Spring Break
Focus session sets sights on class renovations
Students, committee discuss further plans to better equip OSU classrooms, focus on two-way learning environment
Ben Opsahl
Issue date: 4/9/07 Section: News
Walking into a new classroom for the first time can be scary, and not always because of the things one might have heard about the professor.
Some classrooms are simply hard to learn in due to any number of appearance issues, from poor lighting and ugly colors to cramped learning spaces and poor seating arrangements.
The opinions of students and staff were heard April 6 at the OSU Classroom Renovation Committee's open focus group sessions. The sessions were run by Herman Miller, a provider of office furniture familiar with classroom renovation, and the committee. Overall, most of the ideas addressed three subjects: people, pedagogy (styles of teaching) and place. The general notion was that each classroom should be renovated on all fronts in addition to the general appearance of the room.
"We're guided by what faculty and students want," said Tony Wilcox, chair of the Classroom Renovation Committee. "They don't want to see new versions of the same classrooms. We have to take this opportunity and make sure the classroom environment is supportive and conducive to the learning experience."
OSU has shown that classroom renovation is a serious issue, and renovations in Gilkey Hall last summer were only the beginning. The university is focusing more on newer concepts and is very interested in getting students' opinions on what they want to see in the classrooms.
One consistent theme across the group sessions involved viewing students as customers, with the idea that students pay to attend this school and deserve to have their opinions counted toward major decision making.
Although the student meeting was separate from the faculty session held earlier that day, ideas presented by both groups shared similarities. The most emphasis was placed on critical thinking and creating a two-way learning environment in which teachers learn from students and vice versa.
The focus session, which lasted just over its 90-minute scheduled period, consisted mostly of students with interest in the effects of the classroom environment on the learning process. The students who showed up had avid interest in improving classrooms at OSU, and conversation was full of new ideas all around.
"I feel that the session will spark conversation and hopefully make changes," Mary Lansing, a senior in interior design, said. "The student body is the majority of the population here, and that's the best place to get information."
This meeting was only one step toward the committee's final decision. For now, they continue brainstorming and looking at the university's needs to determine a course of action.
Some classrooms are simply hard to learn in due to any number of appearance issues, from poor lighting and ugly colors to cramped learning spaces and poor seating arrangements.
The opinions of students and staff were heard April 6 at the OSU Classroom Renovation Committee's open focus group sessions. The sessions were run by Herman Miller, a provider of office furniture familiar with classroom renovation, and the committee. Overall, most of the ideas addressed three subjects: people, pedagogy (styles of teaching) and place. The general notion was that each classroom should be renovated on all fronts in addition to the general appearance of the room.
"We're guided by what faculty and students want," said Tony Wilcox, chair of the Classroom Renovation Committee. "They don't want to see new versions of the same classrooms. We have to take this opportunity and make sure the classroom environment is supportive and conducive to the learning experience."
OSU has shown that classroom renovation is a serious issue, and renovations in Gilkey Hall last summer were only the beginning. The university is focusing more on newer concepts and is very interested in getting students' opinions on what they want to see in the classrooms.
One consistent theme across the group sessions involved viewing students as customers, with the idea that students pay to attend this school and deserve to have their opinions counted toward major decision making.
Although the student meeting was separate from the faculty session held earlier that day, ideas presented by both groups shared similarities. The most emphasis was placed on critical thinking and creating a two-way learning environment in which teachers learn from students and vice versa.
The focus session, which lasted just over its 90-minute scheduled period, consisted mostly of students with interest in the effects of the classroom environment on the learning process. The students who showed up had avid interest in improving classrooms at OSU, and conversation was full of new ideas all around.
"I feel that the session will spark conversation and hopefully make changes," Mary Lansing, a senior in interior design, said. "The student body is the majority of the population here, and that's the best place to get information."
This meeting was only one step toward the committee's final decision. For now, they continue brainstorming and looking at the university's needs to determine a course of action.
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