Flexible Learning Spaces

  • Some College classrooms (including two CAEN computer labs) are equipped as flexible learning spaces through the use of highly flexible furniture and integrated technology.
  • These classrooms can be reconfigured for multiple uses, such as lecture-style teaching, allowing students to collaborate and work together in groups, and engaging in a whole-class discussion.
  • Many rooms also have wall-mounted monitors that can be used to display content from the instructor lecturn, or individual student laptop connections at each station.
  • Related Michigan News Article: Setting the desks free: How flexible classrooms impact learning, teaching
 
 

Availability and Features

Classroom Capacity Movable Furniture Movable Whiteboards Perimeter Whiteboards Wall-mounted Monitors
Chrysler 133 84
Dow 2150 62  
EECS 4440 (CAEN Lab) 35
FXB 1008 60      
FXB 1032 25  
GFL 224 (CAEN Lab) 48
GGBL 1025 24  
GGBL 1045 24    
GGBL 2147 56
GGBL 2153 56

Changing Layouts

GFL 224 CAEN Lab
Click to view GFL 224

All furniture in these rooms can be easily wheeled around or folded/nested as needed. Instructors can create a variety of layouts specific to their class needs, ranging from rows for traditional lectures, pods for group collaboration, and larger clusters or circles for whole-class discussions.

There is no inherent default furniture layout. Instructors can teach their students on how they would like the room configured, and students can arrange the furniture as needed before the start of each class.

Use of Wall-Mounted Monitors

Many rooms have wall-mounted monitors around the periphery, which can be connected-to in a few ways:

  • Instructor computer or tablet:
    • HDMI or VGA cable at the instructor podium/station
    • Wirelessly via “CAEN-Presenter” AirPlay network
  • Student laptop via HDMI or VGA connection at each monitor
  • CAEN desktop computers, where available

Instructor Use of Monitors

Instructors use the touch panel on the lectern to send their source to the monitors. This is done by pressing one of the buttons under the Student Displays column:

Instructor’s touch panel from 133 Chrysler
Instructor’s touch panel from 133 Chrysler

Note: In most rooms, if the projector is being used along with the monitors, both must show the same source. This limitation is denoted on the touch screen with a small “linked” icon drawn between the Projector and Student Displays columns.

Student Use of Monitors

Rooms are being upgraded to a new button-based interface at each student station monitor that is used to select the monitor source:

Student buttons provided at each monitor in 4440 EECS
Student buttons provided at each monitor in 4440 EECS

Students can press these buttons at any time to switch the monitor source, and the button lights up to show which source is active. If none of the buttons are lit, the monitor turned off after a period of no signal (often 15 minutes). Pressing any of the buttons will power it back on.

Note that rooms without CAEN computers at each student monitor omit that button from interface:

Student buttons in 2147 GGB where CAEN PC is not available
Student buttons in G.G. Brown 2147 where CAEN computer is not available

Please Note: Some rooms have not yet received the new button interface. In these rooms, connecting a laptop to the provided HDMI cable will turn on the monitor and switch to that input. In rooms with a CAEN computer, waking up the computer will also wake up the monitor. To see instructor content, the instructor must send it using the touch panel on the lectern. Monitors must then be released for student use at the touch panel before students can use other sources.