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McIntyre 330

  • Location:
  • Capacity: 88 students
  • Type: Flat classroom

Alignment with principles for designing Teaching and Learning Spaces

Academic challenge

Promote individual, active engagement with content.

Layout

Students can work individually, in pairs, or in teams of up to four people at movable rectangular tables. Each table has ample work surfaces for classroom materials (e.g., notebooks, laptops, and textbooks).

Furniture

Comfortable, adjustable, ergonomically approved chairs with wheels permit rapid transitions between individual and group learning activities.

Technologies

Access to resources: Lecture recording permits individual review of course materials after attending class. Access to infrastructure: Multiple sources (local PC, document camera) and screens for simultaneous display of different learning materials. Web-conferencing capabilities allow for interaction with remote participants.

Lighting & colour

Natural and overhead lighting permits individual work. Blue and yellow accents brighten the room.

Photograph of a classroom in McIntyre 330
Classroom in row layout (photo by Owen Egan).

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Learning with peers

Promote active engagement with one another.

Layout

Tables can be moved to accommodate group work, in groups of up to eight students. Students are able to easily circulate in the classroom due to sufficient passing space between tables.

Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations among students.

Furniture

The table layout permits collaborative approaches to coursework, and improved communication (both verbally and line-of-sight). Armless chairs allow students to easily turn and discuss in pairs or small groups, supporting collaborative learning.

Technologies

Large whiteboards situated at the sides of the classroom facilitate group work.

Lighting & colour

Different lighting patterns and levels support different learning activities.

Photograph of a classroom in McIntyre 330
Classroom in group work layout (photo by Owen Egan).


Experiences with faculty

Promote interaction and communication.

Layout

Instructor’s podium is located at the centre of the room and has plenty of space for all equipment and for the instructor’s materials. The instructor has access to all students due to a layout that permits ample passing space, and clear sightlines.

Acoustics: Sounds zones ensure that not only are students able to hear the instructor, but that the instructor is also able to hear the students. Sounds zones support multiple simultaneous conversations. The instructor has a wireless and a wired microphone available.

Furniture

The podium provides ample space for instructional materials and technology, and has a height adjustment for accessibility and convenience. Mobile chairs support different teaching strategies.

Technologies

Classroom technologies (e.g., local PC, laptop connection, document camera) permit display of different learning materials. Dual-source projecting on multiple projecting surfaces permit the display of different learning materials at the same time. Web-conferencing capabilities allow the instructor to integrate remote participants.

Lighting & colour

Lighting patterns provide a bright, pleasant environment and support multiple types of teaching and learning tasks.

Photograph of a classroom in McIntyre 330
View of instructor's podium (photo by Owen Egan).


Contributions to the campus environment

Classrooms that incorporate elements of active and collaborative learning are part of a vision for a variety of flexible campus learning spaces. This room is designed for all populations using the space: well-lit, with a standardized room control panel that simplifies instructors’ use of equipment in classrooms across campus. IT is consistent with teaching and learning needs, and durable furniture contributes to sustainability efforts.ÌýBoth physical and virtual affordances help maximize High Impact Practices (HIPs) for student learning within and beyond this classroom.


ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ University is on land which has served and continues to serve as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. Teaching and Learning Services acknowledges and thanks the diverse Indigenous peoples whose footsteps mark this territory on which peoples of the world now gather. This land acknowledgement is shared as a starting point to provide context for further learning and action.

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