Page 30 - Campus Technology, October 2017

C-Level View
CT: What about the scheduled or drop-in use of labs ... or “experience labs,” as you call them?
Bowen: Of course scheduling practices can change, too. Rather than holding classes regularly in a lab space, that space can be used “on- demand.” Drop-in lab spaces can often be much more efficient, serving greater numbers of classes in total. Of course, having labs available for drop- in use is not a new concept, but pairing that with the notion of “experience labs” — and having expert guidance available to help students complete targeted or specific experiences — should, in the end, allow us to get much more value from the dedicated space.
CT: You’ve already started up some experience labs at Penn State. Could you cite a couple examples?
Bowen: We have a Maker Commons that we’ve developed here at Penn State. We’ve moved a bit away from what you might call a traditional makerspace (yes, maker technology has been around long enough to use the word “traditional” here). So rather than having many diverse tools available in the space, we have selected a discrete set of rather specific technologies. That specific focus is different than the more generalized service you’d normally expect from a makerspace — but we have worked with our faculty to design course elements that correspond to the tools in our space. We also have invested in having a maker-in-residence who is on hand to help students complete their projects. Given these strategies, students end up with a richer understanding of what they have done in the lab. The space becomes less of a service center and more of a learning experience.4
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | October 2017
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