Mosaic Initiative – Page 2 – Indiana University's Active Learning Initiative

The Learning Space Feedback Guide

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Tracey Birdwell

In today’s blog, I want to share with our readers the latest from the Mosaic Initiative: the Learning-Space-Feedback-Guide. Recently, Merve Basdogan and I developed the Learning Space Feedback Guide (or LSF Guide) to “guide” our many stakeholders through the multi-step process of gathering and sharing faculty and student feedback (or data) on our learning spaces. In this blog, we share what inspired us to create the LSF Guide and our recommendations for how you might wish to use it at your own institution.

What inspired the Learning Space Feedback Guide?

The Mosaic Initiative has gathered responses from faculty and students in a variety of ways in the past, but, with the LSF Guide, we wanted to create a consistent, comprehensive, and systematic approach to the process of obtaining user insights on our growing number and increasing variety of classroom spaces.

Our motivation for the LSF Guide was four-fold:

A growing number of new learning spaces across Indiana University – New spaces (and new kinds of spaces) raised questions of how users were experiencing them. We increasingly found ourselves with a growing need to better understand our changing spaces and transforming user practices.
A desire to scale and systematize our feedback practices – With so many new spaces, across many campuses, and engaging with multiple stakeholders, we hoped to bring some consistency to our attempts to learn more about our classrooms.
A need to engage in research, in some cases, and evaluation in others – We have different user information needs for different spaces at different times. We hoped to create a process that looked similar for both approaches.
A goal to include multiple perspectives – Many stakeholders who needed to know more about what was happening in our classrooms did not have a background on gathering feedback from users. They wished to be included in research or evaluation projects. In some cases, they were interested in leading their own efforts.

The Prompts:

Merve and I wanted to find a way to make getting feedback on rooms, whether for research or evaluation purposes, a more intentional process for our colleagues. To do this, we chose ten clearly defined prompts to guide colleagues through discussions and decision-making. The ten prompts support considered collection of feedback (or data).

Figure 1. The ten prompts in the Learning Space Feedback Guide. — Figure 1. The ten prompts from the Learning Space Feedback Guide.

How to use the LSF Guide:

To use the LSF Guide, first identify the space you want to learn more about. Then identify the stakeholders who should be involved in gathering and reading the feedback. We encourage you to consider multiple offices or departments to gain new perspectives and buy-in for future learning spaces-related projects. When you and your colleagues meet, follow the prompts as a group to collaboratively design your own approach to gathering feedback.

It is important to highlight that there is a key decision that you and your colleagues will need to make with the first prompt: Will you be engaging in research or evaluation?

If you are not sure which path you are taking, consider this question: do you plan to conduct an investigation for future publication and presentation?

If YES, then you need to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at your institution before moving forward with engaging participants.

If your answer is NO and you only intend to assess or evaluate the current status of a service (e.g., greenroom), a product (e.g., touch screen monitors, Catchbox), or functionality of a classroom (e.g., collaboration) in your institution/department/class, then, you can move to the next prompt without the need to attain IRB approval as long as the privacy of the subjects and confidentiality of the data is protected (which you will address in prompt #7).

Note that if you choose to pursue evaluation and later desire to do a research study based on the previously collected evaluation and assessment data, IRB approval may be required before releasing the data for a new project.

Our recommendations about using the LSF Guide:

After piloting the guide within our own team, we have a few recommendations to use the suggestions for you as you attempt to use the LSF Guide.

Read the LSF Guide before you meet: Encourage your colleagues to read over the prompts prior to your first meeting so that everyone is familiar with the questions and issues you will need to address. Invite everyone to bring their questions about the process to the meeting.
Meet together: We recommend, when possible, that stakeholders meet together in the room on which you want to gather feedback. Another option is to meet virtually with images or recorded videos of the classroom to guide the discussion.
Plan for more than one session: Most of the prompts will likely be easy to address in one meeting. However, some prompts such as feedback analysis or sharing the findings address specifics that might require further reflection and an additional meeting.
Enjoy the conversation: Addressing the prompts in the LSF Guide is a great way to open conversation about topics related to learning spaces and teaching and learning beyond getting feedback on a classroom. Enjoy these talks with your colleagues and let them lead you to new research or teaching-related collaborations.

What is next?

We at Indiana University are already using the LSF Guide for several of our spaces. We are pursuing both research and evaluation projects with the Guide and we hope to have some stories of our own to share soon.

We encourage you to check out the Learning Space Feedback Guide and let us know how your teams are using it to shape your own efforts to collect feedback from faculty and students.

Tracey Birdwell, Ph.D., serves as the Program Director of the Mosaic Initiative at Indiana University. She leads a University-wide initiative to support active learning in all IU classrooms. She has published her work in EDUCAUSE Quarterly, EDUCAUSE Review, Innovative Higher Education, The Journal of Learning Spaces, Campus Technology, the Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning, and The Conversation. Tracey earned her Ph.D. in American History from the University of Delaware. Follow her on Twitter @TraceyBirdwell.

Merve Basdogan is currently an Instructional Systems Technology Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University. Her research focuses on exploring, understanding, and supporting strategies for learners’ engagement in both online and face-to-face contexts with an emphasis on personalized and technology-supported learning design. Merve is currently working for IU’s Mosaic Active Learning Initiative to research active and flexible learning. Follow her on Twitter @MerveBasdogan.

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Are COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Spaces Here to Stay?

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Tracey Birdwell

Tripp Harris – Mosaic Research Intern/Learning Sciences PhD student

Today we welcome to the Mosaic Blog our Mosaic Research Intern, Tripp Harris. Tripp is currently a Learning Sciences PhD student at Indiana University. In this blog, Tripp shares his take on the future outdoor learning spaces in Higher Ed.

“Over the past twelve months, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a range of challenges to institutions of higher education across the world. From cancelling time-honored traditions, to opening quarantine dorms, to holding classes outside, life on most college campuses this school year has looked starkly different than it has in recent history. In response to public health concerns, many universities swiftly created temporary outdoor learning spaces to encourage outdoor instruction. In some cases, these temporary arrangements may lead to permanent change.

The College of Charleston was one of many schools that built temporary outdoor classrooms this year. *College of Charleston*.

Over the summer and into the early fall, we saw a handful of colleges and universities build temporary outdoor structures to provide face-to-face class settings for the 2020-2021 school year. Rice University was a national leader in outdoor classroom innovation, installing several large tents to hold classes outdoors. Here in Bloomington, IU is maintaining a collection of open-air venues around campus to serve a variety of purposes, including opportunities for outdoor learning. Numerous other schools made similar moves to bring their students back to campus, with the main goal of providing face-to-face instruction in safer open-air environments while de-densifying indoor classrooms to allow for social distancing.

Ft. Lewis College in Colorado also gave instructors the chance to teach in outdoor tents during the fall. Following growing enthusiasm among faculty members, the small liberal arts school is considering breaking ground on more permanent outdoor classroom structures in the near future. While building permanent outdoor classrooms is more of a long-term project, Ft. Lewis is also planning to re-conceptualize existing outdoor spaces to serve similar purposes by establishing stronger internet connection and adding shading mechanisms.

IU and Ft. Lewis College installed temporary tents to facilitate outdoor learning opportunities. Fort Lewis College

Teaching outside this year has, of course, not been without challenges. Climate control, stable Wi-Fi connection, and accessibility needs are just a few of the factors that designers and faculty members will need to confront before turning to outdoor classrooms as permanent fixtures on college campuses. Students and faculty at Tulane University voiced concerns over audio issues in outdoor classrooms in particular, citing the need for instructor microphones to combat noisy ventilation and AC systems. Tulane was also forced to shutter its outdoor classrooms for an extended period due to Hurricane Laura at the beginning of the semester.

A Permanent Change

Nonetheless, the need to make rapid adjustments in the face of COVID-19 has encouraged schools to reimagine outdoor campus spaces as environments where learning can take place effectively. Despite the logistical challenges of moving classes outdoors in the short term, some schools are using this momentum as a chance to add to their campuses’ repertoires of outdoor study spaces. William & Mary in Virginia, for instance, recently announced plans to build a new patio adjoining the campus’s main library, which will feature moveable seating arrangements, electrical outlets, and a passive water stream feature designed with ecotherapy in mind. The plans formed in large part as a response to the sudden need for more outdoor study spaces this past fall.

Faculty collaboration at William & Mary led to the plans for a new outdoor study space. William & Mary

Another Virginia school, Virginia Tech, has also made significant investments in revitalizing outdoor space on its campus to encourage outdoor learning. Since early in the fall, the university has continued to add permanent outdoor furniture around campus to encourage students to hold study meetings and casual gatherings outdoors rather than indoors. Virginia Tech’s focus has been on “activating” existing outdoor spaces around campus by adding overhead exterior lighting, electrical outlets for charging devices, and stronger Wi-Fi connection.

Leveraging Technology

Both Virginia Tech and William & Mary are relatively early adopters of the movement to provide more permanent outdoor learning spaces in the wake of the pandemic. Many other schools, like Ft. Lewis, are in the beginning stages of such initiatives. Rather than allocating large sums of money towards building or amending outdoor study spaces, a growing number of schools have developed software to help students and faculty members access suitable outdoor learning arrangements. Eckerd College in Florida, for example, was one of the first schools to offer an interactive map that allows faculty to reserve outdoor spaces for teaching purposes. The University of Tennessee is among other schools who have led similar initiatives, offering a digitized platform for viewing available outdoor study space.

The University of Tennessee offers a way for finding outdoor study spaces around campus. University of Tennessee

Future Outlook

While designing permanent outdoor classrooms that are sustainable and foster a range of teaching approaches may be a year or so in the future, the recent excitement surrounding the use of outdoor campus space for learning is energizing for nature lovers and instructional designers alike. Given the recent widespread developments and well-documented benefits of spending time outside, this movement could revolutionize how institutions of higher education come to understand the role of outdoor campus

settings in college teaching and learning. Rather than a scar from a troublesome year, the emergence of sustainable outdoor learning spaces could represent a collective effort towards adaptation and innovation.” — Tripp Harris

For more from Tripp, follow him on Twitter:@t_harris0

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Building a K-12 Active Learning Environment at the The Instituto Cumbres and Prepa Anahuac – Spanish Version

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Tracey Birdwell

Today we welcome to the Mosaic Blog two faculty from The Instituto Cumbres and Prepa Anahuac, a private, K-12 school in Oaxaca, Mexico. In this blog, Diego González and Jorge Méndez write about their school’s journey to designing and building active learning classrooms for their students. Diego and Jorge also write our first bilingual Mosaic blog. Today we will publish their blogs in English and Spanish. Many thanks to Diego and Jorge for telling their story in two languages.

The story they tell today begins with a competition…

Images of the three classrooms. From right to left:

“Todo inició como muchas cosas en la vida con un sueño.

Lanzaron la 3er convocatoria ^[1] en el otoño de 2018 para participar en un concurso de la Red de Colegios Semper Altius. El concurso otorgaba un fondo Fondo para apoyar a los Bachilleratos Anáhuac a construir espacios educativos innovadores que, a través de una nueva organización y disposición espacial, generen distintas formas de aprender, de enseñar y de interactuar^[2].

Para obtener dicho fondo, los colegios podríamos presentar un proyecto de investigación aplicada para construir un Active Learning Environment (ALE).

Era una maravillosa oportunidad para hacer una investigación.

La intención fue aportar elementos para conocer cómo un ALE, podría cambiar la realidad de los alumnos, en nuestro caso del sur de México.

Así que reunimos a los talentosos docentes del equipo del Instituto Cumbres y Prepa Anáhuac Oaxaca para plantearles la intención de participar. Hubo muchos ánimos e ilusión.

Comenzamos a realizar entre todos un recorrido por las bibliotecas digitales del mundo, tratando de encontrar elementos que sustentaran nuestra idea.

Contamos con un laboratorio STEAM-Makerspace, donde los niños y jóvenes pueden llegar a realizar desde pequeños prototipos acerca de naves que han dibujado en K3 e imprimirlos en la impresora 3D hasta apps donde los jóvenes enseñan a sus compañeros el cuerpo humano y todos los sistemas que lo componen por medio de la realidad aumentada.

Sin embargo había una sensación de que faltaba un proceso previo que nos estábamos saltando, es decir los alumnos y profesores llegan al laboratorio sin haber realizado una interiorización de los proyectos a realizar.

Colaboración con las partes interesadas:

La convocatoria parecía la oportunidad ideal para plantear un proyecto donde los jóvenes pudieran pensar, reflexionar y diseñar los productos que realizarán teniendo un impacto social.

En el recorrido por la bibliotecas fuimos encontrando maravillosas publicaciones acerca de los ALE, de distintos continentes… finalmente nos encontramos con una investigación, realizada en la Universidad de Indiana, que marcó nuestro rumbo, nos dio señales de claridad, encontramos metodologías y herramientas de investigación que nos podrían ayudar a medir por ejemplo el impacto de la cooperación que tiene un ALE en los alumnos.

Envío del proyecto:

Así que con el equipo que se había formado en el instituto seguimos escribiendo la propuesta del protocolo de investigación. Fuimos de los 5 colegios que pasaron a la ronda final, donde el protocolo se desmenuzó en un documento más amplio y riguroso. Se tuvo una visita para conocer mejor el proyecto por parte del jurado de la convocatoria. Había cuestiones por mejorar.

La metodología que se propuso fue la siguiente:

Realizar una investigación de métodos mixtos que integre de manera significativa los enfoques cualitativos y cuantitativos buscando enriquecer ambos tipos de datos y proporcionar una evidencia sólida (Johnson y Onwuegbuzie 2004, 21).
Con lo anterior, triangular una lista de cotejo acerca del comportamiento en el aula, con evaluaciones cuantitativas y cualitativas de las percepciones de los estudiantes (encuestas estudiantes) y video de vigilancia de los comportamientos reales en el aula, instrumentos desarrollados por Morrone, A. S., et al. (2014).
Aunado a lo anterior se utilizará la HOALE validada e implementada en la Universidad de Indiana por Birdwell, T. et al. (2016) para ayudar a los docentes a diseñar y realizar pedagogías efectivas de aprendizaje activo para sus estudiantes. La población objetivo de este proyecto de investigación involucra la participación de alumnos y docentes que conforman la comunidad del bachillerato. En promedio 17 docentes y 142 alumnos.
La investigación se realizaría por un periodo de dos años e involucra la aplicación de los instrumentos en cada uno de los cuatro semestres, este comprendería el año escolar 2019- 2020 y 2020-2021.

Construyendo las aulas:

Después de incluir la metodología en el proyecto final, con mucha alegría, recibimos la noticia de que el colegio había obtenido los fondos para la construcción del ALE.

Así que en el ciclo escolar 2019-2020, tuvimos la bendición de iniciar con el ALE. Anexamos algunas fotografías del espacio, que fue inspirado por tres de los espacios de aprendizaje arquetípico que identifica David Thornburg (2013): Cave, Watering Hole, Campfire, y un espacio para Investigación.

Inspiration images: Watering Hole, Cave, and Investigation Spaces

El ambiente Cave: promueve el trabajo reflexivo, apartado de distracciones, cómodo para el trabajo independiente. También se usa para un trabajo de tutorías.
El ambiente watering hole: aquí se fomenta la creatividad, es un espacio exterior que promueve el encuentro entre iguales para el aprendizaje informal y trabajo en equipos pequeños.
Ambiente campfire: este ambiente permite el intercambio de ideas, debates, discusiones, presentaciones, trabajo grupal.
Área de investigación: permite comenzar a desarrollar proyectos que tengan un impacto social y que acompañe su proceso de formación-madurez como líderes de acción positiva.

Dentro del ALE se busca que se desarrolle nuestro modelo pedagógico de personalización del aprendizaje, promoviendo el desarrollo emocional e intelectual del alumno y teniendo un rol activo en la determinación de los contenidos de aprendizaje.

Colaboración continua:

En este contexto, se ha generado una vinculación con la Universidad de Indiana y el programa Mosaic orientado al desarrollo de Active Learning Enviroments. En un principio para conocer algunos instrumentos para evaluar el impacto de estos espacios en el desarrollo de competencias de alumnos y en la práctica docente. Entre ellos se encuentran los siguientes:

Herramienta de observación ALE
Lista de cotejo pre-observación ALE
Datos cronológicos

Esta vinculación con la Universidad de Indiana también nos ha permitido entablar una conversación directa entre el cuerpo docente del instituto y las encargadas del programa para compartir experiencias que beneficien a los alumnos en estos ambientes de aprendizaje.”

El sueño de contar con un ALE, continua a pesar de la pandemia, como una semilla que está germinando ahora a la distancia.”

El autor uno es Diego González , se especializa en educación básica y media superior.

El autor dos es Jorge Méndez se especializa en enseñanza de idiomas con especialidad en inglés.

Bibliografía

Birdwell, T., Roman, T. A., Hammersmith, L., & Jerolimov, D. (2016). Active learning classroom observation tool: A practical tool for classroom observation in active Learning classrooms . Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning (Vol. 8). Recuperado de: http://openjournal.lib.miamioh.edu/index.php/jctl/article/view/157/83
Morrone, A. S., et al (2014). Coffeehouse as Classroom: Examination of a New Styleof Active Learning Environment. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Recuperado de: https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20084
Johnson, R., & Onwuegbuzie, A. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research
Mednick, Sarnoff A. . (1964). Learning. Englewood Cliffs. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.
Red de Colegios Semper Altius (2018) 3er. Concurso para la asignación de fondos para la construcción o mejora de Laboratorios STEAM-Makerspaces y / o Laboratorios de Ambientes de Aprendizaje Activos para Preparatorias Anáhuac.
Thornburg, D. (2013) From the campfire to the holodeck: creating engaging and powerful 21st century learning environments. John Willy & Sons.

^[1] 3er. Concurso de asignación de fondos para la construcción o mejora de laboratorios STEAM-Makerspaces y/o Active Learning Environments para los Bachilleratos Anáhuac

^[2] https://preescolar.semperaltius.edu.mx/apps/news/article/875231

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Building a K-12 Active Learning Environment at the The Instituto Cumbres and Prepa Anahuac

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Tracey Birdwell

The story they tell today begins with a competition…

“Like many things in life, everything started with a dream.

In 2018, a third internal competition was set forward by the [1]. The contest awarded an economic relief package to the winning school that is part of the Bachillerato Anahuac network. The competition’s purpose was to construct physical spaces that would facilitate innovative learning practices, this could be accomplished through the pioneering design of the on-campus area. This site would also serve to promote different ways of learning, teaching and interactions. [2]

In order to obtain said resources, all participating schools had to present an applied research project. In general, it was an excellent opportunity to research and spend time on.

The true intention was to provide elements such as ALE, which could change the reality of the students, in our case from southern Mexico.

We started by making a digital tour in libraries around the world trying to find elements that supported our idea.

We have a STEAM-Makerspace laboratory, where the children and youth can make small ship prototypes which they draw in K3 and print them using a 3D printer to apps where the students show their classmates the human body and all the systems which it encloses through an augmented reality.

Nonetheless, there was a feeling that a step in the process was being omitted, that said, students and teachers arrived at the laboratory without having interiorized the projects to be created.

Collaboration with Stakeholders:

At this point the call seemed an ideal opportunity to propose a project where the young scholars could think, reflect and design the products that they would create by contributing a social impact.

Through the virtual tours of the libraries we found wonderful publications about ALE form different continents… Finally, we found an investigation. Made by the University of Indiana, that marked our path. It gave us signs of clarity, we found methodology and tools of investigation that could hand us a way of measurement for example of the level of impact of the cooperation that ALE has in the students.

Submitting the Project:

And so with the team that had been formed at the institute we continued writing the proposal for the investigation protocol. We conformed one of the 5 institutes that made it to the final round, where the protocol was taken apart into a more in depth and rigorous file. We received a visit on behalf of the contest jury. There were points of improvement.

The methodology proposed was the following:

Make an investigation of the mixed methods that integrate in a meaningful manner the qualitative and quantitative focus, looking to enrich both types of data y p|rovide a solid evidence (Johnson y Onwuegbuzie 2004, 21).
With the previously mentioned, triangulate a checklist about the behavior in the classroom with quantitative and qualitative evaluations around the perceptions of the students (student surveys) and video vigilance of the real behavior within the classroom, tools developed by Morrone, A. S., et al. (2014)
In addition to the precursor HOALE will be used, validated and implemented by the university of Indiana and Birdwell, T. et. al. (2016) to help the professors design and make effective pedagogy of active learning for their students. The targeted population of our investigation involves a participation of students and teachers which conform the high school community. On average 17 professors and 142 students
The investigation will take place for a period of two years and involves the application of the instruments in each of the four semesters, this comprehends the school years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

Building the Classrooms:

After including the methodology in the final project, with much joy we received the news that the school had obtained the funds for the construction of the ALE.

Therefore, in the school year 2019-2020, with received the blessing of initiating ALE, we adjoin some pictures of the space, which was inspired by three of the learning spaces architypes that identifies David Thornburn (2013); Cave, Watering Hole, Campfire and an investigation space.

Cave environment: Promotes thoughtful work, detached from distractions, comfortable for independent work. Also used for tutoring work.
Watering hole environment: Creativity is fomented here, an exterior space that promotes encounters between equals for informal learning and small teamwork.
Campfire environment: This area permits the interchange of ideas, debates, discussions and presentations, class work.

Investigation Area: Allows beginning to develop projects that have a social impact and that accompany the process of maturity-formation as leaders of positive action.

Within ALE it is pursued that our model of personalized learning pedagogy is established, by promoting emotional and intellectual development in the student and having an active role in the determination of the learning content.

Continued Collaboration:

In this context, a bond between the university of Indiana and the Mosaic program oriented to the development of Active Learning Environments has been generated. At the beginning to know some impact evaluating instruments of these spaces in the development of competencies of the students and teaching practices. Within these, the following are found.

Tool for ALE observation
ALE pre-observation checklist
Chronological data

This bond with the University of Indiana also permits us to partake in direct conversation with the faculty of the institute and those in charge of the program to share experiences that benefit the students in these learning environments.

The dream of having an ALE continues despite the pandemic, like a seedling germinating now in the distance.”

The authors are: Diego González, who specializes in K-12 education, and Jorge Méndez, who specializes in language teaching with a speciality in English.

Bibliography

Birdwell, T., Roman, T. A., Hammersmith, L., & Jerolimov, D. (2016). Active learning classroom observation tool: A practical tool for classroom observation in active Learning classrooms . Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning (Vol. 8). Obtained from: http://openjournal.lib.miamioh.edu/index.php/jctl/article/view/157/83
Morrone, A. S., et al (2014). Coffeehouse as Classroom: Examination of a New Style of Active Learning Environment. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. Obtained from: https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20084
Johnson, R., & Onwuegbuzie, A. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research
Mednick, Sarnoff A. . (1964). Learning. Englewood Cliffs. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Red de Colegios Semper Altius (2018) 3rd. Contest for the allocation of funds for construction or improvement of STEAM-Makerspaces Labs and/or Active Learning Environments Labs for Anáhuac High Schools.
Thornburg, D. (2013) From the campfire to the holodeck: creating engaging and powerful 21st century learning environments. John Willy & Sons.

[1] 3rd Contest for the allocation of funds for the construction or improvement of STEAM Makerspaces Labsand / or Active Learning Environment labs in the Anahuac High Schools.

[2] https://preescolar.semperaltius.edu.mx/apps/news/article/875231

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Collaboration Café Research: How Faculty Teach in an Active Learning Classroom

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Tracey Birdwell

Merve Basdogen – Mosaic Research Assistant/ PhD candidate in Instructional Systems Technology — Merve Basdogen – Mosaic Research Assistant and PhD candidate – Instructional Systems Technology

Today we welcome to the Mosaic Blog our Mosaic Research Assistant, Merve Basdogan. Merve is currently an Instructional Systems Technology PhD candidate at Indiana University. In this first blog of the year, Merve shares her recent research on one of our newly redesigned Mosaic classrooms:

“Learning space is an agent that shapes the teaching and learning activities as well as social interactions. As higher education classrooms adopt more flexible, collaborative, and fluid spaces with a range of furniture settings, it is important to researchers and educators to understand how these new generation learning environments influence the nature of learning and teaching patterns.

In line with this aim, in the Spring 2020 semester, we examined faculty practices and student experiences in Cedar Hall-102 which is an active learning classroom at Indiana University Bloomington. Under the guidance of Dr. Stacy Morrone, we aimed to understand collaboration and the use of space through classroom recordings, daily room usage checklist, and interviews.

Image of Cedar Hall 102, also known as The Collaborative Café

We call this room “The Collaboration Café” due to its less formal and collaborative nature. For example, the room has movable chairs and tables to allow flexible seating and easy navigation. It also has some coffee house features such as colorful and soft sofa seating options, small coffee tables, and large windows allowing natural sunlight, to create a less formal learning atmosphere. Portable whiteboards for students’ use, a large projection screen, a teacher’s station, and power outlets on the floor are the technical components of the Collaborative Café.

As the graduate research assistant of this project, my first researcher role included obtaining the study’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval followed by recruiting faculty members and getting student consents to be recorded. Two faculty agreed to be video recorded while teaching in the Collaborative Café and three faculty completed daily room usage checklists throughout the semester. These faculty members were from different departments and they taught various courses such as Web Design Course, Recreational Therapy, and Politics and The Media. In the third week of the Spring semester, I visited each class and informed students regarding the study purpose. With the help of the Learning Spaces team at IU, we had also identified blinds spots to give all students the option to sit behind the camera, so they were not captured if they felt uncomfortable with the filming. In three sections, only 2 out of 248 students preferred to sit outside the camera angle. For me, it was an interesting finding to see that most students do not feel uncomfortable with a research camera and they acted very naturally throughout the semester.

In the end, we analyzed fifty-six hours of classroom video recordings from three undergraduate classes. The video analysis method included segmenting each video into one-minute pieces and scanning for variation. When we detected a new instructional activity such as lecturing, guiding, questioning, or discussion, we coded the activity in terms of Interaction, Technology, and Movement dimensions using an MS Excel Sheet.

The aggregated quantitative results of the video analysis and daily room use checklists submitted by faculty suggested that faculty’s choice of instructional strategy is very important in shaping the use of space, technology, and students’ active and collaborative learning behaviors in the classroom. If they select to take advantage of the technical and spatial affordances of the room, active learning occurs. However, in this case, the faculty mostly used PowerPoint Presentations and stayed close to the teacher station. The figure below highlights some other key findings:

Next, in the interviews, we asked the faculty the specific situations in which the Collaboration Café worked well and did not work well. Five faculty responded to this request and the “seamless transition” between the group activities and individual activities was reported as one the best advantages of the design of Collaboration Café. Similarly, the large room layout and large windows were also found functional by the faculty. In terms of challenges, the lack of a focal point in the classroom was among the negative aspects of the setting as detailed in the following figure.

This empirical observation suggests to us that faculty members are the most significant actors that allow or inhibit to take advantage of the full capacities of an active learning classroom. If the faculty depends less on the teacher-centered lecture format and encourages more consulting, small group activities, and whole-class discussions; the technology and furniture in the room will be utilized more effectively. For example, in this research, one of the courses taught in the Collaboration Café was a Web Design course. Although the nature of the course mostly required students to sit and run the codes on their laptops, the faculty integrated “huddle whiteboards” into the lesson and enabled students to write the codes together before running on the laptop. I think this strategy both contributed to active learning as well as students’ sense of community. Similarly, in the Recreational Therapy course, the faculty spent most of his instructional time using PowerPoint presentations to deliver the theory, case, and fact-heavy content. However, the video recordings showed that he used “interactive dialogs” with students to involve them in the presentation by asking their perspectives and experiences related to that week’s course objectives.

Thus, intentional and sustained faculty development is pivotal to enhance classroom success in innovative learning and teaching spaces. In addition, the presence of teaching assistants in the active learning space seemed to increase students’ opportunity to consult with experts and ask more questions through the class. For the large active learning classrooms like Collaboration Cafe, having a graduate or undergraduate teaching assistant offers a great potential to support collaboration and dialog between the individuals.”

Merve Basdogan’s research focuses on exploring, understanding, and supporting strategies for learners’ engagement in both online and face-to-face contexts with an emphasis on personalized and technology-supported learning design. Merve is currently working for IU’s Mosaic Active Learning Initiative to research active and flexible learning. Follow her on Twitter @MerveBasdogan.

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Under the Palm Trees: Outdoor Learning on a Tropical Campus

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Tracey Birdwell

Today we welcome to the Mosaic Blog our Mosaic Research Intern, Tripp Harris. Tripp is currently a Learning Sciences PhD student at Indiana University. Tripp shares his take on the affordances of outdoor learning spaces at the University of Miami, and how other schools could innovate to make use of on-campus outdoor space for learning.

The Tropical Campus

“The University of Miami is nestled in the city of Coral Gables, a quiet suburb to the southwest of Downtown Miami, Florida. Lined with royal palm trees, lush foliage, and anchored by the blue serenity of Lake Osceola, UM’s campus (or “The U,” as college football fans call it) is as close to a tropical utopia as it gets among American colleges and universities. The campus’s whitewashed, stucco-clad buildings are a subtle nod to Scarface-era South Beach. UM is truly a crown jewel of South Florida.

Gliders provide a laid back place for students to get some work done in the shade. Photo Credit Alex Piccirilli. — A view of the Donna E. Shalala Student Center just beyond Lake Osceola on the campus of the University of Miami. *Arquitectonica.*

As an Americorps member working in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, I spent many weekend mornings on campus at The U. Palm trees and water views aside, the campus there gave me a place to read, catch up on work, and apply to graduate school. The U boasts many outdoor learning spaces, and during my time in Miami, I took full advantage of the setting and its affordances. The campus was a quiet removal from the liveliness of Dade County Schools and the sensory overload that characterizes much of Miami. The academic surroundings helped frame my focus– at least until late morning when dozens of weary undergraduates would emerge from the dormitories to search for breakfast after a night out on the town.

Vanilla bean frappuccino: The unofficial drink of Saturday morning GRE prep in Miami. — Vanilla bean frappuccino: The unofficial drink of my Saturday morning GRE prep in Miami.

I never attended UM as a student, but I developed a sense of comfort there. As much fun as I had working with high school students throughout the week, getting away from school for a little bit on the weekends in a setting that allowed me to recharge (and enjoy that much needed “introvert time”) was centering. And it was impossible not to be drawn in by the natural beauty surrounding the outdoor study spaces on campus.

It became an integral part of my routine– a smooth bike ride southbound along US 1 through the early morning Miami air, a few hours of quiet time on the coral terrace overlooking Lake Osceola, and a frozen Starbucks beverage to kick off the day. No constant buzz of sirens or car horns, no loud music from competing stereo systems, no bell schedule to spur the movement of classroom chairs on tile school floors every 90 minutes. Just the constant white noise of the fountain, interrupted by the occasional passing water fowl.

UM’s campus is dotted with relaxed outdoor spots for social studying and collaboration. University of Miami.

Outdoor Spaces

While The U is home to an impressive array of academic buildings–many emblematic of architecture found in greater Miami-Dade–the outdoor spaces are what set the campus apart. Students at Miami have access to many open air study spaces, suitable for collaboration and solo work. Shaded gliders–rocking benches connected to a table under an awning–are placed ubiquitously around campus, providing convenient spots to work between classes (and just enough covering to escape the harsh Miami sun). Students looking for a social study spot can grab a table along one of the high-traffic walkways on campus. Those looking for a more secluded option can find a setup beyond the mangroves on the northwest end of Osceola. For me, I always preferred the tables by the lake, cooled by the shelter of the stunning Shalala Student Center.

UM students are lucky to have regular access to such a range of comfortable outdoor spaces in which to study, collaborate, and learn. Many college students have hectic schedules, and an environment so conducive to spending time outside may help them manage stress and recenter throughout the school week. Spending time on campus surrounded by green space and natural beauty could be especially beneficial for students who live off campus in more urban areas of Miami.

Gliders provide a laid back place for students to get some work done in the shade. Alex Piccirilli.

Improved Well-Being

The benefits of outdoor learning environments are well documented in scholarly literature. Some evidence points to possible associations between studying outside and improved memory function. Other findings suggest that working outdoors may have mental health benefits. For students attending college during the era of COVID-19, access to outdoor campus space is as important as ever. Thanks to the South Florida climate, students at UM can take advantage of these spaces year round. While students attending college in other parts of the country may opt for indoor options during the colder months, the balmy late fall temperatures at The U allow students there to continue using outdoor space on campus without interruption.

Students relax in UM-colored hammocks to catch a break from hectic school schedules. Rebecca Bauer.

As a graduate student attending school in a vastly different climate, I miss those warm early mornings in southern Miami-Dade. Bloomington is a beautiful town, especially in the fall. But once December rolls around, I’m heading back inside. What can schools that aren’t blessed with a tropical climate do to maintain some kind of outdoor study space most of the year? Universities have innovated to transform outdoor space to meet public health needs in the time of COVID-19, including IU. Villanova and Notre Dame, for example, will provide access to heated outdoor tents to encourage continued use of open air spaces. Before the winter begins, I hope IU Bloomington continues to develop ways to support usable, comfortable outdoor study options as we approach the brisk late fall and winter months.

So do you feel like studying by the pool? Come on down to The U. Want to read in a hammock under the palm trees? It’s all yours. Meet up with classmates by the lake? Go right ahead. Just don’t get too close to the alligators.”

Do you have similar experiences with outdoor learning spaces? What are your favorite spots on your own campus? How much does the season or weather influence your study-time outdoors? Share your pictures and examples in the comments below!

For more from Tripp, follow him on Twitter: @t_harris0

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Teaching in the Pandemic Classroom: Creating and Developing Classroom Community Throughout the Semester

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Tracey Birdwell

Concerns About Community

Over the summer, I’ve been speaking with a lot of Indiana University instructors about what fall 2020 teaching will look like in, what I’ve been calling, the “pandemic classroom.” I’m defining the pandemic classroom as a fall (and, likely, spring) semester marked by mask-wearing, social distancing, fewer students in the classroom (and more attending via Zoom), sudden adjustments in teaching modality, and a general sense of anxiety for instructors and students alike.

In my discussions with IU instructors, the biggest concern expressed about fall 2020: establishing a sense of community among students in their courses. IU instructors are worried that the disruptions and different modalities will make it difficult for students to establish rapport and trust, thus making important, course-related discussion and collaboration more difficult in the coming semester.

Creating and Developing Community Throughout the Semester

For today’s blog, I want to think about how to approach our sense of creating and developing classroom community in the pandemic classroom.

Let’s start with ice breakers. First day icebreakers are a common way to create community for a new class of students. They provide a chance for students to get to know each other and help to build familiarity and comfort with engagement among the class.

Thinking about ice breakers on the first day is a great start… in a normal semester. But this fall could see a variety of disruptions to the class, to our institutions, and to our students’ personal circumstances. If first day icebreakers are a good way to get to know each other, perhaps having icebreakers during the semester would be a good way to support community throughout our unpredictable fall.

Engaging in icebreakers past the first day, especially as students might have to adjust modalities, might offer a chance for students to recalibrate their changing sense of community. Icebreakers can be applied specifically to address course transitions (such as going online) and personal disruptions (such as an illness).

Share something about yourself

“Share something about yourself,” is the most common first meeting icebreaker prompt. There are a lot of different ways to ask student to share and show something about themselves on that first day, no matter the modality: draw something, present something from an at-home scavenger hunt, share ice-breaker information via Padlet, or even converse asynchronously via VoiceThread.

Build the community

Once the semester starts, you might focus student engagement on your discipline and course activities. Here are a few ways to encourage students to interact in ways that directly address the course:

Collaborative note-taking: Consider collaborative note taking, which can be implemented using a variety of approaches. One approach could be to ask one student to take notes for each class meeting (rotating responsibilities through the class) on a shared document (like a Google document) that other students can add to or update.
Class meeting catch-up: Ask students to join their groups and give them the following prompts to talk about or respond to in writing:
- What class concept(s) still inspires confusion?
- What adjustments could students/the instructor make to facilitate learning?
- What questions do you have about the recent transition to another modality (for example, moving online)?
Group note review: Group students and ask them to compare notes on the previous class meeting (or previous week of class meetings). Encourage students to fill in what they missed or clarify what might have been confusing. Students can share their notes through Google or just screen sharing through Zoom, and then discuss what they wrote.
Open office hours: Consider holding open office hours on Zoom to give students a chance to interact with you and with one another.

Conclusion

As you create and develop class community this fall, take a moment at the beginning of the semester to connect with your students. Reflect on specific ways you can develop student community through the fall. Make sure to allow students to take time to reorient themselves with each other during this unpredictable semester.

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Catchbox Microphone for Classroom Discussion

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Tracey Birdwell

As of the writing of this blog, I’m remaining at home and our campuses are quiet as we all practice social distancing. I’m missing the energy of each of Indiana University’s campuses and the buzz of students. One of the things helping me with the current state of uncertainty is working on the support we will all need for when we get together on campus, under normal circumstances again.

Today, I want to write about the Catchbox microphone, a tool to promote in-class discussion. There will be two Catchboxes in the three Mosaic classrooms that are part of Innovation Hall, currently under construction on the IUPUI campus.

Image description: One of the new Catchboxes that will be used in the new Innovation Hall classrooms. The microphone is on the top of the box; the sides are made of soft material for safe, easy throwing and catching. — Image description: One of the Catchboxes that will be used in the new Innovation Hall classrooms. The microphone is on the top of the box; the sides are made of soft material for safe, easy throwing and catching.

Those new Mosaic classrooms are:

a 215-seat tiered lecture hall
an 81-seat SCALE-UP-style classroom with movable chairs and tables
a 125-seat, football-shaped “active learning theatre,” with two tiers of seats that swivel to encourage variable grouping collaboration

A Catchbox microphone is made of soft durable foam. This makes it light enough (weighing just under 10 ounces) and soft enough (made of squeezable foam and stain-resistant fabric) to make it safe and easy to throw. The Catchbox even has a mechanism that senses the motion and temporarily switches “off” the audio when the device is thrown, caught, or dropped. It’s built to be thrown to anyone in a classroom space and, once caught, it gives a student the chance to be heard by the entire class, since the microphone amplifies wirelessly through the room’s audio system. By tossing the Catchbox to others, students and instructors can encourage student contributions to class.

Suggestions for instructors for using the Catchbox:

Set expectations: Be sure to explain what the Catchbox is, how it functions, and how you expect it to be used in your course. An example communication could be:
- “This is a Catchbox, we will use it during in-class discussion. It’s lightweight and has a speaker at the top. When the Catchbox is thrown to you, speak into the microphone at the top so everyone can hear you. When prompted, you’ll toss the Catchbox to one of your classmates so they can share an idea.”
Icebreaker: The first day you use the Catchbox, try holding a discussion about possible classroom Catchbox uses or about student expectations about the class. Possible icebreakers could be: What is your biggest question about this course? What is your biggest concern about speaking to this class? How might this Catchbox be used to facilitate discussion?
Don’t use it like an instructor’s microphone: I recommend not using the Catchbox as your microphone, i.e., asking a question then tossing it to a student with a raised hand, or walking it to a student (such an approach is potentially time consuming and defeats the collaborative, informal appeal of Catchbox)
Stay student-centered: Encourage your students to throw the Catchbox so that the device becomes a student-driven tool. Consider giving both Catchboxes to different students before class starts. Then, at the appropriate time, invite those students to toss the Catchbox for the first response. In this way, the instructor might not control the microphones for the entire class; instead, their path would be dictated by the students.
Mix it up: Give your students a prompt, throw the Catchbox to a student and announce that the student holding the Catchbox (or their table or their row) must refrain from comment. This is a good way to encourage all students to engage in class, especially if the conversation gets focused on one group of students.

Have you already taught with a Catchbox? Share your experiences with the Catchbox in the comments below. For help with developing activities for Catchbox, contact us at mosaic@iu.edu.

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Student Evaluations and Your Active Learning Classroom

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Tracey Birdwell

Today we welcome to the Mosaic Blog, Suraj Uttamchandani, who has been our Mosaic Research Intern since 2016, and is currently a Learning Sciences doctoral candidate at Indiana University. Suraj shares his take on how instructors can use student evaluations to get feedback on their experiences not only in your course but also in your active learning classroom.

Suraj Uttamchandani – Mosaic Research Intern/Learning Sciences doctoral candidate

As the semester gets underway, it can be useful to have end-of-course evaluations in mind as you plan and start a new course. Although it may seem early to consider end-of-course evaluations, thinking about them now can help make sure you get feedback about important changes in your courses to know how effective they were. In general, these evaluations can be helpful tools for understanding students’ perceptions of your teaching and of their own learning. If you’re teaching in an active learning classroom (or any classroom), they can also be a useful instrument to help make sense of how students are experiencing the classroom space as it intersects with your course material and pedagogy.

At IU, instructors can add a limited number of specific questions to their online course questionnaires (OCQs). While we shouldn’t rely solely on student evaluation as measures of teaching effectiveness, adding targeted questions about how students are interacting with their learning environment can help generate useful and specific feedback to improve teaching. They can be a useful resource when you add your own targeted questions.

Across these questions, you can ask about specific assignments or activities. Be careful, though, to make sure that you are asking questions that will be fresh on students’ minds; if you do a gallery walk activity in January, you may not get useful feedback on that in May. Instead, target the questions at things that students are likely to remember, such as major assignments (midterms), overall assessment structures, or everyday classroom things (like weekly journal entries).

Quantitative Questions

Consider quantitative questions. These tend to be best for measuring student attitudes in your classroom, especially if you have a large class. They provide a quick “at a glance” way of seeing how students felt about class. An easy structure for such a question is a “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” scale associated with a statement. For example, one semester I asked students to rate how much they agreed with the statement “Sometimes I feel like my instructor and I are on opposing teams in this class,” which helped me better understand how students perceived our relationship. (This question was borrowed from the SCALE survey, here: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1164634.pdf).

Here are examples of quantitative questions that are specific to the classroom space and features (each is responded to on a scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”):

Using Solstice helped me better understand what my classmates were thinking.

The way this classroom space was set up was helpful for my learning.

The daily “think, pair, share” activities helped me understand material better.

Qualitative Questions

Qualitative questions are especially helpful for determining student attitudes, as a class, toward how you use your classroom space and features.

You can also ask qualitative questions. Unless students complete their culminating assignment before finals week, be careful not to ask about the final exam, as the OCQs must be completed before finals week.

Here are examples of qualitative questions that are specifically about the classroom space:

Which, if any, technologies that we used this semester (e.g., Solstice, screen-sharing, google docs) best supported your learning?

What did you like most about the physical setup of our classroom space?

What did you like least about the physical setup of our classroom space?

Compared to other courses you have had at IU, what, if anything, stands out about how our classroom space was organized?

Don’t be afraid to be creative! It’s OK if a question doesn’t get the responses you’re expecting, so try it out. For example, a qualitative question could be “What is one piece of advice you would give future students in this course?” These answers can inform your future teaching, highlighting something you need to change, but can also be something you share with future students on the first day of class. For an added bonus, in this way the OCQ also becomes a useful reflective opportunity for students as they engage in metacognitive evaluation of their own performance throughout the semester.

Ultimately, OCQs can help instructors reflect on their own teaching by shedding light on how students are experiencing the classroom. OCQs are most useful when everyone completes them, rather than merely those with strong opinions, be them positive or negative. I like to put the students’ response on the monitor, which shows how many students have completed the OCQ, up on the projector (especially easy to do in an active learning classrooms). At the start of the penultimate class, ask students to complete the OCQ and leave the room for 10 minutes; then, come back and refresh the monitor, repeating until all are complete. Doing this at the start of class, rather than the end, made a big difference for me.

For Indiana University instructors, the option to add questions to your OCQ will arrive in your inbox about 4 weeks before the end of the semester. This year, you might consider asking students a question about how the classroom space or features (and how you use them) influences their experience in your course.

Do you have any questions you add to your OCQ? Share your examples in the comments below!

For more from Suraj, follow him on twitter: @_SurajUttam

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Become a 2020 – 2021 Mosaic Fellow, IU Bloomington Campus!

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Tracey Birdwell

As we begin the new year, I’m excited to share that the call for 2020 – 2021 Mosaic Faculty Fellows is out for the IU Bloomington campus! The Mosaic Initiative will be accepting applications for the 10th cohort of Mosaic Fellows until March 23, 2020.

Like previous cohorts of Mosaic Fellows, the next round of Fellows will:

explore active learning approaches with Faculty peers
learn how to leverage classroom spaces and features to support student engagement
contribute to the development of learning spaces across Indiana University
read and discuss key research on active learning classrooms and active learning

To learn more about the Mosaic Faculty Fellows program and the Mosaic Initiative, visit mosaic.iu.edu.

If you have any questions about the Mosaic Fellows program, don’t hesitate to contact us: mosaic@iu.edu

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