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McIntyre 325

  • Location:
  • Capacity: 88 students
  • Type: Active learning classroom

Alignment with principles for designing Teaching and Learning Spaces

Academic challenge

Promote individual, active engagement with content.

Layout

Students can work individually or in groups at large, round tables with a work surface for classroom materials (e.g., notebooks, laptops, textbooks).

Furniture

Comfortable, adjustable, ergonomically approved chairs with wheels permit rapid transitions between individual and group learning activities. Whiteboards on the walls facilitate group work.

Technologies

Access to resources: Lecture recording permits individual review of course materials after attending class. Access to infrastructure: Some electrical plugs for student laptops at each table. Multiple sources (local PC, document camera) and screens for simultaneous display of different learning materials.

Lighting & colour

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

Photograph of a classroom in McIntyre 325
View facing the front of the classroom (photo by Owen Egan).

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Learning with peers

Promote active engagement with one another.

Layout

Round tables permit students to collaborate with one another and move easily from small group (2, 4, or 8 students) to whole class activities. Students can move about easily in the classroom due to sufficient passing space. Sight lines are unobstructed

Acoustics: Sound zones support multiple simultaneous conversations among students.

Furniture

Comfortable, adjustable-height chairs on wheels permit students to turn to discuss and work with those next to or behind them. Armless chairs allow students to easily turn and discuss in pairs or small groups, supporting collaborative learning.

Technologies

Large whiteboards situated at the back of the classroom facilitate group work. Power outlets at each table allow students to keep their computers charged during class.

Lighting & colour

Different lighting patterns and levels support different learning activities.

Photograph of a classroom in McIntyre 325
View facing the back of the classroom (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. Student tables have microphones.

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. Tables have sufficient space surrounding them for the instructor to check in with a given group.

Technologies

Classroom technologies (e.g., local PC, laptop connection, document camera) permit display of different learning materials. Dual-source projecting on multiple projecting surfaces around the classroom permit the display of different learning materials at the same time.

Lighting & colour

Lighting patterns support multiple types of teaching tasks.

Photograph of a classroom in McIntyre 325
View of the 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.


ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ 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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