Learning Resources

Abstract: How can we reimagine the traditional campus-based learning model to make higher education more affordable, flexible, and accessible? For many higher education institutions, the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges they were already facing: the competition for students in a landscape of changing demographics, a drastically altered world of work, and the seemingly uncontrollable escalation of costs. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is redefining the future of higher education by developing new programs and degree pathways, scaling online and virtual learning platforms, reducing tuition to increase accessibility, and investing in their physical campus.

We are thrilled to have you join us for an extraordinary afternoon headlined by the visionary leader of the university, Dr. Paul LeBlanc and key leaders from the SNHU community who are tackling these challenges by radically reinventing places, platforms, and products for teaching and learning.

Abstract: The pandemic has exposed and added to the vulnerabilities that students face. It has also impacted how institutions serving underrepresented students are working to redefine student support in an evolving campus environment. In this session, we'll share how institutions have made changes in their metrics, planning and design strategies, and campus facilities that contribute to recruitment, academic growth, and graduation rates. Join us for an interactive discussion about student success strategies and learn new approaches for meeting returning students' needs, including hybrid learning, flexible learning spaces, and the importance of representation, inclusivity, safety, and wellness.

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: Campus space planning generally involves the use of linear models that apply a simple square-foot-per-person calculation to determine capacities for different room sizes. Most return-to-campus strategies following the easing of COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions involve modification of these models, increasing square-footage-per-person to accommodate six feet of distancing. This provides reasonable upper and lower capacity estimates, but it does not yield accurate estimates across different room sizes and room types. Columbia College Chicago has developed a non-linear model that is both scalable and accurate, resulting in estimates that match test fits across all observed spaces.