Redesigning Non-formal Learning Spaces

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Brian Murphy, Manager of Installations and Spaces

Traditional Spaces (starting in 1984):
○ 18 clusters of individual workstations (450 machines).
○ Relatively non-social atmosphere.
○ Tried to get as many workstation in to the available space as possible.
○ Benefits - centrally managed, easy to support and manage; 1:200 ratio of technicians to machines.
○ Drawbacks - little collaboration; usage stats suggested declining perceved value and use; uncomfortable and unattractive
○ Now 70% of incoming freshman have their own laptop.
○ Seating area in Student Centre heavily used for collaboration and academic study (unintentional), as well as general social space (intentional).
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Typically a lot more interaction in classrooms where laptops are pervasive.

Sound Pedagogical Theory - Student use in class, teacher use in class, student use outside class, teacher use outside class.

Sound pedagogical theory
○ Cooperative learning
○ Constructivism
○ Learning styles
○ Problem based learning
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By Mitch Capor

The original Chandler vision:
○ Open Source personal Information Manager.
○ Email, Calendar, contact tasks, free form items.
○ Easy sharing and collaboration.
○ Platform independent.
○ First conceved as PC client with peer-to-peer networking.
○ Westwood version of Chandler specifically for higher education.
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· 25 large US institutions working with the OSAF to develop chander with universities in mind. Chandler is a calendaring/ scheduling application.
· Attracted to open source.
· Calendaring unsolved problem on campuses.
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Open Source CMS & Courseware

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The convergence of Open Source CMS and Open Course ware is exciting for education.
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- Exploring a new model - Beyond the computer commons and group study - requiring collaboration of faculty, librarians and technology specialists.
- Players: library staff, instructional support, students, it staff, architects, faculty.
- Recommendations: develop a plan for the introduction of CLE’s in libraries, computer labs and other campus spaces.
- Library services: foot traffic down, but network traffic up.
- Ramification for service models, space utilization and staff allocation… Computers and laptop spaces being fully utilized. Peer reference model so Librarians could concentrate more on formal instruction. Relaxed food and drink regulations.
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The End of Research Universities

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Notes from an address by James Duderstadt, President Emeritus, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
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Planning Collaborative Facilities

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Creating New Opportunities and Spaces. The key points from this seminar are:

  • Our facilities need to support the instruction, research and learning needs of students and faculty.
  • We need to have a comprehensive plan for facility renovation for both the faculty and library portions of the law building, rather than ad hoc renovations as we find money to improve the building.
  • Facilites need to foster community & have space for small groups (more group study rooms properly equiped), as well as open space for educational interaction of students.
  • Will your Information Commons be a glorified computing lab, or a collaborative learning space? It should be a place to access, use and create information, and have a set of services transparent to users (rather than fiefdoms presenting their services in a common location: it, reference…).
  • THINK CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH! You’re going to spend a lot of $ so make sure that you have a clear vision of what you want so you’re moving towards your goals.

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2004 Libraris Stretegic Plan Notes

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Strategic Plan
Oct. 1, 2004

some people prefer self service over talking to someone. E.g. McDonalds airline industry. Typically staff not displaces, but go on to do more interesting things.
People are into satisficing- they get something that is good enough, even though it is not the best.
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