That means that many institutions find themselves faced with the task of outfitting sometimes century-old buildings for today’s modern, hybrid world. It can be a complex and costly project, but it’s one that CDW’s team of higher education experts has tackled many times over the past few years.
Here are a few things we’ve learned along the way that can help:
Think About How You Want to Use the Classroom Space
You’ll be teaching in the classroom, meaning that it will need to be outfitted for in-person courses as well as hybrid instruction.
But let’s think about the question more deeply: Do you want to be able to conduct a fully remote class, a hybrid one or both in this room? Will students be collaborating or will they be listening to a lecture? Does the instructor need to move around the room?
When colleges and universities ask what approach we recommend, the short answer is that it depends. If you want a fully flexible classroom that can tackle any kind of modality, it’s going to come loaded with different tech and options. But it all will go to waste if you don’t have the human infrastructure in place to ensure those tools are being used and used correctly, something that could be handled by a digital learning office.
If that kind of support system isn’t in place at your university, or you just want to make things a little simpler for your faculty, designing spaces for more specific uses — like the three classroom “personas” created at the University of Texas at San Antonio — means making sure each type of room has the proper tech.
What Goes into a Flexible Classroom in Higher Ed?
Visualizing a flexible classroom can be difficult, especially for those with years of experience in higher education who’ve seen few changes to what a classroom is supposed to look like.
Modern, flexible classrooms look very different from the ones where you may have attended class. Students are typically seated in pods and around tables, with a display at each station. Sometimes those displays are interactive; sometimes they can also serve as a charging hub for student devices.
Click the banner below to learn what else could be on the horizon for higher ed in 2023.