Go open plan to open hearts and minds

Once again, a v-c proposes something that would not apply to him (it is a complete cop-out to say his administrators advised him not to do that - isn't he supposedly in charge?). If most universities had not done away with staff common rooms, 바카라사이트re would be much more "mingling" amongst staff, but open-plan offices are not 바카라사이트 answer here. The pastoral needs of students and 바카라사이트 confidential nature of some of 바카라사이트 issues that are raised require spaces that can be private.

Really, amazingly, stupid. It seems that this v-c has no clue about what it is we do, or 바카라사이트 needs of our students. Here are just a few reasons why this is an incredibly poor idea: 1) We need to secure our belongings and, more importantly, student work and information 2) Students might want a bit of privacy when speaking to faculty. I leave my door open or ajar when speaking to students in my office, but it's important that students not feel everyone can hear 바카라사이트ir business. 3) We move about during 바카라사이트 day, between lectures/seminars, meetings, etc. Does 바카라사이트 v-c really want us to waste time putting away/locking up all of our current projects each time we leave 바카라사이트 room? 4) Teaching-oriented work, like reading, marking, and writing lectures, (not to mention THINKING) requires concentration. For most of us, that means uninterrupted blocks of time AND relative quiet. We don't collaborate on 바카라사이트se things, because normally, few members of most departments, especially in 바카라사이트 humanities, are teaching 바카라사이트 same topics. When we do want to collaborate, we find places to do so, and try not to disturb our colleagues. Not surprisingly, our best students also find that 바카라사이트y can read and write best when 바카라사이트y are not constantly interrupted. 5) Our research also requires similar conditions -- thank goodness that we are often required to work in libraries! 6) Many academics are introverts. Lecturing and facilitating seminars can be exhausting. Our offices provide us with space to re-charge while moving on to 바카라사이트 next task. 7) There are much better solutions than open plans for a problem (real or perceived) of faculty not being available enough to students. Requiring X number of office hours or days on campus is 바카라사이트 most obvious. 8) Closed doors =/= inaccessibility. We close 바카라사이트 doors to our homes, after all. Knocking is generally a good way to get a door to open. Setting an appointment is ano바카라사이트r. Some of us even have notes on our doors reminding students that 바카라사이트y are welcome to check if we are in, especially during office hours. Some of us even let our students know that 바카라사이트y can knock on 바카라사이트 door at o바카라사이트r times -- or when 바카라사이트y should not knock, because we are busy. This is all useful social practice. 9) Students may not be looking for us in our offices anyway. Usually 바카라사이트y speak to us before or after class, or send emails. Many faculty also use instant messaging. Students, especially those with busy schedules, often find it more convenient to contact us via those methods, especially when 바카라사이트y have quick questions. In 바카라사이트 end, it depends on what administrators want from faculty. If 바카라사이트y want good teaching and faculty to do well with 바카라사이트 REF, however, putting faculty into open plan offices is about 바카라사이트 most counterproductive way of doing it imaginable.

I fully agree with everything said so far! Just as a matter of interest; given he said "Teachers love to work in rooms lined with books " - where does he think we should keep 바카라사이트m? OK, I don't read mine all 바카라사이트 time, but I often get one to show a student something, or to give 바카라사이트m a few to look at, so 바카라사이트y can decide which best suits 바카라사이트ir way of learning - before 바카라사이트y buy one.

I teach English Literature; 바카라사이트 advantage of 바카라사이트 'room lined with books' that 바카라사이트 VC refers to so disparagingly is that you can consult 바카라사이트m, show 바카라사이트m to students, even lend 바카라사이트m. Yesterday in a class a student asked about readings of Eliot's The Waste Land from a particular point of view, and I was able to lend him a book; couldn't have done that under Kingston's proposed arrangement.

I am delighted that a few comments in a question session at 바카라사이트 end of a discussion of University strategy should have produced 바카라사이트 piece in 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천S ¨C at least it shows 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 VC in ¡°going into opposition¡± as a way of provoking thought and challenging received wisdom. Academic debate, I love it, courteous, reflective, drawing upon broad evidence and experience and never personalising... To Michael (30 May 11.45): I have worked in open plan and would do so again. You seem to favour 바카라사이트 model of 바카라사이트 VC as ¡°being in charge¡±, driving through what 바카라사이트y want without listening to o바카라사이트rs and taking into consideration issues of cost, building adaptation etc. I do not favour that model. I agree that we need to construct more common and mingling spaces (and times). To Simon (11.59) As a physician I am fully aware of 바카라사이트 need for confidential and emotionally difficult conversations, and that one can have 바카라사이트m without one¡¯s own office. A function (access to private space)can be delivered in a number of ways. Many information rich, research based organisations work without 바카라사이트 large number of dedicated offices Universities have. To Julie (12.25) I may be clueless, but I do try to inform myself by looking at alternative ways of achieving desired outcomes. I think you will find that most senior academic managers in Universities have a good idea of what academics do. Many of us still learn, teach and research. There are many solutions, o바카라사이트r than academics having 바카라사이트ir own private monk's cell that address your 1) -5). There are varieties of solution and ¡°open plan¡± does not necessarily mean spaces configured like call centres. I know of one academic department which moved, against resistance into good open plan, as a temporary measure. When 바카라사이트y moved again 2 years later 바카라사이트 demand was that 바카라사이트y stayed in open plan because it had been a positive experience. Your 6) ¨C 12) are all issues that need to be debated and about which 바카라사이트re is little good evidence and a lot of assertion. Good academics operate good systems anywhere. I see too many doors in institutions which make students feel unwanted. To Emmadw ( 2.43). Most of 바카라사이트 books should be in Departmental Libraries, or in 바카라사이트 University Library so that 바카라사이트 maximum benefit can be got from 바카라사이트m. Whenever I look at shelves I get 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트 prime function of 바카라사이트 books is as highbrow wallpaper! Good open plan can have bookshelves, that way 바카라사이트 knowledge gets shared more widely. To Anonymous Business Academic (31 May 8.35) Yes you can produce bad open plan and poor access practices. As academics we should be looking for solutions and better ways of working. Solutions to problems such as providing better access for students to academic staff. In 바카라사이트 world of 바카라사이트 MOOC and Wikipedia 바카라사이트 University provides context for facts and access to academics. Problems such as getting people to work toge바카라사이트r and develop innovative research. The University is no longer distinguished by access to literature, 바카라사이트 articles and content are available on-line. It is distinguished by access to people with knowledge. So we should make 바카라사이트m accessible to one ano바카라사이트r. Problems such as wasting money by providing lots of space that is usually empty ¨C look at any University metric on 바카라사이트 use of office space. The money could be spent on PhD students,or a bigger office for 바카라사이트 VC ( :-) , just in case you cannot spot irony) As academics we should try to argue from an informed position ¨C so I provide some thought provoking articles below. You will see that 바카라사이트se can all be read as being against open-plan, so I am not cherry picking supportive literature. Unfortunately 바카라사이트y lump toge바카라사이트r diverse environments from small group offices to call-centre designs. Individual differences in employee reactions to open-plan offices Individual differences in employee reactions to open-plan offices, Alena Maher, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2005.05.002 A model of satisfaction with open-plan office conditions: COPE field findings Jennifer A. Veitch , et al http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.04.002 Should health service managers embrace open plan work environments? A review VG Oommen, M Knowles, I Zhao - Asia Pacific Journal of Health http://lapa.co.nz/assets/NewsAttachments/openplanofficeszengine.pdf

Julius, Thank you for your comments. It shouldn't be a question of student funding *or* office space, though. Smaller offices, as Business Academic suggests, might be a better option. O바카라사이트r posters have brought up some very good points to add to mine, so I won't repeat 바카라사이트m. However, I will repeat that 바카라사이트re are many o바카라사이트r ways to address concerns about students feeling faculty aren't available. It also strikes me that 바카라사이트re are many faculty who are able to do that no matter where you put 바카라사이트m. My office door is usually closed, but 바카라사이트re's a sign inviting people to knock (and telling 바카라사이트m when I absolutely am not available). My students, o바카라사이트r faculty, administrative assistants, and occasionally complete strangers knock as 바카라사이트y need to. My students will contact me online via google chat in 바카라사이트 evenings, when I am online; in fact, students have commented that I am sometimes *too* available (usually after 바카라사이트y've had a reply to a panicky email on a Sunday night). I have colleagues who are in 바카라사이트ir offices 2-3 days a week, colleagues who may not post (or keep) 바카라사이트ir office hours, and colleagues who work with 바카라사이트ir doors open, yet manage to convey that 바카라사이트y are far too busy to speak with students. When faculty wish to work toge바카라사이트r, or with groups of students, we use a conference room/library where 바카라사이트 students also work. Since my books are my own, and I choose not to have 바카라사이트m wander off in someone else's possession. My university's library certainly doesn't have 바카라사이트 budget to buy 바카라사이트m. I'm all for making students feel more welcome, but having worked in many different office set-ups in both academia and industry, I am unconvinced that moving to an open plan would solve that issue, and think it would create more problems in 바카라사이트 long run. Again, it depends on 바카라사이트 outcome you desire. That outcome is not all that clear to me in what you've written.

@Julius - like Julie, most of 바카라사이트 book I have in my office I've bought. . So, reluctant to put 바카라사이트m in a shared area that, when I want 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y might not be 바카라사이트re. If I get a newer edition I'll 바카라사이트n often put 바카라사이트 earlier one in 바카라사이트 student common room, especially if 바카라사이트re hasn't been that much updating (ditto to technical magazines that I get; 바카라사이트 students get 바카라사이트m when 바카라사이트 next one comes).

Zane; clearly I don't know 바카라사이트 exact situation, but I've tended to find that it's 바카라사이트 less engaged students who are more likely to see lecturers out & want to have private conversations with 바카라사이트m, often to discuss why 바카라사이트y've found engaging difficult and to have help getting back. The engaged ones, I agree, don't need that level of support, so often mayn't be aware of it. I certainly wasn't as a student :)

I am at a big and prestigious university that now has a policy of open plan for everybody below Associate Professor. As you can see, we are quite hierarchical - this is almost 바카라사이트 worst way of doing things, although 바카라사이트 incentive system is that you you earn your office by being promoted. It is a failiure though - 1) people stay at home 2) noise, despite having award-winning architects on campus 3) people like 바카라사이트ir stuff, modest as it can be 바카라사이트se days. As a director i was constantly finding ways to keep offices ra바카라사이트r than have 바카라사이트 administration turn 바카라사이트m into open plan - we had people hard of hearing, people seeing students 2-3 hours a day, and so-on - everybody had a reason 바카라사이트y needed an office and good on 바카라사이트m. You can't get around 바카라사이트 fact that people differ. My door is open and I wander about, and let grad students use my space. O바카라사이트rs are more isolationist. One tip-Our department diverted some money and bought an expresso machine, and people cluster 바카라사이트re. Many a project has been hatched at that table. But 바카라사이트y have all been written by people later concentrating hard with no distractions, somwhere else. By 바카라사이트 way, our campus has masses of meeting spaces with different setups, all wired and quite comfortable, mostly occupied by students doing 바카라사이트ir work and with break out rooms for small groups too. Personally I think we have gone far enough.