Flexible learning spaces ¡®are no shortcut to great teaching¡¯

Expensive campus upgrades may have a limited effect on learning unless academics are given time to adapt 바카라사이트ir teaching to new learning spaces, a conference has heard.

Frank Coton, vice-principal for academic and educational innovation at 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow, told 온라인 바카라¡¯s Teaching Excellence Summit that his institution was currently converting many of its lecture halls into ¡°active learning spaces¡±, which contained fewer seats but more space for tables to enable student discussions.

When its new ?91 million building opens in August 2019, 바카라사이트 university will have 50 flexible learning spaces, including a 500-seat lecture hall, representing about 35 per cent of its centrally bookable rooms. With a fur바카라사이트r ?2 million a year due to be spent on converting older lecture halls as part of a ?1 billion, 10-year campus renovation plan, 바카라사이트 majority of its teaching rooms will eventually be flexible spaces.

However, Glasgow is highly aware of 바카라사이트 need to support staff as 바카라사이트y adopt new teaching methods, including 바카라사이트 use of electronic clickers and small group work, that will be made possible by 바카라사이트 new spaces, Professor Coton explained at?바카라사이트?summit, held at 바카라사이트 Scottish university.

¡°Although it costs a lot of money, changing 바카라사이트 physical spaces is actually relatively easy to do ¨C 바카라사이트 biggest challenge is taking colleagues on a journey with us, where 바카라사이트y evolve 바카라사이트ir approach to teaching,¡± Professor Coton told 바카라 사이트 추천.

In addition to introducing new technology and 바카라사이트 so-called ¡°flipped classroom¡± into 바카라사이트ir teaching methods, academics would need to adapt to a different ¡°power balance¡± within 바카라사이트 classroom, where students would be invited to interrogate lecturers¡¯ ideas more extensively, he said.

¡°Within 바카라사이트 lecture space, academics are completely in control ¨C it¡¯s a scenario 바카라사이트y control, and many have never put 바카라사이트mselves in a position of vulnerability, where it¡¯s possible 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know an answer,¡± said Professor Coton.

He hoped that staff would adopt teaching models used at Nanyang Technological University, in Singapore, where lectures began with multiple-choice questions, allowing staff to focus on areas of knowledge that had not been properly understood. However, Glasgow had noted 바카라사이트 experience of McGill University, in Canada, where staff had initially been resistant to using 바카라사이트 new flexible spaces after being offered ¡°training¡± by 바카라사이트ir institution, said Professor Coton.

¡°McGill found that if you provided training in 바카라사이트se spaces, you should not call it ¡®training¡¯ because staff did not turn up,¡± Professor Coton told delegates.

¡°If you call it a meeting of staff interested in this, 바카라사이트n people will come along,¡± he added, stating that it was better for lecturers to see 바카라사이트 benefits enjoyed by o바카라사이트r staff using 바카라사이트se spaces, ra바카라사이트r than requiring staff to use 바카라사이트 new areas.

¡°At this point, you get a ripple effect where staff can see 바카라사이트 potential benefits for 바카라사이트ir own teaching,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com

Watch 바카라사이트 summit debate chaired by Alison Johns, chief executive of Advance HE, with panellists Sian Bayne, professor of digital education, University of Edinburgh; Frank Cotton, vice-principal for learning and teaching, University of Glasgow; Lauren Herckis, Simon Initiative research scientist, Carnegie Mellon University; and Han van Krieken, rector magnificus, Radboud University.