Learning Resources

Supporting Neurodiversity in Higher Education

When Every Space Counts

By: Kathleen Kelly, MBA, AIA, LEED A+P

By integrating several unique campus voices, we can realize that unassignable space is highly valuable to the neurodivergent campus occupant.

From Volume 51 Number 4 | July–September 2023

Abstract: While universities have long been bastions of intellectual diversity, they are now embracing a broader understanding of diversity that extends beyond race, gender, and socioeconomic background. Neurodiversity, a concept celebrating the natural variations in human neurological functioning, is gaining prominence as an essential aspect of fostering a truly inclusive educational environment.

Institutions Mentioned: University of Cincinnati-Main Campus, University of Southern Denmark, Syracuse University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Washington-Seattle Campus, University of Toronto-Downtown Toronto (St. George), Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Accessibility, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Health and Wellness, Informal Learning Environments, Space Assessment

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Optimizing for Growth

Long-Term Planning Is Essential During an Institutional Merger, Acquisition, and/or Geographic Expansion

By: Clayton Mitchell, MS, PE, CEM, and Chuck Rudalavage, BArch, AIA, LEED AP

Thomas Jefferson University focused on culture, communications, and collaboration during a transformational period of combining institutions.

From Volume 51 Number 3 | April–June 2023

Abstract: Accurately planning long-term strategy can be a shaky task for quickly-growing organizations, especially those that desire to maintain a strong impression on their stakeholders and surrounding communities. History shows that mergers and acquisitions can negatively impact an organization’s culture, communication initiatives, and internal and external experiences. Thomas Jefferson University, a longstanding private medical research university in Philadelphia, educating scholars since 1824, in recent years merged with Philadelphia University and further expanded its footprint through the aligned Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The authors of this article describe how to collaboratively optimize growth during a transformational period.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Change Management, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Medical / Allied Health Facility, Organizational Change, Placemaking, Planning Processes, Renovation

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Webinar Recordings

Published
December 9, 2021

How Assessment Can Improve Your Campus’s Active Learning Spaces

By: David M. Zaiser, HDR | Shannon Dowling, Ayers Saint Gross | Alice Donlan, University of Maryland | Hilary Gossett, University of Maryland | Jeffrey Ashley, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University)

Come join us for an engaging and interactive session that will provide you with critical, campus-tested planning tools that you can use in your own classroom assessment to improve your campus learning environment.

Abstract: Higher education planners recognize the crucial role that active learning spaces play in improving student outcomes, but identifying the specific characteristics that make these environments most beneficial for student success is still an evolving process. Representatives from two institutions—one private, the other public—will share their experiences and highlight the planning tools they use to assess active learning spaces aimed at powering student gains. Come join us for an engaging and interactive session that will provide you with critical, campus-tested planning tools that you can use in your own classroom assessment to improve your campus learning environment. This webinar was brought to you by the SCUP Mid-Atlantic region.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University, University of Maryland-College Park
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Active Learning Environments, Analyzing Stakeholders, Assessment / Analytics, Facilities Assessment, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, Space Assessment

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Conference Recordings

Published
July 15, 2021

2021 Annual Conference | July 2021

Go Outside! Learnscapes and Optimizing the Spaces In Between

By: Heidi Creighton, BuroHappold Engineering | Julie Hendricks, University of California-Santa Barbara | Alice Kimm, JFAK Architects | Mia Lehrer, Studio-MLA

In this session, we'll discuss how to connect structure, landscape, and sustainability to counter VUCA and establish stable and productive learning environments that enhance performance, creativity, and wellness through connections to nature and newly-expanded views and perspectives.

Abstract: Pandemics aren't going away, which is why institutions must invest in permanent outdoor learnscapes to optimize educational outcomes. In this session, we'll discuss how to connect structure, landscape, and sustainability to counter VUCA and establish stable and productive learning environments that enhance performance, creativity, and wellness through connections to nature and newly-expanded views and perspectives. Come discover new ways to transform your outdoor campus spaces with wellness-oriented designs to offset enrollment decline, maintain stable learning conditions, and stabilize class sizes.

Institutions Mentioned: University of California-Santa Barbara
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Landscape / Open Space, Learning Environments, SCUP 2021 Annual Conference

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Conference Recordings

Published
July 12, 2021

2021 Annual Conference | July 2021

Campus Tour | University of Toronto-Scarborough

Valley Land Trail

By: Jennifer Adams Peffer, University of Toronto Scarborough | Mayes Rihani, University of Toronto Scarborough | Dan Bender, University of Toronto Scarborough | Mark Schollen, Schollen & Co. | Markus Hiller, Schollen & Co.

The trail was conceived as a truly accessible pathway that brings our community of all abilities closer to nature and opens up options for teaching and research directly within the lands we occupy.

Abstract: The Valley Land Trail at the University of Toronto connects the main upper campus to its ravine and valley lands below. This gently sloping trail winds past trees before climbing above the ravine floor to reveal dramatic views and then ultimately negotiating a 19 meter drop to the forest floor where it meets a city-maintained path. The trail was conceived as a truly accessible pathway that brings our community of all abilities closer to nature and opens up options for teaching and research directly within the lands we occupy.

Institutions Mentioned: University of Toronto-Scarborough
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Campus Master Planning, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Landscape / Open Space, SCUP 2021 Annual Conference

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Conference Recordings

Published
July 12, 2021

2021 Annual Conference | July 2021

The Next Chapter in the Paradigm Shift for Hands-on Learning

A higher education design expert, an educator, and a panel of students across hands-on disciplines will share their perspectives on how education spaces might evolve as hybrid learning becomes the new normal.

Abstract: Future-proofing education spaces through hybrid learning models is an opportunity to empower students, spark innovation, and strengthen connections between the campus and its community. A higher education design expert, an educator, and a panel of students across hands-on disciplines will share their perspectives on how education spaces might evolve as hybrid learning becomes the new normal. As we accelerate towards a blended future of physical and virtual learning environments, you can begin rethinking how your institution's educational spaces can provide diversity, multimodality, and flexibility.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, Online Learning, SCUP 2021 Annual Conference

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Conference Recordings

Published
June 16, 2021

2021 Mid-Atlantic Symposium | June 2021

Integrating Place and Pedagogy to Foster Active Learning

What Works

By: Jeffrey Ashley, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) | Alice Donlan, University of Maryland | Shannon Dowling, Ayers Saint Gross | Kate Drabinski, University of Maryland Baltimore County | Hilary Gossett, University of Maryland | Richard Minturn, University of Virginia | John Notis, University of Virginia | Wynne Stuart, University of Virginia | Nancy Sturm, NV5 | Steven Anderson, UMBC Division of Information Technology

Planners from four universities will explore how active learning environments are evolving on their campuses, leading to more engaging learning experiences and improving student outcomes.

Abstract: Over the past year the pandemic has brought many challenges to higher education as well as opportunities to shape future learning spaces. Planners from four universities will explore how active learning environments are evolving on their campuses, leading to more engaging learning experiences and improving student outcomes. Come join us for a lively discussion about how space optimization, thoughtful furniture selection, and strategic technology implementation all contribute to the design of “the perfect active learning classroom”.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Virginia-Main Campus
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Active Learning, Active Learning Environments, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, SCUP 2021 Mid-Atlantic Symposium | June

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Conference Recordings

Published
April 30, 2021

2021 Pacific Regional Conference | April–June 2021

Mindful Redesign for New and Effective Learning Environments

By: Alice Kimm, John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) | Collette Creppell, Chapman University | Heidi Creighton, BuroHappold Engineering | Mia Lehrer, Studio-MLA | Julie Hendricks, University of California-Santa Barbara | Jennifer Milliron, LMN Architects | Helen Chu, Stanford University | Leesa Beck, University of California-Santa Barbara | David Gier, University of Michigan | Royce Smith, Montana State University – Bozeman | Timothy Waters, Sextant Group / NV5 Engineering & Technology

Join us to discuss what our campuses are planning for the immediate and distant future of teaching and learning.

Abstract: This session will focus on how changes in academic planning—accelerated in large part due to COVID-19—are resulting in new physical and virtual frameworks for learning. These range from enhanced online platforms to flexible hybrid environments, including the reappropriation and redesign of ‘found spaces,’ such as valuable and underutilized exterior zones on our existing campuses. Join us to discuss what our campuses are planning for the immediate and distant future of teaching and learning.

Institutions Mentioned: Chapman University, Montana State University – Bozeman, Stanford University, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Planning Types: Academic Planning, Campus Planning
Tags: Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Flexible Learning Spaces, Learning Environments, Online Learning, SCUP 2021 Pacific Regional Conference, Teaching and Learning

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Webinar Recordings

Published
January 19, 2021

Unleashing the Power of Difference

Creating Neuro-Inclusive Learning Spaces

By: Jennifer Carpenter, Verona Carpenter Architects | Irina Verona, Verona Carpenter Architects | Marie-Christine Potvin, Thomas Jefferson University | Monique Chabot, Thomas Jefferson University | Josh Humbel, SCUP

We live in a neurodiverse world. Spaces that support sensory needs can allow a wider range of students to flourish, creating a more equitable—and more flexible—environment. Leaders from Thomas Jefferson University and Verona Carpenter Architects will share examples across typologies of innovative solutions, unleashing the generative power of difference.

Abstract: We live in a neurodiverse world. Students, whether or not they have formal diagnoses, learn in different ways, and the converging crises of our day demand new paradigms of inclusion across the campus. Spaces that support sensory needs can allow a wider range of students to flourish, creating a more equitable—and more flexible—environment.

Leaders from Thomas Jefferson University and Verona Carpenter Architects will share examples across typologies of innovative solutions, unleashing the generative power of difference. Use the examples and discussion points to create a healthier, more attractive space on campus for all learning types.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: COVID-19, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, Underserved Students

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Webinar Recordings

Published
December 16, 2020

Passive House Design and Residence Halls

The Perfect Pairing

By: Katie Donahue, Handel Architects | Deborah Moelis, Handel Architects | Jennifer Adams Peffer, University of Toronto-Scarborough

The session will discuss the basics of Passive House (PH) design, how it can both save energy and improve the quality of the interior environment. The presenters will illustrate how Passive House design has been incorporated from both a design and administrative standpoint at the new residence hall at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Abstract: Discover how Passive House design was incorporated into the design of UTSC’s 750-bed residence hall and dining facility; helping the University to meet its sustainability and health & wellness goals. Embracing this high-performance design protocol for student residences of any size will align three goals for any campus: sustainability, student health, and bottom-line financial performance.

Institutions Mentioned: University of Toronto-Scarborough
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Canada, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Energy Infrastructure, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Student Housing, Sustainability (Environmental)

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