This session shares how we developed new practices and tools to deliver better campus experiences for students from nontraditional backgrounds, yielding social equity in campus planning and building design. You will learn about new physical planning engagement and assessment tools that reveal and remedy the disparities nontraditional students encounter in their lives on campus.