Page 33 - spaces4learning, Spring 2021

Because this was the first active learning classroom
in the state, it took some time to plan out the logistics of how to make it work. Albarado said the most complicated part was finding a way to simplify the setup and make it easy to use. “What was where, what display shows on the teacher’s station to all the student stations, and vice versa... we made it really easy to do exactly what they wanted,” he said. “And it took us a while to talk through it and figure out exactly what they wanted, how it would look, but it all came together in the end.”
After some prep work in the room involving core- drilling floors for power and data cables, the installation itself only took about 10 days, Andrews said.
Because of social distancing practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wells said that they haven’t yet been able to use the room to its full capacity. Right now, it’s mainly being used by smaller elective classes. “But pretty much some aspect of every one of our pharmacy courses would be using that room,” she said.
As an example, many of the smaller classes in the College of Pharmacy are disease-specific. Instructors will give students a case and have them discuss it in groups. Students can connect their personal laptops via AirPlay or screen mirroring to the display at each table for group work. Once the instructor calls time or reconvenes the entire class, students can share the work they’ve done with the display at any other table, the teacher’s main display or both.
“It’s a hodgepodge of ... ‘if you can think it, we can show it’-type room. There’s no device that can’t connect, there’s nothing we can’t show on any table at any given time,” Andrews said.
Andrews also noted that he’s seen minimal issues integrating the technology and introducing it to faculty and students. He called it a “small learning curve,” the kind of process where “you do it once, and you’ve got it figured out.”
The active learning classroom installation ties into the dean’s broader initiative for a team-based learning environment, Wells said. The pharmacy program relies heavily on active class participation, collaboration and group learning, and this pedagogy was another major driving factor in the decision to pursue the installation.
“Student-centered, technology-rich classrooms are the future of higher education,” Andrews said. “The University of Louisiana’s first active learning classroom will give students more exposure to real-world experiences. Trox’s expertise in the understanding of how to use technology
to improve learning environments helped us create a
space that fosters better communication and collaboration between teachers and their students—whether they are remote, in the classroom or a blend of both.”
Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at MJones@1105media.com.
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