Learning Resources

Abstract: 89% of employers say colleges are not adequately preparing students for the workforce. This session explores critical education/workforce gaps in higher education and how they can be addressed through academic planning and learning environments. We'll share data from 11 national studies and our longitudinal research that identifies critical workforce competencies where colleges have an opportunity to raise their value proposition. You will learn innovative strategies and processes to realign academic programming, support services, and physical facilities with critical competencies for post-graduation success.

Abstract: As we recognize the importance of informal learning spaces, there are still unanswered questions. How should informal learning spaces impact students? How can we understand the potential of informal spaces? How can design optimize this potential? This session will bring insights from multi-year multidisciplinary research in a large university system regarding planning and designing informal learning spaces on multiple college campuses. Come learn how to apply research methods to enhance understanding and support of design goals on your campus.

Abstract: After participating in this session, you will be able to identify and distinguish formal from informal learning spaces, recognize active learning behaviors and describe elements of space and design that enable such behaviors, and identify and choose appropriate assessment methods to generate evidence of specific informal environments for self-directed active learning.

Abstract: Originally intended in the late 19th century as a suburban campus for New York University, the Bronx Community College of The City University of New York campus is unique in that it has had three libraries designed and built in the 19th, 20th, and the 21st centuries by leading architects: Gould Memorial Library, a neo-classical gem designed by Stanford White; Meister Hall, a mid-century modern library designed by Marcel Breuer; and North Hall, a thoroughly 21st century library designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects.

Libraries as repositories of knowledge have evolved over the centuries. Bronx Community College represents a case study of how libraries can (or cannot) adapt to changing times, needs, and function. Join us as we discuss the merits of each library and how their design exemplifies their evolving mission of making information more accessible over time.

Abstract: After a campus tragedy, the first steps for the community toward settling into the new normal often entail working through the gravity of recent events. This work includes a need for internal reflection, external processing, and collective healing. Campus communities engaged in this process often find a way to memorialize the events that have shaken them and to honor the lives of any community members lost to tragedy. This research project focuses on physical memorials that are the result of a tragic moment in institutional history.