Page 23 - College Planning & Management, March 2018

Academic Entrance Building / UCONN Health
This 12,800-square-foot
addition to University of Con- necticut’s School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine in Farmington, designed
by Centerbrook Architects and Planners, represents a
sea change from traditional lecture-hall pedagogy towards more modular, self-directed, and group-based learning.
“In today’s complex medical landscape physicians are in- creasingly called upon to work collaboratively in team situa- tions but are not trained for it,” explains Centerbrook Principal
Chad Floyd, FAIA, and lead designer of the project. “UConn had a desire for a new learning format that could inculcate medical and dental students in a collaborative culture out of the gate.”
That format is embodied in the Academic Rotunda, an
in-the-round learning experi- ence for up to 240 students. Three large projection screens allow for flexibility in projec- tions within the room and can be used for remote learning as well. The Rotunda has been transformative in developing a unique learning format.
“A typical two-hour class begins with a seven-minute multiple choice quiz, the questions posted on each of the three large projection screens around the room and
a digital time clock screen display showing the minutes remaining,” says Floyd. “Stu- dents’ answers are instantly tabulated and displayed for the faculty, who teach in tandem from a station at the center of the room, allowing an imme- diate understanding of student command of the material being discussed.”
“Resulting conversations between faculty and student, faculty and table, student and student, and table and table are natural and penetrating,” insists Floyd.
PHOTOS © DEREK HAYN/CENTERBOOK ARCHITECTS
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