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Our spaces shape
our lives; our lives shape our spaces—
it's a chicken and egg thing.
It is human nature to come together in
communities. Ancient clans and tribes
have grown and evolved into what we
now understand as modern society by
establishing villages, towns, and cities
as technologies developed for sustaining
larger population densities.
In its "Sociocultural Evolution" entry, Wikipedia tells us that it is "the
process by which structural reorganization
is affected through time, eventually
producing a form or structure
which is qualitatively different from the
ancestral form. … Evolutionism then
becomes the scientific activity of finding
nomothetic explanations for the occurrence
of such structural changes."1
Such theories typically provide
models for understanding the relationship
between technologies, social
structure, the values of a society, and
how and why they change with time.
Substitute the words "business" or "corporation" for society, and the entry
does a canny job of shedding an evolutionary
light on our working world.
There's no question that our
corporate structures have been forever
changed by the information revolution.
For most of the population, even the
concepts of what it means to be an "employee," or work in an "office," are
light years from the brick-and-mortar
confines of the industrial age. Companies
that haven't adjusted to these newrealities are no longer in business, as outmoded models are unable to compete in
their markets or retain talented employees.
Contrast the depth and pace of this change with our institutions of higher
education. Why is it that many of our colleges and universities still feel like
they were designed and built during the industrial revolution? And why are
some of the furnishings still downright medieval?
Let's back up a moment and consider the stated role of our colleges and
universities: to prepare us for professional careers, often in the business world.
How has this world changed since many of these repositories for higher
education were built and furnished?
NEW WORKING REALITIES
The ancestral "office" has become that proverbial box—the one we're all supposed
to be thinking outside of. Just about every workforce now includes telecommuters
(either from home or a "third place"), satellite offices, freelancers, consultants,
temporary contract employees, managers that float from office to office, and roadwarrior
employees who spend even less time in the office than all of the above. If
home is where the heart is, then work is wherever the laptop lands.
In this world, professionals constantly find themselves confronting different
challenges with different groups of people—individuals often pulled from
various departments, or with very different areas of expertise and experience.
And yet, here they are: a temporary task force that must find a way—and a
place—to collaborate ... efficiently and productively. This is why cubicle farms
and human Habitrails are giving way to more flexible spaces that can accommodate
the ever-shifting nature of a company's business, while nurturing
teamwork and collaboration for specific tasks and temporary working groups.
The success of a collaborative workgroup hinges on three basic factors:
- IT—specifically, streamlined interconnectedness, enabling everyone in
the group to conveniently communicate, share information and log on
to Web-based project management software packages.
- Flexible environments that allow collaborators to freely organize (and
spontaneously reorganize) their workspace for full group, subgroup
and individual tasks, and for convenient brainstorming, discussions,
and presentations. The spaces must also include the basics: ergonomic
seating and worksurfaces that are also easily reconfigurable; mobile
presentation/dry erase boards; and access to power. They should also
offer the extras that attract people to "third-place" settings like coffee
shops (e.g., inspiring surroundings, good lighting, access to snacks and
refreshments, and, perhaps above all, a higher degree of social energy).
- People with the interpersonal and leadership skill sets to facilitate
the group's effectiveness and success—defining goals, managing,
coaching, assigning tasks, and assigning subgroups.
The new realities of work have driven significant changes in workplace and
furniture design. In making these accommodations, companies have found
that they're also using their space more efficiently and creating a kinder and
gentler environment for all employees. Workers are more inspired, less susceptible
to fatigue, and in the end, more productive at their jobs.
Collaborative workspaces are here to stay, as the job descriptions of skilled
employees become more fluid, and static and functionary positions are outsourced
or taken over by software. Employers are looking for college graduates who can
excel in this kind of environment (a successful collaborative workgroup, factor No. 3,
above). We've all heard an employer say, "I'd rather hire someone who's good with
people than someone who knows our industry inside and out … we can always
teach them that. But people with the right interpersonal skills are hard to find."
So, where do people beginning their careers learn to work well with others?
THE STUDENT MIND
Students in today's universities have been raised in an age of technological ubiquity, with video games, GPS, iPods, smart phones, and laptops. They are"digital natives"—these devices, and the level of interconnectedness they
offer, are an ambient part of their world.2 They don't see them as technology,
but merely basic appliances or accessories. This is why it might be tempting
to consider them as being more likely plugged into gizmos than tuned into
people around them. But that would be a mistake.
Unlike the Gen-Xers and the boomers, the millennials (born between 1980 and
2000) have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents,
structured lives, and contact with diverse people. Millennials are used to working
in teams and are anxious to make friends with people of diverse backgrounds. In
work settings, they seek leadership—and even structure—but expect that older
and managerial co-workers will draw out and respect their ideas.
3
Other millennial characteristics include:
- Experiential and exploratory learners: Millennials strongly prefer
learning by doing. They almost never read the directions, and love to
learn by doing (by interacting). Multiplayer gaming, computer simulations,
and social networks are some of their favorite environments and provide
little penalty for trial and error learning, but offer interactivity and
instant feedback on what works and what doesn't. Millennials say they
find average lectures boring.
- Flexibility/convenience: Millennials prefer to keep their time and
commitments flexible longer in order to take advantage of better
options. In turn, they also expect other people and institutions to give
them more flexibility.
- Personalization and customization: They expect their world to offer
as many personalization and customization features as possible to meet
their changing needs, interests and tastes. For example, they will customize
their cell phone rings in order to determine who is calling them.
- Impatience/instant gratification: Millennials have no tolerance for
delays. They expect their services instantly. They require almost constant
feedback to know how they are progressing. They are frustrated when
they are delayed, required to wait in line, or deal with some other
unproductive process.
- Practical, results oriented: Millennials are interested in processes and
services that work and speed their interactions. They prefer merit systems
to others (e.g., seniority).
- Multitaskers: Millennials excel at juggling several tasks at once since
this is an efficient, practical use of their time. Multitasking can enable
them to accelerate their learning by permitting them to accomplish more
than one task at the same time.
- Nomadic communication style: Millennials have more friends and
communicate with them more frequently using IM (instant messaging), text
messaging, and cell phones (in addition to more traditional communication
channels). They are prolific communicators. They love and expect communication
mobility to remain in constant touch wherever and whenever, and
to obtain any services regardless of their geography or distance.
- Collaboration and intelligence: After many years of collaborating at
daycare, schools, soccer teams, orchestras, peer-to peer networks, games,
and other programmed activities, millennials know how and when to work
with other people more effectively. Even those who do not prefer collaboration
typically do so if they think it gives them a practical advantage. They respect
intelligence and education (i.e., "it's cool to be smart"). Peer-to-peer justin-time collaborative learning is happening more than ever as a way for
students to learn from each other. Impact upon academe: Colleges and
universities, not just individual faculty, have to do far more in creating
collaborative technology so that two or more students can work together
faster, more effectively and more comfortably.4
CREATING EFFETIVE COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTS
"Where do they learn to work well together?" The answer to the question
is, it's already hard-wired into their nature. The challenge for higher education,
then, is how to effectively embrace and nurture the parallels between the
personalities of the incoming students and the new realities of the workplace
(rather than act as an intellectual bottleneck by attempting to mold them to
an outmoded pedagogical structure).
This educational evolution begins with creating environments that are more
student-centered than teacher-centered, encouraging students to collaborate
and work in groups.
"Working together" is a key concept for millennials. Learning is a social
process. The most memorable college experiences involve making connections
with others—whether students or faculty—and the importance of learning
spaces that facilitate these connections cannot be overstated. These connections
are not just verbal or spatial, they are visual—enabling people to see others
and feel as though they are part of something bigger, such as observing a
class at work in a laboratory.
Creating spaces for spontaneous meetings is particularly important. "Think stops" are places for individuals to stop, relax, and meet others.
Often marked by a chalkboard or whiteboard, these locations encourage
impromptu meetings and conversations.5
The University of Melbourne hosted an intensive five-day workshop
in 2007, titled "Creating New Generation Learning Environments on the
University Campus," with the goal of exploring the role and development
of new types of classrooms. The forum was facilitated and documented by
Peter Jamieson, whose observations get to the heart of the learning process.
"Key findings from the research into teaching and learning in higher
education should underpin the design of all educational environments," says
Jamieson. "In my own case, these include the concepts that: knowledge is not
'transferred' from teacher to student, but is personally constructed by the student;
learning should involve students in the active construction of their own knowledge;
learning is essentially a socially-constructed process; and, learning is fundamentally
about changing the way an individual understands an aspect of the world they
are learning about and how they make sense of it.
"Therefore, exposure to the variation in this understanding within the
class—seeing how others understand what they are learning—is vital to the
individual's own learning. It is a key function of the teacher to bring out this
variation in understanding."6
Collaborative learning environments are often referred to as "learning
studios" (modeled after an artist's studio that changes with each project). Some key characteristics include:
- They don't have a recognizable "front," either visually or from the
perspective of the place where you expect the teacher to be. There may be a formal instructor's workstation, which may include remote
controls for the room's AV technology. Alternatively, it might be mobile and small. In either case, most of the time the instructor is a wanderer,
listening in on discussions, answering questions, and furnishing
resource materials.7
- They have multiple electronic display surfaces oriented on different
walls. Some are large projected images, using dedicated ceiling mounted
projectors.8
- A good portion of the perimeter walls are made up of writing surfaces;
they might even be magnetic to enable them to be used as tack-up
surfaces.9
- In some cases, the furniture is lightweight, movable, and reconfigurable
to accommodate workgroups of various sizes. Chairs are comfortable and
on wheels. The room is sized to allow for comfortable circulation and a
certain messiness, even chaos, during classroom project activities.10
It's important to note that collaborative learning spaces aren't just limited to
classrooms. Corridors and hallways, residence halls, cafés, and of course libraries,
can easily be transformed with the right furniture and access to technology.
FLEXIBLE FURNITURE—THE HEART OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES
Students and faculty both prefer a level of control over their environment. The
ability to rearrange seats or adjust the lighting makes it possible for the same
space to be used in many ways—by different groups—throughout the day. A
computer lab or classroom may become the site of a small group performance
or a club meeting at night. This flexibility also allows customization, maximizing
not only space utilization but also convenience.11
Learning studios with flexible furniture can be easily configured for full-grouppresentations and lectures, subdivided for small-group projects, moved to the
perimeter of the room for "roundtable" discussions, and even collapsed and
stowed out of the way to open up floor space.
Choosing the right furniture is critical for collaborative environments and
will largely dictate how the space is used. Here are the primary types of furniture
used in higher education collaborative environments:
- Training tables: Tables in various shapes and sizes that can be easily
moved into different formations are a basic necessity. Many fold and
nest together for easy changes, movement and storage; some are available
with power options to support technology.
- Meeting tables: Round and oval meeting tables are an ideal complement
to a group discussion. Students can meet with a professor over coffee,
or groups of students can sit together and brainstorm for a project; sitting
or standing height tables ensure discussions aren't limited.
- Mobile boards and easels: These allow an idea to be created, shared
and moved around as needed. Both freestanding and mobile options as
well as rail systems that affix to a wall fall under this category.
- Mobile carts to support technology: Wheeled carts allow new
technologies like flat panels to be brought into collaborative environments
to enhance the discussion. Mobile instructor workstations also
support a variety of multimedia equipment at once, making them ideal
for front-of-the-room applications.
- Soft seating: Collaborative spaces need modular seating that can be
modified to support group work. Chairs, sofas, benches and lounge seating
are needed for informal collaboration areas. Various finishing options
help complement the space.
- Mobile privacy screens: These allow larger collaborative spaces to be
broken down into smaller group environments. Lightweight and mobile
screens allow for easy movement and create more privacy for student
activities. Like soft seating, many screens come with a variety of color,
pattern and material options to enhance the look of the space.12
Ideally, furniture for collaborative learning spaces should be:
- Flexible/reconfigurable: Simple to set up, rearrange, store and share.
- Comfortable: Easy to sit in for a period of time, especially when using
electronic equipment.
- Mobile: Wheeled furniture is a must in spaces where the room and
meetings are constantly changing. It must be able to be moved in, out
and around quickly and without custodial support.
- Dependable: Long lasting and made with high quality materials that
resist damage from people and the environment.
- Technology-enabled: Products that support the technology used in the
room—with space for equipment placement, power and storage.
- Attractive: It should enhance the tone of the collaborative space by
providing a warm, inviting look that is also polished and professional.
- Customizable: Able to be changed or tweaked to meet the exact needs
of the space—from color and design, to style or construction.
- Able to work with other furniture: It is ideal to have furniture that
can work and fit with other furniture in the space (preferably the same
style and brand for consistency).13
Collaborative learning spaces are the perfect environment to connect
the personalities of millennial students with the needs of successful modern
businesses. If these spaces are properly furnished, universities will realize
increased utilization of the spaces and a more energized, engaged faculty and
student body.
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