Learning Resources

Abstract: The global COVID-19 pandemic struck a hard blow to many countries, and global institutions suddenly had to change operations as well as how their students learned, socialized, and lived on campus. After a full year of shutdowns, virtual learning, and constant adaption, we will discuss how University College London and the University of Dublin responded to government mandates and how the crisis has shaped living and working arrangements. Come join a university administrator and an academic researcher, both of whom focus their work on the built environment, for a lively discussion on pre- and post-COVID perspectives on student residential housing and academic research space and how the pandemic has challenged their thinking.

Abstract: Student housing is an important factor in achieving institutional goals and outcomes, but residential campuses are grappling with how best to manage the current pandemic while also planning for the future. This session will address how hybrid physical and virtual learning environments can address both of these concerns. Recently, Morgan State University began constructing its new Thurgood Marshall residence hall and we'll explore how we used design and technology to support the building's hybrid environment. Come learn how hybrid physical and virtual learning environments can foster residential community-building and enhance overall student success on your campus.

Abstract: Campuses focus on safety as they welcome students back into residence halls—but it won't be the only thing they consider. The purposeful design of campus housing, from its earliest days, has had to nurture the community and ensure safety simultaneously. When done properly, that sense of shared residence promotes safety as the residents look out for one another both consciously and subconsciously. However, with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new threat has been introduced. What happens now when an instrumental source of protection and fellow students and residents may become the source of the danger? Throw into the mix the fact that features and strategies to keep residents separated flies in the face of generations spent striving to bring them together. In this new normal, the mission of community and collaboration hasn't changed, but the ways in which it is achieved may have to.

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.