Active learning has been a growing trend in education for decades based on its impact on student learning and success. As such, schools, colleges, and universities have invested resources into expanding this teaching approach, including active learning classrooms. But why have some schools been successful at rapidly growing their active learning…

Active learning spaces form an important part of university learning environments and have the potential to enhance student learning, yet studies on student and faculty perceptions of collaborative learning pedagogies indicate that many remain resistant. To overcome this resistance, an academic department developed and implemented an active…

Institutions may invest heavily into building and equipping new learning teaching spaces with the intention of encouraging active and collaborative learning to occur. However, there may not be a concomitant shift in teachers' existing pedagogical practices. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of thirty-two tertiary teachers across a…

This study investigated the influence of physical and virtual learning spaces on students' socialization into future professions while attending a modern university. Qualitative analysis of an undergraduate liberal arts program that employs the use of roundtable classrooms was conducted. Findings revealed that the roundtable classroom promotes…

Having experienced preliminary success in designing two active learning classrooms, Lethbridge College developed an additional eight active learning classrooms as part of a three-year initiative spanning 2014-2017. Year one of the initiative entailed purchasing new audio-visual equipment and classroom furniture followed by installation. This…

For this case study, the author describes the successful collaboration between Michigan Technological University and Herman Miller in the creation of a learning studio within an emerging learning commons. This recently opened learning studio provides faculty and students a place to develop their level of understanding in active teaching and…

This study sought to explore how the design of both physical and virtual learning spaces influence student dialogue in a modern university. Qualitative analysis of the learning spaces in an undergraduate liberal arts program was conducted. Interview and focus group data from students and faculty, in addition to classroom observations, resulted in…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in a set of university classrooms and students' outcomes, i.e., satisfaction with IEQ, perceived learning, and course satisfaction. Data collected from students (N = 631) of University of Minnesota were analyzed to test a hypothesized…

In designing St. Olaf College's Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, we attempted to create learning spaces to accommodate classes of 50-100 students and a variety of teaching pedagogies. In this study, we compared three different 72-seat classrooms furnished with half-round tables for four, straight tables, or a serpentine shaped…