Page 68 - spaces4learning, Fall 2024

s p a c e s 4 l e a rn i n g LEARNING SPACE DESIGN
THE FUTURE
OF LEARNING
ENVIRONMENTS:
FLEXIBILITY,
SIMPLICITY,
CONNECTIVITY
By Rhea Kelly
SPACES4LEARNING recently convened a panel of ed tech ex-
perts to discuss how technology and design can help create a
better learning experience for all students—and how institu-
tions can plan, design, and assess their own vision for the class-
room of the future. Our panelists were:
• Christopher Dechter, Manager, Instructional Technology,
University of Wyoming;
• Teddy Murphy, Academic Technology & AV Specialist, Uni-
versity of Pikeville;
• Craig Park, Director of Digital Experience Design and Asso-
ciate Principal, Clark & Enersen; and
• Lisle Waldron, Manager, Multimedia & Audio Visual Ser-
vices, The University of Trinidad and Tobago.
While the panelists represented a variety of backgrounds and
institution types, they all agreed that the HyFlex (hybrid flexible)
model—in which learners may choose to attend classes in-per-
son or remotely and receive equitable instruction no matter what
their participation mode—has become an essential part of the
student experience. Here, they explain how the HyFlex trend has
impacted classroom design, technology’s role in HyFlex learning,
future-proofing tech-enabled classrooms, and more.
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
68 FALL 2024 | spaces4learning.com
Spaces4Learning: What are the most
significant trends in classroom design
today?
Craig Park: In the last few years, really because of the pan-
demic, many schools have been looking at HyFlex as the future of
their educational model. One reason is that digital native students—
the Millennials, Z, and now Alpha generations that are coming
into schools—are demanding flexibility in the way that they learn
and looking for that mix of online and on-campus experience. And
another is the predicted decline in enrollment in the near-term fu-
ture—2025 to 2030—because of the demographic lack of birth rate.
Campuses are adjusting their model to anticipate doing farther out-
reach to bring students in for an online experience, to make up for
enrollment that might not be coming in locally.
Teddy Murphy: When we design our rooms, the big
push is for HyFlex or hybrid. On top of students who want to
be flexible in their learning, we have a lot of students who have
accommodations as well. So we want to provide the same or
close to the same experience for those students as the students
who are in the classroom. We’re using a lot of beamforming