Learning Resources

Abstract: For an integrated planning effort to succeed—particularly in higher education—collective commitment from all of the institutional stakeholders is critical.

To get that collective commitment, you need to do two things: 1) Design your planning process so it leverages your institution’s internal and external cultures, and 2) Involve your critical stakeholder groups in the planning process. Tapping into the stakeholder groups in meaningful ways will increase engagement, transparency, and commitment to the process and the products of integrated planning. Remember, institutional stakeholders are the carriers of your mission and institutional culture. Mission and culture are the key drivers of institutional success. If you do not respect your stakeholders, mission, and culture, your planning efforts will not yield a plan to enhance student success and institutional thriving.

This toolkit includes recommendations and worksheets to help you analyze your stakeholders and determine how to meaningfully engage them in the planning process.

Abstract: Interdisciplinary learning thrives on a foundation of cross-departmental strength. Designing facilities that accommodate a variety of teaching modalities and allow different disciplines to share resources can have a positive impact on future learning, teaching, and research. The session examines how North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) created an interdisciplinary engineering research and innovation facility centered around maker and fabrication spaces. You will learn about our integrated project team approach, how we secured buy-in from stakeholders, and how we translated functional space needs into innovative places.

Abstract: While small-scale active learning classrooms are common on campuses, large-scale active learning environments are just being explored. This University of Illinois at Chicago study explores the research, planning, and communication that was required to develop large-scale active learning environments that incorporated innovative teaching, immersive education, and cutting-edge technology to contribute to student success.

Abstract: Campus planners have invested time and resources in designing and implementing innovative learning spaces that optimize evidence-based pedagogical approaches embracing collaborative, real-world teaching and learning. But to what degree do these physical spaces enhance learning and honing of soft skills that are ranked highly by today’s employers? To address this question, 2018/19 SCUP Fellow Jeffrey Ashley engaged alumni through surveys to quantify the development of collaborative skills in innovative classroom environments. The design, implementation and results of this SCUP Fellowship research project will be highlighted and compared to other assessment methods with the goal of understanding your own institution’s assessment needs and plans around active learning spaces.

Abstract: Many institutions are engaged in concurrent, overlapping institutional change initiatives. Being able to plan and align improvement efforts while including all stakeholders without duplicating effort requires new tools and skills. We will share how Olympic College used the planning for a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to design improvements in our student-facing systems. You will practice different techniques and tools to visualize institutional processes and identify alignment. We will discuss the use of traditional business management tools to map institutional structures, create cross-departmental capacities, and guide cross-functional teams.

Abstract: FLEXSpace—The Flexible Learning Environments eXchange—and the Learning Space Rating System (LSRS) are tools that can help you plan, design, assess, and improve learning spaces on your campus. In this session, you will learn about the newly released FLEXspace 2.0 along with the LSRS. We'll cover the features and benefits of both tools and how they can be incorporated into the planning process. Come learn how to use these tools to inform designs and support end users from planning through post occupancy.

Abstract: FLEXSpace—The Flexible Learning Environments eXchange—and the Learning Space Rating System (LSRS) are tools that can help you plan, design, assess, and improve learning spaces on your campus. In this session, you will learn about the newly released FLEXspace 2.0 along with the LSRS. We'll cover the features and benefits of both tools and how they can be incorporated into the planning process. Come learn how to use these tools to inform designs and support end users from planning through post occupancy.

Abstract: Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of learning space is now an essential tool for institutions to align capital decisions with student performance. We will explore exemplary active-learning environments and the evaluation methodology we used to measure how these environments have elicited learning behaviors that foster student engagement. You will learn which aspects of the learning environment are important to measure, how to measure them, and how the collected data connects to metrics that matter to institutions.

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.