research report

Higher education is changing. Ever-evolving technologies, escalating costs, and increased student

diversity are converging on college campuses and changing students’ expectations for what

the college experience should look and feel like. Students are imploring universities to modify

pedagogy so that classes focus on collaborative learning and one-on-one interaction. As a result,

administrators and educators are rethinking the one-size-fits-all model for college classrooms and

evaluating what types of spaces effectively support collaboration and help students and faculty

engage in transformational learning.

No More Teachers,No More Books? Every person is an educator, every space is a classroom.

“Why would I go to this place unless it’s absolutely going to facilitate some sort of experience?” —Student

Photo: Columbia College, Chicago, IL

Students view the classroom as a space where teachers facilitate learning and see every person as an educator. They’re not interested in sitting through long lectures. Online video and readily available podcasts allow students to access information from the comfort of their dorm rooms or apartments. When they come to class, they want to step into an environment where hands-on collaborative learning takes place in small groups.

Our roundtables revealed that many educators and administrators remain devoted to traditional teaching paradigms; they value collaborative learning but still see value in the lecture format. Still, according to the results of the Gensler education survey, educators and administrators view webcasts and podcasts as one of the three most effective methods for teaching and learning.

All three groups believe a multi-modal pedagogy—one that blends several teaching methods and integrates technology—is the most effective teaching/learning method.

In recent years, pundits, academics, and others have frequently discussed the proliferation of online social networks and how these networks affect students. But what is often omitted from these conversations is that in spite of students’ penchant for updating Facebook statuses and dispensing news via Twitter, they still crave meaningful face-to-face interaction with educators and each other.

Student roundtable participants and survey respondents conveyed this sentiment, saying that they prefer to learn in small groups and to teach each other rather than watch lectures online, secluded from their classmates. “I learn best when I can really interact with my classmates and/or my teacher on a one-to-one basis,” said one student.

Administrators and educators recognize the importance of on-campus interaction. Both groups identified creating a sense of community as one of the most important trends affecting college campuses. Administrators and educators do not believe online social networks can create communities on their own. “The students need to feel a pattern of community and Facebook isn’t going to cut it,” said an administrator.

Students Regard Educators As Facilitators

Campuses Are Live Social Networks

“Every single person in that room is an educator. Is there one main instructor who has to score and be a facilitator? Yes, but I am an educator, just as you are an educator.”—Student

“Students come to class to work collaboratively. It’s that contact and that experience, and it’s not led by me…I facilitate it.”—Educator

“Space needs to foster engagement… meaningful engagement.” —Administrator

“We are all looking for a tactile learning and teaching experience.” —Educator

“It should be congregation space around a resource.” —Educator

Photo: University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA

Photo: Ogilvy & Mather, New York, NY

Gensler | 2011 Education Roundtables

Students want pedagogy to incorporate collaborative learning; educators want campuses to integrate traditionally separated academic disciplines. Universities can meet these demands by providing spaces that support collaboration and by recognizing the vital role campus design can play in facilitating interaction between academic departments.

The diverse needs of students and educators require a diverse mix of spaces. The one-size-fits-all lecture hall is becoming obsolete because these spaces lack flexibility and inhibit one-on-one interaction. Classrooms need the flexibility to support various pedagogies and different types of learning.

Classrooms are only one facet of a college campus. Students and educators are using in-between spaces such as lounges, courtyards, and atria to interact and learn from each other. Designing campuses to take advantage of the creative learning that takes place in these in-between spaces can help colleges and universities support diverse types of learning that students and educators partake in.

According to our focus groups, escalating costs remain a top concern of administrators and educators, and there is no reason to believe this will change. The testing and research organization ACT says one in three students do not return after freshman year, taking tuition money out of university coffers. It is clear that students and their parents want greater returns for their education dollars, and finding ways to provide more value for less money is an issue with which the academic community will continue to grapple.

The next conversation is how universities can design campuses that reduce costs and present a college experience that falls in line with student expectations. Reevaluating the types of spaces that improve learning environments is critical to this process.

Campuses best serve students when they consider the new and diverse ways that students access information, study, and interact with educators and each other.

Non-Traditional Pedagogy Requires Non-Traditional Learning Spaces

Designing to Student and Educator Needs Improves Value and Reduces Costs

“Instead of just fitting it in where we can, let’s make a concerted effort to really think about why we are putting this class here, why are we having the classrooms on this level?” —Administrator

“The technology needs to support my hands-on teaching style.” —Educator

“Anywhere you have a network, you have a library.” —Administrator

“It costs six dollars a year to keep a book on a shelf in an average academic library.” —Educator

“There are quite a few faculty members that actually have virtual office hours.” —Student

Photo: East Stroudsberg University, East Stroudsburg, PA

Photo: Columbia College, Chicago, IL

Gensler hosted seven roundtable discussions with university administrators, educators, and students from 42 institutions in the United States and United Kingdom. Discussions took place in New York, London, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.

Following the roundtables, Gensler conducted a survey asking respondents to identify the top trends impacting the teaching/learning experience, the most effective approaches to pedagogy, and the types of spaces that can improve the learning environment. www.gensler.com

Top Trends Impacting The Teaching/Learning Experience

Most Effective Approaches to Pedagogy

Space Types That Improve the Learning Environment

Research Methodology

Students Pervasiveness of Knowledge

High Expectations

Diverse Mix of Student Needs

Other

Pervasiveness of Knowledge

Escalating Costs

Creating Senseof Community

Other

Pervasiveness of Knowledge

Escalating Costs

Creating Sense of Community

Other

Educators

Administrators

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Students Multi- modal

Teacher as Facilitator

Hands-onLab/Studio

Other

Multi- modal

Group Webcast/ Podcast

Other

Multi- modal

Hands-onLab/Studio

Webcast/ Podcast

Other

Educators

Administrators

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Students Mix of Spaces

Space with Daylight Views

Technology Rich Spaces

Other

Mix of Spaces

Breakout Rooms

Flexible Spaces

Mix of Spaces

Flexible Spaces

Technology Rich Spaces

Other

Educators

Administrators

0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Other

Gensler | 2011 Education Roundtables

Gensler | 2011 Education Roundtables

ChicagoColumbia CollegeThe Chicago SchoolDePaul UniversityIIT Institute of Design

DallasCollin CollegeMountain View College, Dallas County Community College DistrictTexas Christian UniversityThe University of North TexasThe University of Texas ArlingtonThe University of Texas Dallas

HoustonLone Star College - KingwoodLone Star College - CyFairLone Star College - TomballTexas Southern UniversityUniversity of Houston

LondonLondon Metropolitan UniversityLondon School of EconomicsMenipal Institute of TechnologyQueen Mary University of LondonRavensbourne College of Design and Communication

Los AngelesBiola UniversityThe Dawn ProjectRiverside Community CollegeSanta Monica CollegeUniversity of Southern California (USC) Ventura Community College

New YorkBenjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva Univer-sityColumbia Law SchoolThe Cooper UnionNew York Hall of ScienceNew York School of Interior DesignNew York UniversityOpportunities for a Better TomorrowParsons the New School for DesignYeshiva University

Washington, D.C.American UniversityCatholic UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorge Washington UniversityUniversity of the District of ColumbiaVirginia Tech

Students, educators, and administrators from the following institutions participated in Gensler’s Education Roundtable series.

Roundtable Participants