Learning Resources

Abstract: The recently completed Stokes Hall at Boston College creates a new base for the humanities. Designed in the campus’s historic Collegiate Gothic style, this new facility and the future companion buildings anticipated in the Middle Campus master plan will add value to the university by extending the existing architectural tradition to the edges of the Middle Campus. This extension of the Middle Campus architecture and landscape will emphasize and support BC’s planning goals and mission through greater public visibility of its iconic built forms and create memorable experiences and a sense of community for all users.

Abstract: Design Lab 1 (DL1) grew out of an awareness of core principles strongly similar to those of what has now come to be called connected learning, bringing them to life at the University of Michigan in 1999 in an extensively open, and continuously evolving, hybrid teaching, learning, making, presenting, and community space. DL1 shares elements of other learning environments but also differs in a variety of fundamental ways, including that it is an inhabited space with a culture of open user-centered design defined around a process of continuous change, ownership, opportunity, and risk taking in the service of authentic learning. Drawing from a 2012 yearlong descriptive research project, this article presents a snapshot in time-lapse video, respondent quotations, and researcher narration of course-focused activity in DL1 in order to show the complex, interrelated structures observed there that enable users to truly engage and DL1 to come to life.

Abstract: A post-occupancy evaluation instrument was developed and piloted to measure (1) the reliability and validity of the instrument and (2) the effect of evidence-based solutions on student engagement in the classroom. Content analysis synthesized elements of engagement from multiple sciences to form the body of questions. A post/pre methodology compared the “old” row-by-column seating with the “new” classroom designs. A high degree of internal item consistency was reached between all identified factors (α = 0.91, α = 0.93, α = 0.96, α = 0.96), and highly statistically significant differences were found between the “old” and the “new” classroom designs (all p-values < 0.0001). Improvements were found when comparing each of the identified factors, all of which related to active learning and engagement practices in the “old” and “new” classrooms.

Abstract: Diverse populations, changing technology, and a desire to create community are driving change in higher education. We propose the concepts of Limitless Learning, in which learning can happen anytime, by anyone, anywhere, in any way. In this article, we propose a planning strategy highlighting adaptability, which is the key to planning campus facilities that provide boundary-free environments for the short and long term. In the short term, adaptable spaces seamlessly support limitless learning. They allow students to affect their environment and make it work how they work. In the longer term, adaptability means planning for inevitable change.

Abstract: The design of higher education facilities is increasingly seen by university leadership as a strategic tool to attract and retain top faculty, staff, and students. The design of space has also been linked to increased levels of innovation, creative thinking, and collaboration. But with greater pressure from state and national governments to cut costs, how can institutions of higher learning ensure that the buildings they design are cost efficient and still effective? In her article, architect and SCUP member Debi McDonald outlines five trends in higher education design and how they can assist institutions in meeting their objectives.

Abstract: “[This] is a complete guide on strategic planning, presenting step by step the 5 major components of an integrated planning process. It is also a most useful, exhaustive, and updated list of definitions; presentation of all components and subcomponents; suggestions of strategies; and well-chosen examples . . . As I continue my work with Francophone universities, some in Africa, it will be my honor and pleasure to be inspired and accompanied by the Fountains’ guide.”
—Roland Proulx, Consultant, Institutional Planning & Strategic Intelligence, University of Montreal

With a heavy use of SCUP resource materials, SCUPers Doug and JoEllyn Fountain have written the book they wish someone had handed them when they began working for eight years with a rapidly growing university in Uganda. “While North American universities are developing LEED certified buildings, we were trying to pave roads and get stable electricity. We looked long and hard for materials and advisors who could help us with basic issues.”

Abstract: This article describes planning and design processes between architect and client for renovations and additions to the Brault Administration Building at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in Annandale, Virginia, a Washington, DC, suburb. Highlighting sustainability through adaptive reuse, this article describes in detail logistical planning for temporary relocation of building occupants, as well as collaborative communication between NOVA officials and architects for achieving design objectives. This article also details the scope of renovations and square footage added to this 1980s-era structure and references Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), including sustainable practices for obtaining and disposing of building materials. The overall message conveyed by this renovation project is the importance of collaborative communication in terms of both planning and design, which can also offer new paradigms for building modernization and reuse at other community college campuses.

Abstract: Continuing its efforts to provide engaging spaces for students and promote collaborative education, Southwestern Michigan College had a new vision for what the campus library should be. An interior renovation of the existing library created an inviting atmosphere that is more conducive to today’s active learning. A new space plan encourages social interaction and group activities while providing dedicated areas for quiet study and tutoring. New finishes and updated furnishings revitalized the outdated facility with a warm, contemporary aesthetic. The design team worked closely with the college administration and library staff to achieve their goals within a short time frame and with limited resources.

Abstract: Introducing housing on a community college campus will affect several areas of campus life including dining, security, recreation, and student programming. Unlike four-year institutions, community colleges have limited activity after a certain hour with the exception of library and recreational facilities. Additional programs and services will be needed to support a 24-hour operation, which will have an impact on the overall operating costs of the college. This article is intended to identify the direct and indirect costs involved and assess the overall financial impact of operating student housing.

Abstract: This report was produced by the research team awarded the inaugural M. Perry Chapman Prize in 2012.

This collection summarizes and evaluates how far the field of learning space design has come in identifying the elements that will allow us to thoughtfully design learning spaces and evaluate their impact. Although several hundred articles and a number of books on these topics had been written by the fall of 2012, the field is still at an early stage of development. A first step in creating value from this existing body of work is to gather, summarize and evaluate how far the field has come in identifying the elements that will allow us to thoughtfully design learning spaces and evaluate their impact.