Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Purdue University€¦ · • The project laboratory...
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52 WHAT DO WE WANT OUR LEARNERS TO BECOME? Our “learners” are faculty who will become: • Reflective practitioners of well-researched pedagogies. • Aware of the many ways that learning spaces can influence student learning and creativity in their use of space to support learning. • Knowledgeable about the evolving learning preferences of students. • Willing to approach their teaching in a scientific way— gathering evidence and using it to influence their own practice. • Empowered to think about the needs of their curriculum and how those needs can be met by different uses and configurations of learning spaces. WHAT EXPERIENCES MAKE THAT BECOMING HAPPEN? • Having opportunities to study the effects of a teaching innovation in a pilot setting. • Seeing data about the benefits of different pedagogies on student learning. • Having access to a “laboratory” space to experiment with innovative pedagogies with flexible furnishings, lighting, layout, and configuration. • Learning from the space, not just in the space. Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Purdue University Essay: P. 90 – 91
Transcript of Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Purdue University€¦ · • The project laboratory...
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WHAT DO WE WANT OUR LEARNERS TO BECOME?
Our “learners” are faculty who will become:• Reflectivepractitionersofwell-researchedpedagogies.• Awareofthemanywaysthatlearningspacescaninfluencestudentlearningandcreativityintheir
useofspacetosupportlearning.• Knowledgeableabouttheevolvinglearningpreferencesofstudents.• Willingtoapproachtheirteachinginascientificway—gatheringevidenceandusingitto
influencetheirownpractice.• Empoweredtothinkabouttheneedsoftheircurriculumandhowthoseneedscanbemetby
differentusesandconfigurationsoflearningspaces.
WHAT EXPERIENCES MAKE THAT BECOMING HAPPEN?
• Havingopportunitiestostudytheeffectsofateachinginnovationinapilotsetting.• Seeingdataaboutthebenefitsofdifferentpedagogiesonstudentlearning.• Havingaccesstoa“laboratory”spacetoexperimentwithinnovativepedagogieswithflexible
furnishings,lighting,layout,andconfiguration.• Learningfromthespace,notjustinthespace.
Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC)Purdue University
Essay:P.90–91
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HOW DO WE KNOW?
• Researchshowsthattoday’slearnersprefercurriculumthatfocusesonhands-onlearninginateam-basedatmosphere.
• Researchshowsthatmoreeffectivelearningtakesplacewhenstudentscanactivelyandcollaborativelyengageinthelearningprocess.
• Casestudiesdemonstratethatspacecaninfluencecollaborationandteamworkbyencouraginginteractionandprovidingteachingresourcesthatusetechnologytoshareandcaptureideas.
• Theprofessionalworkenvironmentismovingtomoreopenandcollaborativeofficesettings;learningenvironmentsneedtomimicthesereal-worldpracticestopreparestudentsfortheirfuturecareers.
WHAT SPACES ENABLE THOSE EXPERIENCES?
• Flexible,black-boxspacesthatinvitecreativity.• Infrastructurethatservespresenttechnologiesandalsoenablestheexplorationoftechnologies
ofthefuture.• Spacesabletoadaptandevolve,asuserscontinuetoexperimentwithpedagogiesand
technologiesthatenhancelearningandteaching.• Spaceswithusablelifetimesthatoutlastthecurrent“standard”configurationsofclassroom
spaces.
Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC)Purdue University
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Background
TheDiscoveryLearningResearchCenter(DLRC)isauniqueactivelearningenvironmentatPurdue,inthat“learners”arefacultyseekingdeeperexperientialknowledgeabouthowstudentslearnandabouthowparticularpedagogicalapproachesandspatialaffordancesenhancestudentlearning.InthecontextofthisR1campus,theDLRCprovidesanopportunitytobridgethecutting-edgeresearchworkdonebySTEMresearchersatPurduewiththeexplorationofcutting-edgepedagogicalapproaches—inserviceoftheUniversity’sfundamentaleducationmission.TheDLRChasthreegoals,to:
• Catalyzelarge-scale,interdisciplinaryresearchprogramsinteachingandlearning,especiallyinSTEMandSTEMrelatedfields
• Promotearticulationbetweenthescholarshipofteachingandlearningandactualclassroompractice—atalllevels.
• ProvideleadershipacrosstheUniversityininfluencingSTEMpublicliteracyandeducationalpolicy.
About the DLRC
TheDLRCishousedonthefirsttwofloorsoftheHallforDiscoveryandLearningResearchonthePurduecampus.TheDLRCisconceivedofasasandboxspaceforfacultyexperimentingwithpedagogicalinnovations,assessingtheimpactofaparticularapproach,anddeterminingtheinfluenceofspatialvariablesonthelearner.TheseareacarefullydesignedandmonitoredsetofstrategiesthatreflectthelargerDLRCgoals—improvinglearningwithinaparticularclassroomsettingandtoinfluenceteachingandlearningatPurdue—campus-wide.
TheDLRCoffersspecializedfacilitiesdesignedforeducationalresearch,fordevelopingandexperimentingwitheducationalmaterials,methods,andinstructionaltechnologies.TheDLRCalsoengagesPurduecolleaguesininterdisciplinarycollaborationsonscholarlyprojectsrelatedtolearning.EachofthespacesforlearningwithintheDLRCarereconfigurableasspacesforresearchonlearning:
• The project laboratory(STEM)isaspaceforengineeringandgroupdesignprojects.
• The science laboratoryisasandboxspacetoexploreavarietyofSTEMlearningenvironmentswithinthetraditionallabsetting.
• The learning studioshavetheflexibilityprovidedbymovablewalls,furnitureandtensiongrids.
• Breakout spacesextendthecapabilitiesoftheadjacentlearningstudios,promotingtheinteractionsandarticulationthataretheessenceoftheDLRC.
Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Purdue University
Our goal is to help to bridge the gap between what is known from research on education and what is actually taking place in the classroom. We would like to help Purdue transform educational practice in order to maximize student success, but also to explore educational trends that other universities would want to follow.—GabrielaC.Weaver,DLRCDirector
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One DLRC Product—The Flipped Chemistry Classroom
GabrielaWeaver,DLRCdirector,doesn’tlecturetohergeneralchemistrystudents—atleastnotinclass.Sherecordsshortlecturesnippetsthatstudentsreviewonlinebeforetheclassperiod.Whileat“class,”studentsworkproblemsintroducedinthosesnippetswhileshewandersaroundtheroom,observingstudentsastheyarelearning,seekingwheretheyarehavingdifficulty.
Hereffortsarepartofthegrowingevolutionofclassroomsthatinvert(orflip)thetraditionalsequenceoflecture/homework,withprofessorsprovidinglecturesorothercourse-relatedmaterialsviatheWebandstudentsactivelyengagedintheformalclassroomsetting.ThisapproachisadaptedfromtheworkofRobertBeichner(featuredelsewhereinthisguide),originallydesignedforlargeenrollmentintroductorySTEMcourses.
Assessment
TheDLRCistheidealsettingtoexperimentwith,practice,andassesssuchapproachesasflippingtheclassroom.Inthefirsttwoiterations,WeaverusedexamsfromtheAmericanChemicalSociety
tonormalizestudentperformancebetweentheconventionallytaughtfirstsemestercourseandtheflippedsecondsemestercourse.Studentperformanceimprovedsignificantlyfromthefirsttothesecondsemester.TheassessmentdatafromPurdueissimilartothatfromchemistryfacultyatotherinstitutionsinvolvedwithflippingthelearningexperienceoftheirstudents.
Planning Principles
ConceptualizationoftheDLRCwasdrivenbythreedesignelements:flexibility,transparency,andaccess.
Theelementofflexibilitywasbasedontheconceptofthe“blackbox”theatre.Justaswiththeatricalblackboxes,theprogrammingneedsoftheDLRCrequiredspacesthatcouldadapttoamultitudeofdifferentsettings.TheflexibledesignallowsDLRCresearcherstoreconfigureroomsintolearningpodsofvarioussizes,experimentwithnoveltechnologies,adjustbreakoutspaces,varyseatingarrangements,etc.Withtheoverheadtensiongrid,facultycanalteracoustics,lighting,andmechanicalsystems.
Theelementoftransparencywasimportantbecausethespaceshadtomakevisible—intellectuallyandvisually—theprocessoflearning.FacultycuriousabouthowlearninghappensandeagertoexplorewhichfactorsensureeffectivelearningandteachingexperimentinDLRCspacesequippedtorecordvideoandsoundinteractionsbetweenlearners,learnersandfaculty,andwiththetechnologiesandtoolsthathelpresearchersreviewandanalyzehowstudentsworkandthedynamicsbywhichtheyengageinthelearningprocess.
Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Purdue University
Architect:BSALifeStructuresPhotos courtesy of: BSALifeStructuresandPurdueUniversityLocation:WestLafayette,IndianaNet/gross square footage:
Netusablesquarefootage:81,795NSF(assignable56,400SF,nonassignable25,390SF)Grosssquarefootage:91,860GSF
Cost: $19,500,00(constructioncost)Construction period:18monthsDate completed: November2009Disciplines housed: Thisfacilityismoreresearchcentersand
groupsthandisciplines-themajorityofthefirsttwofloorsarehometotheDiscoveryLearningResearchCenter.
Thewholeideaofflippingtheclassroomandputtingmost of the content delivery outside of class time is that it frees up the class time, challenging students with more complex, realistic problems, under the guidance of an expert and in collaboration with peers. They get more and deeper opportunities to practice becoming problem-solvers.—RobertBeichner
