Santa Claus is coming to Campus West - our Christmas Learning Spaces refurbishment programme

Guest blog from Eve Firth, Learning Spaces Installations and Project Manager

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we’re looking at continuing our rolling cycle of AV refreshes in rooms across campus and planning to add in painting, carpets, furniture replacement and other works where needed so that we can return the rooms to use with a fresh new feel - inspired by the popularity of the new Spring Lane seminar rooms.

First on our list are six rooms in James College. We plan to upgrade G/N/001, G/N/002, G/N/010, G/N/013, G/N/020 with widescreen, brighter projectors and the kit to feed them including HDMI inputs for more modern laptops. 

G/N/010 as it looks now

We’re also going to replace the carpets - and install new, high quality induction loop systems while we’re doing it - and tidy up the walls so that we can add more boards space. In rooms that are currently set out in rows, we plan to swap them to a horseshoe style - with a teaching desk rather than a lectern and comfier chairs all round.

B/M/023, B/M/049 and B/M/052 are also due an upgrade. Again, we’ll be putting widescreen projectors and HDMI in each room, as well as a teaching desk to complement B/M/049, with its round-table layout.  B/M/023 and B/M/052 will keep their current layout, with the lecterns replaced and new boards across the front walls. Following the success of the writing surfaces in Spring Lane, we’ve keen to provide as much useful writing space as possible, so have asked suppliers for these works to suggest new ways that we can do that.

Also in Biology, we’ll be undertaking more extensive works in B/B/103, including a ceiling and lighting replacement and build of a new teaching wall. As well as the AV upgrade, that’ll mean a new layout, possibly based on the more group-work friendly furniture found in seminar rooms SLB/210 and SLB/211 on the top floor of the Spring Lane Building.

A potential layout for B/B/103

W/N/218, formerly a PC training room, will be converted into a new seminar room, with new kit AV kit and a new layout, once the power and data sockets have been removed from the floor! V/B/023 eLab will also receive a new AV equipment install, including a move to widescreen projection.

While we work on initial pricings, more detailed feedback requests have been sent to local users and to any use of the spaces recently. However, feedback from everyone is welcome - please email your questions or comments to learning-spaces@york.ac.uk!

Eve

Learning Spaces Installations & Project Manager

New boards in Hendrix Hall

As mentioned in the previous blog post, we’ve installed new boards in Hendrix Hall (D/L/028).

Responding to the frequent requests from academics who use the space - the boards are now counter-weighted and can be moved by hand, rather than the former motorised boards.

Here’s to seeing them full of academic content soon (but of course cleaned after each session).

Matt

Learning Spaces update - September 2016

Sorry it has been a while since the last update. Colleagues across the University are busy working on a number of projects that will enhance the experience in a number of learning spaces. Keep an eye out for the following improvements!

New carpets installed in:
Alcuin - ARRC/010 auditorium
Derwent - D/104 seminar room
King’s Manor - K/G07 seminar room
Sally Baldwin D/002, D/003 and D/008 seminar rooms
Vanbrugh - V/123, V/139 and V/C/123 seminar rooms

We’ve redecorated a number of rooms this summer to freshen them up.

We’ve installed new furniture in:
Biology - Biology B/B/102 and B/B/103 seminar rooms
Biology - Biology B/K/090
Derwent - D/L/007 and D/159 seminar rooms

We’ve installed new learning technology in:
Alcuin - AEW/003 lecture room and video link to Hull
Alcuin - AEW/105 seminar room
Berrick Saul - BS/005 auditorium
Chemistry - C/B/102 lecture room
Derwent - D/M/212 seminar room
Library - LFA/144 seminar room
Vanbrugh - V/139 seminar room
Grimston House - VX/230 and 231 seminar/meeting rooms

We’ve installed new teaching boards in D/L/028 Hendrix Hall and V/045 Vanbrugh lecture rooms.

We’ve also had lots going on behind the scenes for the Spring Lane Building before the handover in a few weeks, with a rapid ‘fit out’ programme for furniture and learning technology before teaching commences.

We’re now starting more detailed planning and discussions at the Learning Spaces Working Group for the Piazza Building on Campus East, due to open in spring 2018, and pulling together a programme of improvement works for existing teaching and learning spaces this year on campus. More to be shared soon!

Matt

Derwent D/056 and Vanbrugh V/044 refurbishment updates - we're almost live!

The works have been progressing at a pace and there’s lots to report.

D/056

Derwent’s new collaborative lecture/learning space is almost ready for use. In fact, we did use it at the University Open Days at the end of June!

The collaborative furniture is in place with a plug socket per occupant and plenty of space to both face forward and shuffle round to work in a group. We tried it out and loved it - we can’t wait to see what you think of it!

We hope the new seating will work really well for collaborative working as well as lectures

We’ve also installed new energy efficient air-handling system to tackle the room’s problems with ventilation/heating (your feedback told us it was either too hot and stuffy or too cold).

The new setup features a new 3 metre projection screen alongside the old teaching boards, which have been cleaned up and recycled. A new, larger lectern is in place at the front with all the standard spec for a lecture room and a visualiser (digital overhead projector) to replace the old OHP that has served the room well for some time! The room is also kitted out for the University’s Lecture Capture (Replay) system.

The new teaching equipment in position

We have some final touches and snags before the room is ready to be used by summer activity on campus, including some final accessibility issues to address and improvements we’d like to make to the external area outside, facing the pond and looking out on to the campus lake.

D/056 from the outside - featuring new windows and doors

V/044

Our full refurbishment of the seminar room at the heart of Vanbrugh College is also nearing completion. We recently spent some time selecting a new specification of seminar chair for campus (you can see these in the last Spring Lane working group update) and these should arrive for September. Meanwhile, things are starting to come together for the learning space which will feature:

• Fully replaced glazing and with full blackout (especially for Art Historians!)
• 3 metre central projection and renewed AV equipment for the room
• Full height ‘think’ wall down the side of the room - essentially a giant whiteboard!
• Bespoke tables and overhead lighting to match the table layout, fully dimmable
• Glazed lobby doors (with a curtain) to easily see if a class is taking place
• Improved ventilation system

We look forward to hearing what you think about the space once it’s finished!

Matt.

Hendrix Hall and Vanbrugh V/045 Lecture theatre board upgrades

As part of the work to define the teaching and learning provision within the Spring Lane Building, we spent a lot of time working through the lecture theatre design. In particular, Dr Roddy Vann (Natural Sciences Programme Director) has been extremely active - especially within the Sciences community - to canvas views, test existing facilities and input into the type of provision required.

A genuine challenge that we were unable to overcome within the Spring Lane Building theatre, given the size, was the writing board provision at the front of the theatre and visibility/legibility at the back.

The working group concluded that it would not be possible to provide a high-quality learning experience with traditional writing boards that move up and down. Instead, we will pioneer new camera and board technology in the Spring Lane lecture theatre and project this using the two six metre wide projection screens that will be installed. A smaller ‘scribble’ board (a few meters in size and mobile) will be provided for smaller lectures where this may be useful.

Many of our lectures that would ideally like a lot of teaching board real-estate are around the 150-250 size range and housed in other lecture theatres on campus. Feedback in some of these - notably the Exhibition Centre P/X/001, Derwent Hendrix Hall and Vanbrugh V/045 - is not always great for a number of reasons such as board surface wear, manual handling issues or lack of free movement (pressing a motorised button instead), or not enough board space.

Acting upon this feedback, the Steering Group has recommended that these theatres are upgraded.

We are happy to say, in adjusting the investment programme for this year, we will upgrade the boards in Hendrix Hall and install new boards in V/045 by the Summer! P/X/001 is a much bigger project, given the size of the room and the existing facilities. As such, it has been recommended to include this in the major works/capital programme for the next financial year as a ‘focused estates investment’ - looking at every element of the fabric of the space with a view to transforming the learning and teaching experience.

Thank you for your feedback on this - and particular to Dr Vann who has passionately championed the cause.

Matt

Your thoughts on V/N/044 and D/056

I thought it would be nice to share some statistics with you relating to some feedback we received after our surveys on V/N/044 and D/056. 

Over a week-long period, we emailed all users of the rooms, asking them to complete an online survey of their experience in the room on that day and give their feelings on our concept designs for the room.

D/056 (Derwent)

We want to replace the rows of traditional and worn-out tablet chairs with two levels of tiered seating and larger tables to aid a collaborative style of learning.

D/056 as it looks now

How it could look

Survey feedback

The pie charts show that our proposal is favourable compared to the current space, although it has raised some comments which we will take on board for the next stage of design.

V/N/044 (Vanbrugh)

Our concept design for V/N/044 keeps a similar table layout to the existing configuration, but introduces diagonal tables to create an open horseshoe shape.

V/N/044 as it looks now

Our proposed layout

Survey feedback

Again, the pie charts look positive, although we did have fewer respondents to this survey.

What next?

The refurbishment of these rooms is scheduled for after Easter and into the Summer Term, so there’s still time to have your say and help to shape these learning spaces. Just email your thoughts to learning-spaces@york.ac.uk.

Steve Jackson Learning Spaces Designer/Project Manager

Space Management

Autumn Term round-up

As we approached the end of 2016, we wanted to take the opportunity to update you on the various learning spaces projects under way.

Piazza Building stakeholder meeting

Last week representatives from the main Piazza Building contractor Interserve, Race Cottam Architects and various sub-contractors for mechanical and electrical works, heating, lighting and Building Management Systems (BMS) were brought together with University colleagues from Commercial Services, Information Services, Estates and Campus Services and academic departments.

Throughout the day we held workshops designed to build strong links between all external and internal parties, and work out how we can and will work together to ensure a successful programme of construction and fit out. We identified some key challenges - particularly that there is a lot of work to do in the short term!

This is the first time in recent years that so many teams have come together this early in the process to start identifying issues before they become problems further down the line. It’s fair to say that we all had varying priorities which we can now discuss honestly and openly.

During 2016 we will be consulting more widely with academic colleagues and students - including the new International Pathway College, Students’ Unions, Conferencing and current Heslington East-based departments - about the equipment and furniture to be installed in the seminar rooms and lecture theatre.

Spring Lane Building

Construction continues on the Spring Lane Building - visit our campus investment pages to see a new time-lapse video of the steelwork going up. We have a short workshop on chalk writing surfaces coming up later in the month! We’ll share more news and in-depth update in the New Year.

Focused estates investment

Unfortunately, following feedback and concerns about the knock-on effect on teaching, we have had to put the planned works in V/N044 and D/056 on hold. We will identify future opportunities to do the work and update you again in the New Year.

Can you help?

Have you seen some technology or furniture you would like to see in learning spaces here at York? Do you have a suggestion for improvements that we could make? As always, we would love to hear your thoughts - send your views to learning-spaces@york.ac.uk.

Season’s greetings from everyone in Space Management - we look forward to working with you in 2016!

Steve Jackson

Learning Spaces Designer/Project Manager

Flexible learning spaces: how do we do it?

At the first Learning Spaces Roadshow, many of you repeated the need for learning spaces to be flexible.  

Most teaching sessions require a mix of different activities: listening to a lecture, having a discussion in break-out groups, working on a PC, undertaking an activity in a small group, etc. 

There are many different ways in which this can be achieved, including furniture, mobile or distributed screens, additional writing surfaces, good storage for bags and coats, and power to each seat.

Over the Christmas holiday we will be completely rebuilding D/056, a small lecture theatre adjacent to the JCR in Derwent College. This project gives you a great opportunity to tell us what you want to try out.

We’re really keen to test cluster seating. Cluster seating is made up out of booths that each accommodate three to four students, provide full-sized writing surfaces and has distributed power sockets. It encourages students to bring mobile devices, and encourages them to work and think together.

We think cluster seating could encourage active and collaborative learning, and we’re really keen to hear what you think. Should we try this? How would you use such furniture? What do you think the advantages may be? Tell us on learning-spaces@york.ac.uk or talk to us in person at one of our upcoming Learning Spaces Roadshow events:

• Wednesday 25 November, 1.00-4.00pm, LFA/144, Harry Fairhurst Building
• Monday 30 November, 1.00-3.00pm, LFA/144, Harry Fairhurst Building