August 3, 2007 — Steelcase Inc., a global office environments manufacturer, has introduced its LearnLab Environments at the National Association of College and University Business Officials annual meeting.
This interpretation of the classroom of the future seeks to increase learning as a way to attract and retain students and faculty, says the company.
“In response to the challenges today’s educators are facing, we sought to design a learning environment to support multiple learning styles, increase the students’ retention, break down the hierarchy between instructor and student, and keep students engaged as they segue through the transitions between lecture, group work and individual presentations,” said Elise Valoe, workspace futures researcher for Steelcase Inc.
Rather than rows of seats facing the lectern, screen, and white or chalk boards, students group around four large tables. With mobile furniture, students can easily swivel between lecture and group work, nearly eliminating the time and distraction of these transitions, preserving cognitive flow and enabling students to stay engaged.
The environment is supported by multiple stages. The LearnLab stages break down the traditional classroom hierarchical structures as both student and instructor have equal access to digital display, white boards and places to quickly present ideas or questions.
The four corners of the room each possess technology-rich white boards for displaying and capturing information. This enables students to physically reference and create content during collaboration. These zones and the displays they possess also enable learning through any of the learning styles students might utilize.
Steelcase is continuing to test its environmental hypothesis at other universities across North America and has a patent pending for the applications of the LearnLab.
PolyVision, a Steelcase company that enhances the way people learn, work, and communicate visually through a broad portfolio of visual communication products, has contributed a variety of digital communication products to the LearnLab Environments.
For more information, see the Steelcase Web site.
