Over the past two decades, classrooms have gone through a massive shift, integrating technology and digital devices into everyday learning. The pandemic further expedited these changes, where the traditional learning space is becoming even further transformed. Classrooms are now requiring more built-in flexibility and technology capabilities to meet the evolving needs of teachers and students. “While we’re not turning every face-to-face classroom into a hybrid online learning space, institutions must be able to adapt to changing conditions, like a global health crisis or weather emergency,” says Josh Gaul, AVP & Chief Digital Learning Officer, Edge. “Schools that have pedagogical practices in place are better prepared for such events and can keep classes going despite where and when learning is taking place. Learning spaces will need to advance to better serve the requirements of both traditional and non-traditional students and provide a greater reach to a larger student population. For instance, a classroom with digitally enhanced capabilities could give students living in regionally desperate areas access to high-level instructors.”
Chris Markham, Vice President for Information Technology & Economic Advancement, Edge, says, “The pandemic also revealed the need for a unity in message within e-learning and educational technology, as well as unity in technology design. The last few years forced a fusion in thought leadership and in the approach to design of technology systems and ecosystems.” Many institutions were not prepared to meet the challenges of distance learning and struggled to maintain the educational effectiveness and quality. “Unfortunately when one side of an institution is leading without the point of view of the other, gaps can arise,” explains Gaul. “If the learning spaces are too IT focused without academic input, this creates user issues. And if they’re too academic focused without IT input, student issues can arise because their classrooms lack any technology at all. We need to find a way to balance both sides and help them work together strategically.”
Marrying Academic Goals with Technology
Whether a classroom is teaching English or AP Physics, each learning space needs to be equipped to offer video-enhanced hybrid or hyflex learning capabilities with a quality Wi-Fi connection and video conferencing system. “Students are learning just as much connecting with their classmates outside of class via the Learning Management System (LMS) or other collaboration software,” says Gaul. “They are watching videos that are assigned to supplement course instruction, so classrooms nowadays have to be built to support that need, especially in smaller institutions where the same discipline doesn’t always use the same classroom. A chemistry class can be taught in the same room as a drama class or a business class, so these rooms must be multifaceted and flexible enough that they can meet the needs of each of these disciplines. Especially for smaller schools or community colleges, they must find ways to make their classrooms refurbishable, reusable, and innovative through the use of technology in order to create engaging learning experiences.”
SPACE DESIGN INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY (SDIT)
EVALUATION SNAPSHOT
SPOTLIGHT
Edge recently partnered with member institution, Felician University, to digitally enhance a newly-built extension to their wellness and recreation center. To effectively and efficiently create these technology-infused spaces, Felician requested a space design integrated technology evaluation (SDIT) from Edge. “With Chris via Zoom, I visited campus in person to receive a tour of the entire building and the spaces they planned on upgrading,” shares Gaul. “I gathered the needs and goals of facilities, academics, and IT, and determined the risks, rewards, opportunities, and potential threats to the endeavor. Following subsequent interviews and meetings, we provided a report with suggestions for successfully achieving their objectives for the new spaces. We included a scale of pricing suggestions, from low range to higher, and created a holistic approach to upgrading the entire building system. There must be standardization and interconnectedness across rooms and a strategy that accounts for all aspects, including management, terms of usage, security, and future goals.”
Upon reviewing the report, Felician decided to move forward with all the suggestions provided in the SDIT. Edge partnered with AVA Technology, the IT team, and facilities to help organize installation and ensure questions were answered throughout the process. “Along with providing expertise in thought leadership and learning space design and technology, Edge can help with supply chain management, analysis of technology infrastructure, and project management of the technology ecosystem,” says Markham. “Not only do we offer a blueprint to follow, we can help outline the specs, materials, quantities, price, and timeline for delivery. Between the members of our team, we have over four decades of experience in space design integrated technologies and we are always excited to share with member institutions the insight and knowledge we’ve gained through the years.”
In addition to working closely with Felician University (see inset Space Design Integrated Technology (SDIT) Evaluation Snapshot), Edge has also performed SDIT evaluations for William Jewel College and Hudson County Community College (HCCC) to help update their learning spaces. “We recently evaluated one of the spaces at Hudson County where they wish to install a video studio for faculty members to deliver and record lectures,” says Gaul. “I worked with Matthew LaBrake, Executive Director of the HCCC Center for Online Learning (COL), to help inform the evaluation and outline recommendations for tools and solutions. I then met with our EdgeMarket team and partners at SHI to provide a proposal. The HCCC team then reviewed the recommendations to select the best way forward. Subsequently, in mid-August 2022, final implementation and installation took place .”
“We could have never predicted the pandemic or the impact such an event had on our lives, but it certainly has shown us that anything can happen and that we must be united in how we approach transforming the industry to meet this changing tide. With unity of thought leadership and the methods of e-learning and space technology design, we can ensure more institutions across the community will have the flexibility and preparedness to navigate whatever the future holds and will have the tools they need to flourish in an ever-changing education landscape.”
— Christopher Markham
Vice President for Information Technology & Economic Advancement
Edge
The role of learning space design is to connect IT and academic affairs, as well as successfully pulling in a 21st century learning approach to instructional design and teaching. When designing academic programs and curriculum, institutions must incorporate IT needs and initiatives—and vice versa—when IT is evaluating technology and designing solutions, they must include the academic mindset and the pedagogical needs of the instructors and students. To create a successful technology roadmap, the academic vision and the infrastructure of an institution must be closely connected and interwoven.
— Josh Gaul
Associate Vice President & Chief Digital Learning Officer
Edge
Uniting Thought Leadership
Within the past few years, online learning has proved to be a viable solution for instruction and bringing new and innovative learning experiences to more students. “If done correctly, digital learning and remote education can provide countless opportunities for institutions,” says Gaul. “More and more students prefer these options and we must avoid silos being formed between in-person and remote learning without anything connecting the two. The role of learning space design is to connect IT and academic affairs, as well as successfully pulling in a 21st century learning approach to instructional design and teaching. When designing academic programs and curriculum, institutions must incorporate IT needs and initiatives—and vice versa—when IT is evaluating technology and designing solutions, they must include the academic mindset and the pedagogical needs of the instructors and students. To create a successful technology roadmap, the academic vision and the infrastructure of an institution must be closely connected and interwoven.”
“Edge can partner with institutions to not only help put the puzzle pieces in place for creating a learning environment that meets the needs and expectations of today’s learners, but can also give you a view around the corner,” shares Markham. “We could have never predicted the pandemic or the impact such an event had on our lives, but it certainly has shown us that anything can happen and that we must be united in how we approach transforming the industry to meet this changing tide. With unity of thought leadership and the methods of e-learning and space technology design, we can ensure more institutions across the community will have the flexibility and preparedness to navigate whatever the future holds and will have the tools they need to flourish in an ever-changing education landscape.”
Interested in a space design assessment or exploring how classroom technology can improve your students’ learning experience? Learn more at njedge.net/solutions-overview/digital-learning.
