Making Learning Spaces Work: Designing a Comprehensive Support and Faculty Development Program for Active and Collaborative Learning Spaces
Course Overview
While new learning spaces, like Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs), create exciting new teaching and learning opportunities for instructors and students, they also create unique challenges. Successful teaching and learning in these new spaces necessitates that instructors rethink their approach to teaching and students rethink their approach to learning. The structure of support and development work with instructors on how to use these spaces to help improve teaching and learning is critical. This workshop series will focus on how to support instructors in new spaces, review examples of successful programs and provide a framework to help participants design their own program for their own campus context.
Learning Objectives
During this ELI course, participants will:
- Examine evidence of the importance of active and collaborative learning and how space can support learning.
- Explore a comprehensive support and faculty development framework for learning spaces.
- Examine lessons learned from implementing a comprehensive support and faculty development program for active learning classrooms and how it has changed over time.
- Use a comprehensive framework to help develop ideas for their own campuses.
- Receive feedback on their ideas and Integrate it into their own programs.
NOTE: Participants will be asked to complete assignments in between the course segments that support the learning objectives stated above and will receive feedback and constructive critique from course instructors on how to improve and shape their work.
Course Instructor
Adam Finkelstein, Educational Developer, Teaching and Learning Services, McGill University
Adam Finkelstein is currently an Educational Developer at Teaching and Learning Services at McGill University where he develops university-wide initiatives to improve teaching and learning. Over the last few years he has been focused on designing innovative physical and virtual learning spaces.
Resources