Learning Resources

Abstract: While adopted as a safer near-term solution, outdoor learning environments now seem likely to play a larger role in long-term planning. Schools will now use lessons learned during the pandemic to think more critically about outdoor campus space as an integral component of classroom education and to support student wellbeing. Before the Fall 2020 semester, the Siebel Center for Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign partnered with architects and engineers to lead a virtual design charrette focused on extending the life of outdoor campus spaces as learning environments. They also reached out to schools around the country to learn about their recent experiences with these spaces.

Abstract: Like many universities, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by modifying the function and occupation of campus physical spaces. This virtual tour will explore formal learning spaces, the social spaces that connect them, the outdoor built environment, and the COVID-19 response strategies implemented to fulfill the academic and research mission of UIC while protecting the health and safety of the university community. Come learn how partnerships between university planners, architects, facilities management, grounds staff, public health experts, and medical experts have formed to prepare for the safe return to campus spaces.

Abstract: The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), like many other higher education institutions, consists of a vast array of space types that require different protocols to safely re-open post-COVID-19. A diverse team of faculty and staff are leading UIC's recovery plan, focusing first on space types and second on each building's particularities in order to determine safety measures. Come learn about UIC's recovery plan for residence halls and classrooms as well as its established protocols for enabling the safe return of students for the fall 2020 semester.

Abstract: Learn the things you need to do to get ready and stay ready! Numerous recent campus disruptions, outages, and disasters have highlighted the importance of investing in the proactive risk management solution known as academic continuity planning. Go beyond theory and concepts to the actual integrated mechanics and step-by-step methodology for developing and maintaining operational-level continuity plans. Cultivate integration with a service designed specifically to support the need for higher education institutions to be prepared. Is your campus ready?