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Learning Spaces

Meeting of January 24, 2002

Three faculty members were introduced as new members of the Project:

Scott Siddall reviewed the progress on projects funded by the committee, including hallway lighting in Knapp and Fellows, student study lounges in Smith and East, and joint support of the renovation of the seminar/meeting room in Sociology/Anthropology. He also updated the committee on the first meeting of the "National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education" that focused on learning spaces. NITLE (pronounced "nightly") is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

We discussed the opportunity to bring to campus an architect with substantial experience in designing learning spaces as a means of increasing awareness of these issues. We concluded that while this is a good idea, we would prefer to get less formal input first on our current situation and our current projects before convening a public event. The committee recommended that Scott Siddall arrange for Ruth Gless from Lincoln Street Studios in Columbus to visit with the Learning Spaces committee this spring, to review our reports and comment on some of our learning spaces.

The committee discussed the various completed and in-progress building reports and proclaimed a renewed interest in getting these baseline studies completed as soon as possible by contacting teaching faculty throughout the campus. Reports will be discussed at the next meeting.

We reviewed a proposal from the Art Department submitted by Rob Gander for a level II e-classroom in the Art Annex. There was strong support for this proposal. It was noted that one or more new e-classrooms may be funded through Computing Services as part of the annual equipment budget, and that this decision will have to have been made by mid-March for the work to be completed. The committee recommended that we wait to hear from this process before making any commitments of Learning Spaces funds. New level II classrooms cost approximately $21,000.

The committee discussed the possibility of a project to replace classroom seating. We need more information on the numbers and types of chairs in use, and the types and costs of chairs available. It was decided to focus this developing effort initially on Knapp and/or Fellows Halls.

We did not have the time to discuss further last year's recommendation that we seek to gain a more formal position for the Learning Spaces Project in the campus governance structure.