Learning Space Design

In alignment with the College's strategic long-range planning (SLRP) and Hege Library's strategic planning efforts, Jeanne Narum, founding principal of the Learning Spaces Collaboratory, was engaged to support the Guilford community in consideration of its learning environment and the importance of realigning our approach to space planning.  Jeanne's work initially involved the presentation of a webinar on learning spaces, which took place on Friday, 31 January 2014, as a prelude to the distribution of a survey of faculty on the classroom environment and to set the stage for her campus site visit in March to conduct face-to-face interviews, tour facilities, and lead a SLRP-sponsored workshop open to all.

As library strategic planning progresses, the student voice is central to informing the process.  Student impressions of both formal and informal learning spaces were solicited as the Library's new Student Advisory Board (SAB) formed at the beginning of the spring 2014 semester.  Students were asked to take pictures of library, classroom, and other spaces across the campus and articulate their feelings about spaces that they felt both most and least supported their learning.  Their collective thoughts were compiled in Wordles.  This initial assessment effort provided a foundation upon which to evolve the conversation about how space matters to learning.