Learning Resources

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: Higher education has been responding in crisis mode since spring and racing toward an entirely new kind of academic year this fall. How can we turn this experience into productive new strategies for planning and leadership?

Existing siloed decision making would not have allowed for a successful response to the rapidly changing conditions brought on by the pandemic. The integrative process of short-term planning effectively brought together academic, financial, and physical planning, and presents a unique opportunity to continue work across traditional planning silos and modes of learning and living.

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.