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Teaching Tips: Hine Hall 118 and Hine Hall 231

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

We recently interviewed three instructors who taught in Hine Hall 118 and Hine Hall 231 located on the IUPUI campus, and asked them to share their perspectives on teaching in these unique learning spaces. In this blog, Fawzi BenMessaoud, Andy Harris, and Sarah Johnson, generously share their experiences engaging students in these similarly designed active learning classrooms. They also address obstacles associated with these spaces and provide quick tips for any instructor new to these Hine Hall classrooms.

Dr. Darrell Brown leads a discussion with his Kelly School of Business students in Hine Hall 118, located on the IUPUI campus. Image Attribution: Emily Sterneman | Indiana University

If you were to meet with an instructor who was going to teach in either Hine Hall room for the first time, what would be your first piece of advice? 

Sarah Johnson: Be ready to climb all around. The front is so far from the back of the room. You will want to walk the room and that means stairs and dodging backpacks and bags. Just go for it. You will be able to better engage students if you leave the front and mix into groups and lead discussions from different parts of the room.

Andy Harris: Visit the room without students (and perhaps with a person familiar with the room) before you get started. You might not be aware of all of the resources available to you in that room, and you won’t have time to figure it out when you’re in class.

Sarah Johnson: The room is so conducive to group discussions with its round discussion tables. I would encourage the faculty member to consider their course and how they might work more peer to peer engagement into the lesson plans.

How did you navigate the classroom space, furniture, and other classroom features in Hine Hall 118 or 231?

Sarah Johnson: I intentionally moved around the room and made the “front of the room” a different side of the room each time I taught in there. This way students in the far back or sides were engaged as if they were in the front. This worked well on days when I didn’t need to the screens for visuals. The awkward part is that the room is quite oriented toward the front two screens, so the students tend to always want to look that direction if the screens are in use.

Sarah Johnson: I always brought a slide advancer with me to this room since the instructor station is at the front and so far away from the students. This way I was able to roam the room during activities and discussions. It allowed me to slip in and out of group and not feel so separated and stuck at the front station.

What do you perceive to be the biggest obstacle to teaching Hine Hall 118 or 231?

Fawzi BenMessaoud: The biggest obstacle was the acoustics. Given the size of the room and the number of students it was difficult to hear other students speak. There was the option of passing the wireless microphone but that takes time in the large space with only one to pass around.

Sarah Johnson: I lead an activity in the room with a much larger class and I noticed that it took more direction to have students at row seats join existing groups at tables. I would just suggest having a plan for this from the start. I used restaurant table numbers at the round tables and reassigned everyone to a specific table discussion and that way students at rows would be secondary group members joining existing groups at tables.

Dr. Brown’s entire class works in groups at the glass boards in Hine Hall 118. Image Attribution: Emily Sterneman | Indiana University

What was your favorite “thing” about teaching in either classroom? 

Andy Harris: I like the variety of options I have in this type of room.  It’s much easier to get some interesting group interaction in a room like this than a traditional lecture room, even with a large group.

Sarah Johnson: All of the whiteboards! They are everywhere. So anywhere can be a discussion point. Each group could draw up their ideas and present as if they were at the front of the room.

Fawzi BenMessaoud: The ability to go from theater/lecture setup to a group and round table group interaction activities without wasting time.

How do you engage your students at the glass boards on the walls in either space?

Students working on an activity in a small group at glass boards in Hine Hall 118. Image Attribution: Emily Sterneman | Indiana University

Fawzi BenMessaoud: I asked student teams to write a part of an answer and move to the next board to complete the work performed by the previous group. In this way students co-created a result instead of just one group working on one board.

Sarah Johnson: When I had groups discuss topics at their round tables they were regularly asked to write out their top takeaways on their group’s board to report out on to the class. There were times when I didn’t want to go around for a verbal report-out and instead had students walk the room to take in themes from other groups’ boards.

Thank you, Fawzi, Sarah, and Andy, for sharing with us! These tips are just a few examples of what is possible in Hine Hall rooms 118 and Hine Hall 231. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them in the comments below. If you would like to learn more or explore more about this or other Mosaic classrooms, please contact us: mosaic@iu.edu

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Configuring your classroom: ES 1117

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

In the last few years, we have published several blogs devoted to showcasing room arrangements for our configurable classrooms, i.e. our Mosaic classrooms with movable tables and chairs. We compile those blogs and share them on the Classroom Spaces tab under the Resources section on the Mosaic website. Today I’ll add one more example to that growing list, as we explore Mosaic classroom ES 1117, located in the Education/Social work building on the IUPUI campus.

With seating for up to 36 students, ES 1117’s moveable tables and chairs allow instructors a number of different possibilities for how they engage with their students in the physical classrooms. Today we’ll share several options for arranging the classroom and provide suggestions for a smoother room arrangement process.

Groups of six at the screen

ES 1117 arranged for groups of 6

As ES 1117 includes six screens, one natural arrangement of the tables and chairs is to move them into groups of six by the screens. In this configuration, students sitting at their group screen can share work from their own devices using a wireless sharing app called Solstice. This arrangement also allows for easy student access to Huddleboards (large whiteboards) available to each table.

There are two easy ways to seat students in a group of six. The “Option 1” arrangement, pictured below, seats six with group access to a screen and Huddleboard, pictured to the upper right. For a little more space, move the tables farther apart as pictured in “Option 2.”

Two options for groups of 6 around collaboration screens in ES 1117

Configurations for smaller groups

In the following arrangements, the tables are grouped throughout the room and away from the screens and walls. Moving the tables closer to the center of the room allows students to more easily view instructor or student generated content on the screens and white boards (from their seats or through a “gallery walk” around the room).

Groups of Four: Arrange the tables into groups of four to create nine groups.
Groups of four creates nine groups in ES 1117
Groups of Three: Arrange tables into groups of three to make twelve groups.
Groups of three creates twelve groups in ES 1117
Groups of Two: Arrange tables into groups of two creating eighteen groups.
Putting desks in pairs creates eighteen groups in ES 1117

Reconfiguring a classroom in a short amount of time can be challenging. Here are a few helpful tips:

  • The tables in ES 1117 have wheels in the front, making it easy to tip the table forward and roll it to where you wish. The tables do not have wheels in the back ensuring that, once you lower the table, it remains stationary.
Desk legs in ES 1117: Stationary nobs in the back, wheels in the front.
  • Ask your students to arrange the room:
    • Communicate the desired configuration to your students.
      Consider sharing one of the above images with students (perhaps, on a slide before class or in your Canvas course) and ask your students to begin to arrange the classroom when they arrive.
    • Communicate expectations.
      Just as you expect students to prepare for class with readings or homework, let them know that you expect them to help prepare the learning environment for class meetings.
    • Expect it to take a few class meetings for the process to be smooth.
      It can take a few class meetings before students can quickly and smoothly arrange furniture to the desired configuration. As you plan for your class, be sure to consider the time required to configure the room.

The configurations we’ve discussed here are just a few examples of what’s possible in ES 1117. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them to the comments below. To learn more about Solstice, explore these previous blogs.

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Mosaic Research Page Updates!

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

If you haven’t looked lately, you should check out the Research section on the Mosaic website. We have recently updated this area of the Mosaic website to keep up with the latest scholarship that Mosaic Fellows and Mosaic Staff continue to produce. Let me outline a few of the most significant additions:

Image of the https://mosaic.iu.edu website main page with the “Research Tab” highlighted
Research section of the Mosaic Initiative website.

Publications:

On the publications page we list publications from Mosaic Fellows, Mosaic Staff, and other Indiana University faculty since the launch of the Initiative. In 2019 alone, Mosaic Fellows have produced several peer-reviewed publications on active learning and active learning classrooms.

Highlights from the Mosaic Fellows:

    • Writing for Interactive Learning Environments, Audrey Ricke, Senior Mosaic Fellow, published an article on the potential for image-sharing projection software to support collaborative learning in large and medium sized classrooms.
      • Ricke, A. (2019). Enhancing classroom interaction: The integration of image-sharing projection software in social science and humanities classrooms.Interactive Learning Environments, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1652834

Highlights of other IU faculty and staff publications on active learning classroom design and research:

Presentations:

Since the launch of the Mosaic Initiative in 2015, the presentations list has grown quite long. Explore our past and most recent presentations here.

Mosaic Research Grant winners:

Check out our Mosaic Research Grant winners, past and present. The Mosaic Research Grant supports faculty-led research projects related to IU classroom spaces.

Research Webinars:

In the fall of 2018, the Mosaic Initiative began hosting a webinar series showcasing faculty-led research on several of Indiana University’s active learning classrooms. Explore the webinar series page for our past and upcoming webinars.

The Mosaic Initiative continues to support, produce, and share research on active learning classrooms and active learning. Continue to check the Research section of our website for updates to varies projects related to active learning classrooms.

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Teaching Tips: GISB West Wing Edition

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

We recently interviewed four instructors who taught in the west wing large classrooms of the Global and International Studies building — (GISB) rooms 1100, 1106, 1112, 1118, 1122, 1128, and 1134, on the Bloomington campus. We asked instructors to share their perspectives on, and experiences with, teaching in the building’s larger classrooms, which seat around 60 students. In this blog, Jared Allsop, Roxie Barnes, Virginia Hojas Carbonell, and Rachel Ryder share their experiences teaching in these active learning classrooms.

Student tables and chairs are organized in the space to create groups of four.
Image of Global and International Studies Building west wing classroom 1118 with groups of 4. Image Attribution: Emily Sterneman | Indiana University

If you were to meet with a faculty member scheduled to teach for the first time in a west wing GISB classroom, what advice would you most want to share?

Jared Allsop: Go into the classroom before the day you teach and familiarize yourself with the control panels. It takes some time to figure out how to work the various screens and use them smoothly.

Roxie Barnes: Engage in the space, sit in every seat, look around, and try to get the student’s view and feel for how they will use the space.

Virginia Hojas Carbonell: When I started teaching in GISB 1122, I arrived early to each class to arrange the desks and have them ready for each lesson. Now, I create visuals what I want the classroom arrangement to be on each particular day so students can help me organize the tables and chairs (u-shape, groups of 4 with two tables, etc.).

Rachel Ryder: I would recommend spending extra time planning for class.  You want to go into the classroom with a solid plan for how you will organize the desks, how students will work in teams, how much time will be spent on activities versus lecture, and how much time needs to be spent educating students on how to use technology and work in teams.

How did you, as an instructor, navigate the actual classroom space (i.e., the instructor’s station, the tables and chairs, focal points, or awkward spots)?

Rachel Ryder: During active learning activities I would often find myself in the middle of the room, or at the back of the room. I found the back of the space was more effective if students are using the white boards.

Jared Allsop: I love to change how the tables are configured, based upon what I was doing that day in class. For our discussion/lecture portion of the day, I frequently set up tables in the middle of the space, then set up break-out tables around the screens for our group/project work.

Explore some ideas for GISB west wing room arrangements here.

Roxie Barnes: I like to be all over the room. I like to draw pictures of anatomy and physical processes of the body, but in a traditional room there is not enough space to draw everything. In these rooms, I am able to display drawings to help students visualize what we are talking about. There are also enough white spaces for students to gather and write out their thoughts. I move the tables around because there is little space for faculty to move around when the tables are in traditional arrangement. I like to sit with and next to the students while we are learning, not only to see what kind of shoes they might be ordering online, but to help guide them through the discussions.

What do you perceive to be the biggest obstacle to teaching in west wing GISB classrooms? How did you address it?

Rachel Ryder: The biggest obstacle was getting students to move the desks. I would often get eye rolls when I asked students to move the desks into group spaces.  I found that moving the desk from day one of the course made it easier for students to get into the routine as the semester progressed.

Roxie Barnes: The table seating is not always perceived as movable for optimization. The tables are often set up horizontally and 4-5 deep with chairs facing front. Without significant moving, this set up is not always inviting for collaboration.

Virginia Hojas Carbonell: The tables did not have wheels, which made moving them around challenging and loud. I suggest arriving as early as possible after the previous class to prepare the classroom, since most instructors teaching in this building are not using these rooms as active learning classrooms.

What was your favorite “thing” about teaching in a west wing GISB classroom? 

Rachel Ryder: My favorite thing about teaching in this classroom was the flexibility to use different teaching methods and group work in a setting that the increased student interaction.

Jared Allsop: The options. These classrooms give you so many options to consider it makes teaching fun and engaging.

Roxie Barnes: No matter where I am in the classroom, I can draw on the whiteboards and engage my students.

Image of Global and International Studies Building west wing classroom 1118 with groups of 6. Image Attribution: Kelly Scholl | Indiana University

How did you engage your students at the whiteboard walls?

Rachel Ryder: I often use whiteboards for practicing calculations and team-based problem solving activities.

Roxie Barnes: I draw and write all over them!

How did you engage your students at the collaborative screens at their tables?

Roxie Barnes: I encouraged students to use the screens to present their work to the entire group.

Rachel Ryder: I did not use the collaborative screens much, but when I did the students used them for finding and sharing images.

Thank you, Jared, Roxie, Virginia, and Rachel for sharing with us! The tips our faculty have shared are just a few examples of what’s possible in the larger west wing Global and International Studies Building classrooms. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them in the comments below. If you would like to learn more about GISB classrooms, please contact us: mosaic@iu.edu

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Teaching Tips: University Hall AD 1000 Edition

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

We recently interviewed three instructors who taught in University Hall AD 1000, located on the IUPUI campus, and asked them to share their perspectives on, and experiences with, teaching in this unique learning space. In this blog, Andy Buchenot, Tyrone Freeman, and Gina Gibau generously share their experiences  engaging students in this active learning classroom. They also address obstacles in the space and provide quick tips for any instructor new to teaching in AD 1000.

Dr. Tyrone Freeman leads a discussion with philanthropy students in AD 1000, The Immersive Showcase Classroom is located on the IUPUI campus.

How did you navigate the classroom space, furniture, and other classroom features in AD 1000?

Tyrone Freeman: When I taught in AD 1000 in the past, I tended to stay at the front of the class near the instructor station or at the touch screen board, only moving around the room during small group work. Now, I switch up my location regularly, using the various glass white boards as a base or gathering students in different parts of the room. I will no longer be “chained” to the front of the classroom.

Gina Gibau: When I first taught in AD 1000, I enjoyed being able to situate myself near the different glass boards, so that the “front of the class” became any place where I was then standing at any given moment. When students were arranged into small groups (3, 4, or 8), the ease with which I circulated among and between the groups depended on their size. As the semester went on, I let go of the idea of me having to squeeze in between the students and the glass boards to reflect upon their responses to group work, and allowed for students situated near a given board to report out their responses on their own.

Andy Buchenot: While I taught in AD 1000, I was constantly monitoring where I stood in relation to my students and assessing whether it was where I wanted to stand or move for each activity. Asking discussion questions while behind the instructor station solicits a very different response than doing the same thing while sitting in a circle with your students.

Tyrone Freeman: I arranged the movable tables in a few different ways. It is wise to plan ahead and allow time for shifting the tables around. Between backpacks, jackets, and plugged in devices, moving the tables can be quite a chore. I have found arranging them at the start of class to be most helpful and I even ask students to assist as they are arriving. This semester, I will be experimenting with the room arrangements displayed on the Mosaic website.

What do you perceive to be the biggest obstacle to teaching in AD 1000? How did you address that obstacle during a class meeting? 

Gina Gibau: The biggest obstacle I faced in teaching in AD 1000 was that there was a class in there before mine. Therefore, I would have to rearrange furniture nearly every class period; this cut into valuable class time. While the students could have assisted, many of them stayed outside until I moved everything! But, as the semester progressed to a stage when we had more regular group discussions of 8, the students took the initiative to move the furniture.

Tyrone Freeman: Managing the instructor station is my biggest challenge. Activating the various screens can be a challenge. I’ve had to call Classroom Technology Services for help a few times. I struggle with activating the back screen for some reason.

Andy Buchenot: My biggest obstacle was budgeting enough time to use the content sharing system, called Solstice, effectively. I always wanted more time for students to use this powerful technology! My solution was to start projecting a clock on one of the monitors. When it was time to stop, it was time to stop.

Students in Dr. Freeman’s class collaborate in groups of eight.

Let’s close with some “Quick Tips.” What advice would you give to an instructor who is new to teaching in AD 1000?

Andy Buchenot: Don’t be afraid to dramatically rearrange the seating. It is amazing how clustering students in different ways changes the way they interact.

Gina Gibau: Mosaic classrooms include a myriad of technologies. Use the ones that best fit your course design and objectives. Keep in mind that the most effective technology may not be the most advanced; low tech technologies like glass boards may be more useful in meeting learning objectives.

Tyrone Freeman: Consider how to make use of the glass white boards. There are several positioned around the classroom which offer many options for engaging students.

Gina Gibau: Visiting the room in advance will be helpful, and particularly with a private tutorial from Mosaic staff if possible.

Thank you, Gina, Tyrone, and Andy for sharing with us! The tips our faculty have shared are just a few examples of what’s possible in AD 1000. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them in the comments below. If you would like to learn more about AD 1000, please contact us: mosaic@iu.edu

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Teaching Tips: Student Building SB015 Edition

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

We recently interviewed several instructors who taught in Student Building 015, located on the IU Bloomington campus, and asked them to share their perspectives on, and experiences with, teaching in this unique learning space. In this blog, Bloomington instructors Tessa Bent, J Duncan, Shabnam Kavousian, Julie Knapp, Jill Robinson, and Susan Siena, generously share their how they engaged students and how they addressed obstacles in the space. They also provide quick tips for any instructor new to teaching in SB015.

If you were to meet with an instructor who was going to teach in SB015 for the first time, what would be your top two tips for teaching in this room?

Collaborative Classroom, Student Building SB015
Collaborative Classroom, Student Building SB015, located on the IU Bloomington campus

J Duncan: The space is larger than you expect. Investigate it prior to teaching there, and plan where you will stand/move during class sessions.

Tessa Bent: Start slowly with integrating technology. Don’t feel that you must change every aspect of your course all at once. Try incorporating one active-learning activity each class period and go from there.

Susan Siena: Wear comfortable shoes as you will need to walk a lot! I walked around constantly. This is a marathon. I never sit in any classroom, but in this room you need to constantly move.

Julie Knapp: Design a variety of activities to support class content such as the use of white boards for group work, group sites within Canvas to capture, share and save group work. Get students comfortable with sharing work with the entire class using the large video wall and microphones.

Jill Robinson: It is very difficult to lecture in this room. Teaching in this room only works if a large amount of time is dedicated to group activities.

J Duncan: The control panel in the room is one of the more complicated ones at IUB. Get familiar with the operation of all controls, and expect there to be a little lag between when you push a button and the result occurs.

How did you navigate the classroom space, furniture, and other classroom features in SB015?

Jill Robinson: I used the instructor station in the middle of the room when providing content (i.e., lecturing or discussing results of group activity). Otherwise I roamed around the room along with my TAs, checking student progress and having discussion with groups.

J Duncan: I start off the first class by standing in front of the large screen, but after that I move to the center of the room (just up the small steps), which is where I usually am for most subsequent classes. There are very few awkward spots in the room thanks to the generous spacing of tables. You may need to practice “rotating” as you talk, to make sure you face different parts of the class while speaking.

Julie Knapp: My advice is to go through training and practice sessions in SB015 before the semester begins. In addition, ask an instructor that has taught in SB015 if you can ‘sit in’ on one of their classes to get an idea of how to use technology in the room.

What do you perceive to be the biggest obstacle to teaching in SB015? How did you address it?

Computer programming class in SB015
Faculty member lecturing in SB015

Susan Siena: The biggest obstacle is that there is really not a place to stand and deliver content where you feel everyone can see you. To address this, I think the best thing is to deliver as much content in other ways as possible. Also move around the room a lot.

Jill Robinson: There is no central focal point and it is really awkward to lecture. I redesigned the classes to be mainly small-group activities followed by discussion of  those activities as a whole class.

Shabnam Kavousian: For me it was the size of the room. I used the sound system (microphone) and that helped a lot.

Julie Knapp: You have to ‘shift’ your teaching approach from a traditional large lecture classroom to an active learning approach.  This takes time, planning, and advice/assistance from others. Use your resources – Mosaic staff, CITL, Classroom Technology Services.

What was your favorite “thing” about teaching in SB015?

Susan Siena: I like that students can easily work in groups on a shared screen.

J Duncan: It is the only room I’ve seen where students instantly grasp how to use the space and technology to collaborate on group work. Additionally, I don’t have to shove myself in between aisles or seats to help people.

Shabnam Kavousian: I LOVED that the tables were set up the way they were. Students sitting together formed a very collegial relationship and worked very well together outside the class, too.

L: Students collaborating at group tables in SB015.  |  R: Faculty member giving feedback to students in SB015.

Thank you, Tessa, J, Shabnam, Julie, Jill, and Susan, for sharing with us! The tips our faculty have shared are just a few examples of what is possible in SB015. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them to the comments below. If you would like to learn more or explore more about SB015, please contact us: mosaic@iu.edu

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Teaching Tips: IUPUI’s Lecture Hall LE104 Edition

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

We recently interviewed five instructors who taught in Lecture Hall LE104, located on the IUPUI campus, and asked them to give their perspectives on, and experiences with, teaching in this unique learning space. In this blog, Pat Clark, Lisa Contino, Modupe Labode, Gina Londino, and Kathy Marrs generously share their experiences with engaging students in LE104 and how they addressed obstacles in the space. They also provide quick tips for any instructor new to teaching in this room.

If you were to meet with an instructor who was going to teach in LE104 for the first time, what would be your top two tips for teaching in this room?

Jenny Nelson, Senior Lecturer, teaches in Mosaic classroom, LE 104
Jenny Nelson, Senior Lecturer, teaches in Mosaic classroom, LE 104

Lisa Contino: Spend some time alone in the room before the semester begins. Acquaint yourself with the technology. Imagine how a specific learning activity will work. Walk around. Mess with the lighting.

Pat Clark: Design some collaborative activities for table work. This really lets you utilize the table computers and monitors.

Kathy Marrs: Set up the class to be a two-way dialog between you and the students, and/or students talking to other students. Do not use the room for lecture – use it to hear the students working, talking, making sense of complicated material, and synthesizing that into a final product.

Gina Londino: Practice lecturing while standing in different parts of the room. The room has different acoustics and your voice can sound different in different parts of the room. It is a good idea to figure out the best place for you to stand when lecturing.

Modupe Labode: Use the screens to allow students to work on detailed information (reading websites, examining primary sources, looking at artwork). Students were very excited about doing this work and then sharing out what they worked on when “their” screen was visible on all the tables.

How did you navigate the classroom space, furniture, and other classroom features in LE 104?

Kathy Marrs: The instructor station tends to be the home base of course –  I would launch things from there, but then tried to stay away from standing and talking there.

Lisa Contino: I walked around the room a lot. Sometimes we all just laughed about how awkward it can be to follow a moving object. ​When speaking to the entire class, I tried to do so from spots where my back was not to any student. I did not view the instructor’s station as the focal point of the room. If I wanted students to direct their attention to a screen, I made sure that both the big screen and table screens were turned on.

Pat Clark: I used the Doceri App extensively, so I would walk around the room while presenting with my iPad. This allowed me to spend time near all the tables in the room and alleviated the problems with the alcove area.

Kathy Marrs: I tried to sit down and “visit” with every table while students were working, and I also tried to get students to either go up to the center podium to talk, or stand when they presented from their table. We would also use the table layout for a “gallery walk” where students would circulate around the room to get information from another group that they could take back to their tables.

Gina Londino: I made sure that there were an equal number of students at each group station. I also made sure that the student computers had my lecture presentation so that all students could see the slides.

What do you perceive to be the biggest obstacle to teaching in LE 104? How did you address it?

Gina Londino: The sound in the room is hard to control. From the center instructor station, I could hear all the side student conversions and sometimes it was hard to stay focused on the lecture material. I reminded students that I could hear everything they were saying and it was very distracting to me and other students.

Kathy Marrs: The large and inviting screens at every table can provide temptation for distracting activities, but I try to give students a little time to show others at their table some “off topic” websites as long as they were related to class.

Modupe Labode: The location of the instructor’s station. I tried to move around, or even teach from the back of the classroom, so that the instructor’s station did not become the focus of the classroom.

Pat Clark: If class size allows it, do not have students sitting in the back alcove tables. Their view of you and your view of them is obstructed for a large section of the large monitor end of the room. Also, the sound is not very good for the students in the alcove area. You can still utilize these tables if you break the class out into slightly smaller work groups then gather them back together.

What was your favorite “thing” about teaching in LE 104?

A group of 5 students collaborate at their group table in IUPUI's Lecture Hall LE 104
Students collaborate at their group tables in Lecture Hall LE104

Kathy Marrs: I really enjoyed the freedom and ability to truly structure a class and the learning objectives/outcomes around group work (research, projects), as well as circulating around students immersed in working.

Pat Clark: The table size is great. The students at most of the tables really formed cohesive groups. Several of the tables said they formed study groups or were at least more comfortable asking their table-mates questions than they were in the standard lecture seating. Also, I love that the student tables all have their own monitor. This allows students to be more intimate with the presented material and be able to do their own group work while having it visible to all at the table. I found the students to be more interactive with the lecture when they could point at or touch the screen. That might seem like a small thing, but it seemed as though students were more willing to ask questions when they could show me on the screen what they were having trouble understanding.

Modupe Labode: I really loved when students reported on their group work, and asked me to use the screens to call up something they wanted to teach with. Having the ability to share group work performed at the table on the large screen allowed students to really show off what they could do in class.

Gina Londino: I really liked that students had access to computers and to engage in group work in the classroom. I made sure to build classroom activities to allow students do their own research together. I would have students share their computer with the whole class and explain how they discovered a new technique and share images with each other.

More about LE 104 and what students think of learning in the space:

Thank you, Pat, Lisa, Modupe, Gina, and Kathy for sharing with us! The tips our faculty provided are just a few examples of what’s possible in LE 104. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them in the comments below. If you would like to learn more about LE 104 or schedule a consultation, please contact us mosaic@iu.edu, and follow us on twitter and instagram.

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Become a Mosaic Fellow: 2019 – 2010!

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

I’m excited to share that the call for applications for 2019 – 2020 Mosaic Faculty Fellows is out! We will be accepting applications for the 8th cohort (Regional Campus Faculty) and the 9th cohort (IUPUI and Columbus campus Faculty) until the application deadline on March 22, 2019. 

Why should you become a Mosaic Fellow? Let our Fellows tell you:

The Mosaic Fellows program has four goals:

  • Prepare faculty members to teach in active learning classrooms by exploring a variety of instructional strategies and technologies.
  • Build a community of faculty members who collaborate to advance their own teaching and to mentor other colleagues exploring and refining their pedagogical approaches.
  • Promote evidence-based teaching by encouraging instructors to study the impacts of new spaces and instructional approaches on student learning.
  • Create faculty leaders who work together and with other stakeholders to guide the development of new learning spaces across the university.

To learn more about the Mosaic Initiative, the Mosaic Faculty Fellows program, and our Current and Senior Fellows, visit our site mosaic.iu.edu and follow us on twitter and instagram.

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

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Enhancing Group Work with Collaboration Screens

Posted on by Kelly Scholl

Two, four, six… and sometimes even more; there are a number of collaboration screens we see being placed in classrooms around IU campuses. And classrooms with these screens have become a more common occurrence in recent years. How can these collaboration screens best be utilized?

Often, I think that’s the right question asked from the wrong direction. Rather than thinking about what we can do with them, think about an aspect of your class you want to improve that collaboration screens could possibly enhance.

Students collaborate around 1 small laptop screen
Image Credit: Trustees of Indiana University

One way I have seen the collaboration screens enhance a class has been with group work. Many instructors try group work with classes only to find that some students are disengaged in the process because they cannot see the product the team is working on, i.e. only one person controlling the computer and the only screen is facing that one person. By assigning groups to utilize the collaboration screens, every student can see the same product at the same time. This helps members of the group to stay focused on the task as well as enhances group discussion.

Several people collaborating around a large shared collaboration screen
Image Credit: Emily Sterneman | Indiana University

In some classrooms we find there are less screens than there are groups of students. Utilizing the collaboration screens for group work can still happen with some advanced planning. Often times there are several parts to the group work; consider if all the parts need to be happen at a collaboration screen. Could some groups start on part of the work, for example at whiteboards or on paper, while other groups start at the collaboration screens? Then half way through the allotted time, or the next class session, switch. Or perhaps all the groups start away from the screens at a planning phase where students are, for example completing calculations. The groups would only then move to the screens to verify or confirm their calculations. This method is best when the group time at the screen can be finished quickly, provided the group has used their planning time well.

Sometimes thinking through these changes can be easier when present in the classroom space. The Mosaic team offers in-classroom consultations to help you with adjustments to your class that utilize the tools and features your classroom offers. You can also find additional resources for your classroom at mosaic.iu.edu/resources and by following us on twitter and instagram.

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Configure your classroom: IU-Bloomington’s Geology 4069

Posted on by Tracey Birdwell

In this blog, we’ll explore different ways that Mosaic classroom Geology (GY) 4069 can be arranged to support a variety of active learning activities.

With seating for up to 24 students (at 12 Verb tables that each seat 2 students) Geology 4069’s moveable tables and chairs offer several configuration possibilities. Today we’ll share five options for arranging the classroom and suggestions for how to use the Verb boards that attach to the tables and hang from wall mounts.

Arrangement #1: Presentation/Lecture with Paired Work Groups

Arranging the desks facing both the screen and the front two whiteboards also allows for an instructor or student presenter(s) to be clearly visible. The aisle down the center allows an instructor to move around the room and interact with all students.

By positioning students in groups of two, an instructor can create paired work groups for both short activities or longer assignments. Students have easy access to the Verb boards that hang off the sides of the tables.

Arrangement #2: Six Groups of Four

This configuration allows for six groups of four, which is ideal for small group work. The arrangement provides each student group with a large collaborative workspace and allows them to make eye-contact with their peers as they work together.

Students have access to one Verb board per student and can display individual or group work performed on the Verb boards from the table-top board holders or from the board hanger located at the top of the large wall whiteboards. In this configuration, there is plenty of accessible white board surface for student work.

This configuration allows enough space for both the instructor and students to move about the classroom.

Arrangement #3: Three Groups of Eight

This arrangement is useful for large group collaborations. Ample space allows students and instructors to easily move about the room and access all types of whiteboard surfaces.

Arrangement #4: Four Groups of Six

This arrangement is useful for group collaborations of six students. Ample space allows students and instructors to easily move about the room and access all types of whiteboard surfaces.

Arrangement #5: Class Forum

This arrangement seats 22 students. An extra table is pushed to the side to make room for the lectern in the front corner. In this configuration, the entire class can engage in a discussion with clear view of other participants. To further clear space for student work, the unused table can hold student belongings.

The configurations we’ve discussed here are just a few examples of what’s possible in Geology GY 4069, located on the Bloomington campus. If you’d like to share your own ideas, please add them to the comments below. If you’ve taught in GY 4069 before and want to share your own experiences in this room, contact us mosaic@iu.edu to write your own blog.

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