Future_Scenarios_Innovation_Playground

A blueprint for the future

As we learn more about the types of learning environments that engage today’s learners and the skills needed to compete in a global economy, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative is embarking on a collaborative project to create a blueprint for the “classroom” of the future, realizing of course that it may not be a classroom at all.

With wikis as our workplace, we’re asking the EDUCAUSE community to share their ideas and expertise to help us, as a community, a vision of what the ideal learning environment might look like. Comments will be used to construct simulated course environments, starting with easy-to-implement solutions for rethinking the traditional lecture format and scaling to “blue sky” initiatives that include global collaboration and opportunities to “learn by doing.” We hope you’ll also take this opportunity to share the unique and innovative ways that your campus is already transforming learning in the classroom, on campus, and in virtual worlds.

*Note: Please submit any content before moving to another wiki page. All unsaved content will be lost.

Return to Introduction

A playground for ideas

When it comes to course design, it’s tempting to feel trapped by the technologies that are widely distributed on our campuses today. But, if money and technology were no object, what new practices or experiences could we create? This is a space to contribute any ideas that might fall outside the box. It’s a place to toss out ideas that might extend beyond our current technological capabilities. Or just a place to wonder “what might be.”  

Take a moment to think about the physical space and the virtual environment. What components would it include? How would content be delivered? How would assessment be done?

• The learning environment could be open so that even those not enrolled in a course could interact freely with the enrolled students.
• The physical space should be comfortable and encourage folks to stick around
• The virtual space must be extremely easy to use and of course connect to everything else that a student uses - email, facebook, Instant Messaging, college network resources, etc.
• The ideas that are driving the design of virtual spaces should be used more in physical spaces, so that the open, tools-at-hand, collaborative nature of virtual learning spaces, such as those found in Second Life, have their physical-world counterparts. This would and should result in a total rethinking of the typical classroom, where instead of students filing in and sitting for an hour, they "wander" in and out, taking advantage of the tools needed to learn the necessary content, concepts, and critical thinking skills in a discipline. Such a classroom demands a rethinking of the professorial role in teaching; it might require that faculty learn to be designers, or that there is a continuing collaboration between professors and technologists/designers--what would the spaces where faculty re-learn how to teach look like?
• Content should be delivered on demand, as needed
• Content should be created on demand, as needed, too. For example, following informal discussion it should be easy to 'prototype' conclusions by creating and recording a role play or capture and redistribute notes and diagrams collaboratively drawn on a table top surface to  a course discussion area.
• The student should be able to "mash up" content from a variety of topics and resources to create custom courses
• it would be ideal if we could move from counting "butts in seats" and credit hours to counting knowledge attainment
• Students would work with an individual learning plan, and have tools at hand to help them evaluate if they are learning and retaining what they need to know, so that they can constantly re-adjust their study practices.
• Students should be able to submit their "what's puzzling me" questions or their "this makes me wonder" comments to a central bucket so that collective knowledge can be leveraged to get answers and resources to the right people.  For example, a question about "what England looked like in the 1100s" might be picked up and answered (differently) by a faculty member, a librarian or a grad student--or a student who took the same class last year. 
• Students should be able to incorporate a process of sharing their work with peers for criticism, and after reflection, accepting or rejecting the suggestions for improvement with justification, as a regular partof the learning process.  Peer review circles could be set up on a voluntary basis in the same way that test study groups are.
• Evidence of engagement in collaborative learning processes is recognised more than the tangible products of the learning.
• The increasing availability of interactive, intuitive displays and interfaces have the potential to transform learning environments and the way that students interact with them. Display devices evolved from those currently available in the iPhone and Microsoft Touch surface technologies will lead to heightened levels of interaction and communication skills. Students will have the ability to take control of learning spaces, and to interact, communicate and collaborate more effectively, in an environment that could replace of the 'rows of seats' that we know today. The role of the instructor may transform to that of facilitator, in an environment where the student is invited to lead the learning.
• Our students regularly tell us that they really value the serendipitous, impromptu meetings with their peers and tutors, and that they feel this is where a lot of their learning happens. How can we maximise the opportunities for this through the design of our physical spaces, and the protocols that surround its use, while maintaining the integrity of more formal, scheduled and bookable spaces?
• All facilities and materials would  be universally accessible for people with disabilities.
• For starters, I would love to see some basic infrastructure updates and technology improvements. It's difficult for me to imagine future scenarios when we are well past the year 2000 and people still have difficulty working across mac's and PC's! Some faculty hate to wait for a projector to warm up or for the time it takes to login to a computer. So, I think these kinds of problems need to be dealt with first. Once we have a common "platform" that can be accessed regardless of operating system, device etc. and in a timely manner, then we can start dreaming...

Are there examples at your institution?

Is your institution already designing or employing solutions to the challenge? Share your specific projects here and, if possible, include links for further exploration. 

• At Sheffield Hallam (UK) we've been noticing (anecdotally, and as evidenced by research data) that students are demonstrating an increasing preference for studying in informal, social areas - spaces that until recently were not considered 'learning spaces' at all. So we're working with our Learning Centre to offer new kinds of spaces that challenge traditional notions of what a library would offer (while still preserving more traditional spaces too, for those students who need/prefer them). We're also working with our catering services as they re-vamp their spaces to enable students to blend relaxation with peers, impromptu meetings, and learning activities. 

Share links to any related readings or resources on the Web or on your campus.

• Greenfield, Adam. Everyware: The dawning age of ubiquitous computing

*Note: Please submit any content before moving to another wiki page. All unsaved content will be lost.

Return to Introduction

Wiki Metadata

Last edited by sarahw on 2008/03/20 - 2:43pm.
23 revisions have been made to this wiki.

 Wiki Revisions Feed