WPI’s Active Learning Classrooms

Nancy Burnham’s PH 1110 class in IS 203-205

Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) are flexible spaces that enable faculty and students to more fully realize the benefits of student-centered pedagogies and classroom engagement techniques such as collaborative and cooperative learning, team-based learning, problem- and project-based learning. The room design, flexible furniture, and technology all combine to foster interactive learning experiences. The Innovation Studio has three ALCs that offer:

• learning environments that encourage student collaboration.
• technology that allows students to easily present work to peers and instructors.
• flexible, movable furniture designed to facilitate group work of diverse sizes.
• the ability for faculty to seamlessly transition between presentation mode and student group work

Each room contains:

• 4 projectors and screens that allow for projecting unique images to each screen
• Solstice “PODs” that enable faculty-controlled, wireless screen-sharing from any device (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) to any or all screens
• Flexible, movable tables and chairs that can be arranged in various combinations with seat capacity of 64, 56, or 112 when two rooms are combined
• Multiple whiteboard surfaces
• Lightweight, movable instructor “podium” for use with instructor-provided laptop or ATC-provided tablet
• Wireless lavalier and hand-held microphones for voice amplification
• Echo360 lecture capture capability

Floor plan of IS 105