Learning Resources

Abstract: Historic separations that defined higher education are dissolving: research is more interdisciplinary, online and on-campus learning are converging, wet and dry labs are blending, teaching and research overlap, and academia forges relationships with corporate partners. Institutions, by improving how they connect what they offer, how they are organized, and how they operate, can build value and agility to better assist their people on campus. Real-world examples in this white paper from Knoll and brightspot strategy discuss how campus spaces support student success, including how to fully use the campus; creating spaces that sustain diverse and flexible ways of working; thinking phygitally; and creating environments where today’s purpose-driven and entrepreneurial students (Gen Z) will thrive as they prepare to enter the workforce.

Abstract: Involving trainers in training facilities planning can enhance an institution’s curricula, better prepare students and law enforcement personnel for real-life situations, and generate revenue from outside agencies seeking enhanced training. This session will explore trends and partnership development strategies around simulation-based training facilities for first responder students and professionals. Today’s national conversation emphasizes community-based policing, domestic terrorism, and natural disasters; we’ll share how projects like Cuyahoga Community College’s public safety training village addresses these issues. Join us to learn how experiential training programs can enable your institution to emerge as a regional and national leader in public safety learning.

Abstract: Equity and inclusion on campus has never been more important and institutions must come to terms with their current practices in order to improve them. We will share a tool we developed through the National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students for institutions to assess their readiness to support underserved students. A detailed survey of relevant research went into the development of this readiness tool. In this session, you will learn about this tool and the detailed survey of relevant research that went into its development as well as discover how you can employ this tool on your campus.

Abstract: New learner-centered tools must emphasize collaboration and scalability as higher education responds to a worldwide health crisis and social unrest sparked by inequity. This session will illustrate how the needs of traditionally underserved students are reshaping higher education delivery, now more than ever due to increased virtual learning and loss of campus space. We'll share how we're learning as we go, implementing innovative, resource-conscious, and practical solutions to urgent challenges. Come learn how you can translate institutional values of access and equity into resilient physical planning strategies that will help your institution support underserved students in a time of crisis.

Abstract: The campus exists to serve as a support network for students, but the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the variety of ways in which some students remain underserved. This session will discuss the equity and access issues amplified by the pandemic and how institutions are adapting this fall's programs and environments to alleviate these issues. Come join our panelists for an in-depth discussion of research into student inequities and how their institutions plan to improve the student support system on their campus this fall.

Abstract: In context of COVID-19, institutions are developing new approaches to online learning at an unprecedented pace. Looking ahead, this great experiment may offer lessons for broadening the definition of accessibility. Three decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act established minimum accessibility standards for the built environment, this moment of accelerated change presents a unique opportunity to utilize hybrid delivery models and universal design principles to rethink accessibility. Sasaki principal Greg Havens examines how continued emphasis on improvements to the physical environment, when combined with hybrid learning and services, could transform the way we plan the human-centered, accessible campuses of tomorrow.

Abstract: Amid the pandemic, makers on campuses across the world have pitched in by crafting 3-D printed face shields, ventilator components, and other life-saving innovations. The value of the maker movement is apparent; but how do we adjust maker spaces to a quarantined, social-distancing world?

Abstract: Support for underrepresented students must continue now and in a post-COVID-19 world. How is this getting tackled in an all-women’s undergrad program that serves underrepresented students? Pat McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University (DC), discusses her university’s approach—from crisis planning through contingency planning.

Abstract: Active learning environments are being designed and implemented across college and university campuses to support a range of collaborative, evidence-based pedagogies. Given the continuum of human neurodiversity, these environments may optimize the learning experience for some students, while creating new challenges for others. When designing active learning spaces, it is imperative to consider student neurodiversity.

Abstract: Five years ago, Thomas Jefferson University East Falls Campus (formerly Philadelphia University) planned and implemented an initiative to more mindfully design spaces that optimize active and collaborative teaching and learning. For active learning spaces to be true change agents at the institutional level, we suggest colleges and universities ground an active learning space initiative in the institution’s mission and strategic goals, designate a coordinator to involve stakeholders throughout the entire project, identify faculty members willing to participate, and build a network of support structures within which those faculty members can share their ideas and experiences.