Page 18 - Campus Technology, April/May 2017

LEARNING SPACES krissy lukens and scott ryan Rethinking the Computer
Lab of the Future
At St. Norbert College, a revamped computer science lab provides a flexible space for presentation, collaboration and more.
A PLANNED COMPUTER science lab renovation recently gave St. Norbert College (WI) the perfect opportunity to rethink how a computer lab should function for students. To get started, our IT staff met with computer science faculty to brainstorm and discuss ideas for the renovated space.
Our computer science department had been using general computer labs to hold course-lab meetings that allowed students to experiment with and extend the concepts covered in class. These spaces had also historically served as a place where students could receive help from undergraduate teaching assistants, as well as congregate, collaborate and commiserate. The computer science faculty at St. Norbert had a strong desire that the revamped space would continue
to provide a place for cohort-building activities.
As our teams brainstormed, we developed lists of
requirements for our renovated space. Multi-use space requirements included:
Closed (formal) lab meetings (two hours weekly) that are part of every computer science class; Drop-in use whenever rooms are not closed for formal lab sessions;
Occasional classroom use;
Teamwork or individual work;
Space for undergraduate teaching assistants to hold office hours and offer help sessions to assist first- and second-year students; and
Space for students to gather to work individually or collaboratively, socialize and call their own.
Physical support requirements included:
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | April/May 2017
St. Norbert’s computer science lab provides space for students to work individually or collaboratively, socialize and call their own.
St. Norbert College