Learning Spaces
by Larry MacPhee
Associate Director of e-Learning
Northern Arizona University
How are learning spaces designed and how are they used by our instructors and students? The opportunity to design a learning space doesn't come
along too often. Usually, it involves the construction of a new
building or the complete remodel of an old one and both of these require a lot of money. In most designs,
people make mistakes or compromises
because of budget and time constraints, space limitations, failure
to anticipate the way the facility will be used, or just plain
failure to plan. Some of best design features are simple and
inexpensive to encorporate during construction, but are difficult or costly to retrofit. How can spaces be designed so that they most effectively facilitate learning? The critical factor is that
the people who design and build learning spaces really listen to the
needs of the people who will support, teach, and learn in them. But for those of us who attended college more than twenty years ago, we also need to realize that the campus experience for today's students is radically different. There were no cell phones, no iPods, most classrooms had no technology beyond an overhead projector, and most people had never heard of the Internet. Technology has transformed the university campus and its students, but our faculty and staff struggle to keep apace. Given this digital divide, we need to work to understand the ways our students use or expect to use technology and how those uses affect teaching and learning on the modern university campus.
I. Informal Spaces
How do we most effectively design informal learning spaces? How do students use the spaces that we provide for them outside of the traditional classroom? Informal learning spaces are now being encorporated into many remodels and new building designs.
Typically, these look like study areas for small groups of students, decorated with comfortable furniture, tables and chairs, sometimes a large computer screen to which students
can connect their own laptop. These areas are sometimes glass
enclosed for soundproofing and in other cases are located in
relatively high traffic areas or just outside classroom doors.
Such spaces often have cafes or other food service options, and wireless internet access is standard. They provide places for collaboration and study to occur before
or after class. This is part of a movement to make buildings more inviting to students so that they will stick around between classes rather than "learn and leave." But do students in study areas outside our classrooms always use these spaces in the intended ways, and is this necessarily a problem? We will all need to carefully consider how we feel about students sleeping, playing video games, eating, and socializing in spaces we created for them to learn in.
Display kiosks
As you enter the foyer of a modern academic building, what once might have been a trophy or display case has been replaced by an interactive kiosk. Touch screen or mouse only kiosks are frequently employed in lobby spaces to display the work of students, the awards a department has won, or the research activities of the faculty. Some of the more clever designs include an overhead speaker cone that directs sound downward to the user positioned at the screen. Such systems usually have the computer hidden or locked away, and software on the system is set to prevent tampering. As large flatscreen televisions have come down in price, they are increasingly used for displaying information such as current events like seminar schedules, daily room schedules, and student jobs listings. They are typically suspended or wall mounted in large open spaces where traffic is high. As in airports, where there are many visitors unfamiliar with the layout of the building, a well designed display can help people find their way quickly to their destination. Of course, the display needs to be updated regularly or it is of little use.
Public access "terminals"
The modern student wants to be able to connect to the Internet while on the move. In high traffic areas like the student union and foyers of major buildings, public access computers are strategically placed. These machines are for the most part unsupported, and are secured
physically to prevent theft. A limited user profile is employed
to discourage hacking, software installation, or other
tampering. Such machines are intended for quick
tasks rather than long term work, and the design of these
stations frequently lacks a chair to encourage students to move
along. Student use of such stations usually involves checking email via a web browser, or performing a basic web search. Students might visit their Facebook page, look up directions with Google Maps or check a definition in Wikipedia. Such stations are not set up for writing papers or other more time consuming work but, of course, this doesn't preclude students lingering longer than we might like. It is clearly the responsibility of the modern student to protect his/her accounts from unauthorized access, but this doesn't mean they always will. Some monitoring of these stations is necessary to ensure that students log out properly, that machines are left in an operational state, and that offensive or personal content is not left up on screen for passers by. Special administrative attention is needed to ensure
the security of personal data, which should include disabling cookies and
password storage in browsers, and installing scripts that log the user out after a short period of inactivity.
Transition Spaces
In older buildings, it's common to see students camped out on the floor studying outside a lab or classroom waiting for the instructor to unlock the door. It makes great sense to give these students a more comfortable place to sit and clear the clutter from the hallway. Large lecture halls often have students waiting outside, studying or forming small conversational groups. Modern designs often include benches for sitting and alcoves where small groups can talk. Many newly designed lecture halls, like movie theaters, also have different doors for entry and exit in order to facilitate flow. But these transition spaces can get very noisy at times and are potentially disruptive to the class going on just inside. Such spaces generally don't have the capacity to hold more than a fraction of the students in the class, and may become very crowded on cold or rainy days. We also need to consider just how settled we want students to get. Should students spread out and do group projects in these spaces? Should we provide power outlets for laptops? Are we creating new impediments to flow?
Indoor/Outdoor Spaces
Some informal learning spaces have adjacent indoor and outdoor areas. Such spaces can occasionally get noisier than inside areas, and there are fewer restrictions on their use. Use of these spaces in generally not reserved; squatters claim the space for as long as they want to use it. These outdoor areas are usually within range of the wireless network but also have better cell phone reception. Instructors sometimes use such spaces for office hours or tutoring sessions, and students are regularly found here doing homework, socializing, using their cell phones or iPods, or reading between classes. Planting shade trees and providing sitting areas makes these spaces more useable, and students tend to linger here before going inside for class.
Dining Spaces
Remember the old dining hall from your days at college? It has been replaced by a food court that looks more like the one in your shopping mall. Food service has also been decentralized and small cafes are scattered around campus in academic buildings, computer labs and the library. In older academic buildings, the philosophy was that students should come for class, learn, and then leave. In modern building designs, students are encouraged to stay and study between classes. Food and drink used to be frowned upon, but now it is actually sold on the premises! Libraries, once famous for their food and drink bans, have become leaders in this movement taking their cue from bookstore cafes like Barnes and Noble. Librarians tell us that their once sleepy study spaces now bustle with activity. But along with more food and drink come new issues. Trash needs to be collected more frequently when there is food waste, and the inevitable spills can damage books and computer equipment as well as create a big mess. Not everybody is happy with the new way.
Collaborative Spaces
Some of the more innovative classroom designs have collaborative breakout spaces near the classroom. Moving students to and from these breakout spaces must be designed so that noise is kept down and flow is easy. In science classrooms, lab benches installed at the back or around the periphery of classrooms, rather than in a separate room, is a common trend. Other informal spaces are designed for students to study or work collaboratively. Such spaces are sometimes enclosed in glass for soundproofing or are found in alcoves at the ends of hallways. Glass is good because too much privacy turns them into "make out" spaces. Such areas sometimes include a whiteboard or a large wall mounted computer screen to which a student can connect a laptop. Wireless Internet access is usually a feature of these spaces, and sometimes printers are located nearby. Vending machines, snack bars, and coffee lounges with microwave ovens are often located near these spaces and eating and drinking are generally encouraged. Of course, with more food and drink, usually in disposable containers, there is a greater need for trash collection and cleanup.
Study Spaces
What makes a great study space? If you live off campus, you need a place to work while at school rather than drive back and forth several times a day. Or if you live in the dorms, where do you go when your roommate won't turn off the TV? While natural light, comfortable furniture and a good view are not required, spaces with those features are more popular. To the traditional needs like quiet, we probably need to add electric outlets, Internet access and cell phone reception for texting if not taking calls.
Multi-purpose spaces
Spaces are sometimes used for more than one purpose. A solution that was popular in past learning space designs was to make a space multi-use by installing movable wall partitions between small rooms. But in most rooms that have movable partitions, they are fixed in place and not moved frequently, if ever. The downside of these partitions is that they are not as soundproof as real walls and, if they are not used, they are a waste of money. A dynamic classroom environment can make excellent use of moveable furniture, but clearly the movable wall is primarily used for semi-permanently turning two small rooms into one larger one or vice versa.
Shared Spaces
Do people in your building drink their coffee and eat their lunch together in a shared breakroom, or in solitude back in their private offices and cubicles? Small things like that can have big implications. Putting functional spaces like copy rooms and mailrooms next to kitchens and break rooms makes great sense. While space is precious, some of the most fruitful interactions between people happen by chance, and certain spaces do a great job of bringing people together. Why not add a whiteboard, bulletin board, coffee table and some periodicals to your break room to generate discussion? Some buildings are designed with faculty offices adjoining their teaching and/or research labs. Students can more easily find their instructors for help, and faculty spend more time in their labs. This design also facilitates the shared use and security of equipment. Collaborators should be housed on the same floor, since there is anecdotal evidence that there is more horizontal interaction between colleagues than among those on separate floors. Many faculty have commented that whiteboards in public spaces form focal points for conversation and chance meetings.
II. Formal Spaces:
When technology entered the traditional classroom, it did not immediately transform instruction. In most modern classrooms, the lectern remains the nerve center of the room. And while the technology lectern is an undisputed part of any modern classroom, it still represents a teacher- or teaching-centered approach to instruction. Formal learning spaces are on the verge of another transformation as traditional teaching methods give way to more group work, student-led presentations, and more frequent interaction among students and with the instructor. The ability of the instructor to gather instant feedback from students, share the contents of a smart whiteboard, distribute and mark up digital documents on the fly, or display one student's work to the group has led to a much more interactive and learning-centered technology classroom. More learning-centered instruction requires new smart hardware and sophisticated collaboration software such as Teamspot. Such software and hardware is not yet widely implemented even in the most modern technology classrooms, and this represents the next wave of technical innovation in instruction.
Classrooms
What makes for a great technology classroom? Where instruction is more teacher centered, one essential piece is a computer lectern with easy to use controls connected to a variety of media devices such as a DVD/VCR, a Pad Camera, a high resolution ceiling mounted projector and possibly a sound system. A fast wireless network and well distributed power outlets for student laptops, large work surfaces, good lines of sight, good acoustics, good lighting and lighting controls, and good heating and cooling systems are all important. If lecture capture is required, then microphones and cameras need to be distributed around the room.
A high end lectern can cost upwards of $10,000 per room. When money is tight, it sometimes makes sense to share a lectern on wheels between several rooms. There are many opportunites to get it right, or to go horribly wrong.
Teaching Labs
In what ways does an excellent teaching lab differ from a technology classroom? In a lab, there are more opportunities to use a learner centered approach to instruction, but this adds several technical requirements. In a teaching lab, the computers must belong to the facility whereas, in a classroom, the students may bring along their own equipment. This distinction is important because the lab is a leveller. We can reasonably expect that most student owned computers have an Office suite and the capability to browse the Internet wirelessly, but beyond that any assumptions break down. Does everyone use the same instant messaging software or client? Do they all have the same version of Firefox, with the same plug-ins? What about cookies, pop-up windows and other security settings? While students' personal machines may vary widely in performance and the kind of software installed on them, all machines in the lab should be comparable both physically and in the kind of software installed, and should be consistently configured for connecting to servers, printers, and each other. Finally, a good system for sharing content and remote controlling machines is essential.
Mobile Computer Labs (Technology Carts)
Computer carts can solve a range of problems. When
computers are not needed every day, but would be effective
teaching tools on occasion, a cart can be wheeled into the
regular classroom rather than making the students go to a
computer lab. Computer carts also pay for themselves when space
is limited and every classroom is needed for teaching because
the cart is, in essence, a “mobile lab.” Carts
typically include a network printer and a wireless access
point, and stored laptops are charged up while in the cart, so
Internet access in a classroom does not require retrofitting a
room with power and data cables. There is greater student
accountability because each numbered laptop goes in its own
numbered slot, the same laptop can be assigned to a particular
student each time they are used. Carts have their disadvantages
too. Theft can still occur when the instructor is not paying
close attention to collecting laptops at the end of class, and
laptops have a high “street value.” Even though
computer carts can be locked, they are large and bulky so they
are often left unattended in a room and the doors could be
pried open with a small crowbar. The cart itself is wheeled and
relatively mobile, so a pre-meditated theft of the entire cart
and its contents is possible. As with all resources that are
shared, use of computer carts must be scheduled, making
impromptu use impractical. There is also a tendency for
instructors to want to divide or share the contents of the
cart, but this generally leads to loss or damage of equipment.
Laptops and Tablet PCs are more fragile than desktop PCs and
are more subject to breakage and abuse. Regular classrooms also
tend not to have the policies commonly found in computer labs
that help to protect the equipment from damage or theft.
Open Labs
Students need a place to do their work outside of formal classtime. In some cases, this requires access to custom software or hardware. Open labs don't generally involve teacher centered instruction but may be places where one-on-one support or independent work occur. Open labs are generally equipped with the same software as teaching labs, and are often run by student workers. Students may use open labs for non-academic purposes as well.
Room Layouts
In computer labs and technology rich classrooms, the layout
of the room depends a great deal on the way the room will be
used and on the preferences of the instructor. A variety of room layouts should be possible in a good
learning space. One of the most frequent requests from
instructors is that the furniture should be movable to support different kinds of learning activities such as group work and presentations, but a
common trend in new classroom design is to bolt the chairs and
tables to the floor. This is especially common in computer labs
and technology rich classrooms where networking and power are
delivered to the tables. The placement of conduits for power and
data constrains the layout of the room. However, if charged laptops or tablet
PCs and wireless internet are substituted, the room can be much
more easily reconfigured for a range of uses.
The four most common layouts are traditional, computer lab,
conference room, and pods, and there are many variations on each of
these themes. For example, in the traditional classroom layout,
the central aisle might be eliminated and the podium might be
moved to the front of the room. In the lab layout, the central
work table might be removed to improve flow or save space. In
the conference room layout, the table could be wavy rather than
straight, creating small groups of collaborators on the inside
of each curve. In the pods layout, the tables could be square
rather than octagonal, and the pods could be rotated to
diamonds to create a better flow. These sample layouts are VR movies, so
you can drag the image to view the room from different
angles. Each layout has strengths and weaknesses. Positioning the
podium at the front of the room allows students to see both the
screen and the instructor, but puts the instructor in the glare
of the projector and prevents the instructor from seeing
student screens. In some layouts, line of sight to the screen is problematic. In some layouts students can more easily move around and see each other's screens.
III. The Attributes of Learning Spaces
The Details Matter
When designing a learning space, little things like the position of controls, location of aisles in a room, or the way the light reflects off the board are very important. Picking the right furniture, choosing the right sound dampening materials, or ensuring that there are enough electrical outlets can have a significant effect on the usefulness of a room. Most of these things are easy to get right in the design phase but hard or costly to fix later on.
Furniture
There is a wide range of choices of furniture for learning
spaces. In formal learning spaces, this takes the form of desks
and chairs. In computer labs, student desks should be designed
so that the computer can be secured against theft or tampering.
However, administrative access to the rear of the computer,
where most of the ports are, is very useful and this can be
accomplished via locking cabinet doors. Good furniture provides
for cable management and accommodates both left- and
right-handed students. One of the most commonly requested items
for a teaching classroom is furniture that can be reconfigured,
but frequently, and especially in technology rich classrooms,
the furniture is bolted to the floor. In the classroom, good
furniture is movable and can be easily reconfigured for a
variety of learning activities. Wheels are a plus!
Lighting
Some of the best rooms use a combination of natural
(sunlight), fluorescent and incandescent light. The light level
should be adjustable. The video projection system should be
designed to work well even when the room is fully lit. Lighting
should not produce glare or hotspots on whiteboards, and
consideration should be given to the temperature change that
results when incandescent lighting is turned on or off. Blinds
should be sturdy and adjustable if the room has natural light.
Normally, fluorescent lights cannot be dimmed so there should
be an alternative incandescent or halogen light source.
Separate lighting at the front of the room is especially
useful, and placement of lighting controls should be near the
instructor.
Acoustics
Good acoustics are preferable to a microphone and
speaker system, but in very large rooms, a sound system may be
needed. Sound dampening is usually desirable, but choice of
materials is important. Carpet dampens sound but cleanup of
spills is difficult and carpet is never a good idea in a
science classroom or lab.
Line of Sight
In a teaching lab, it can be difficult to
ensure that everyone has good lines of sight to the front of
the room, the whiteboard and projection screen. Overcrowding a room
contributes to this problem. In older buildings with classrooms
that have high ceilings, one solution is to mount the
projection screen high in the unused space above the
blackboard. An old solution was to recess the CRT monitor into the desk,
but this reduced legroom and access to cabling could be a
challenge when something went wrong. CRT monitors are gradually
being phased out in favor of flatscreen LCD panels and this
will help. Some desk designs have a step down at the back so
that the bottom edge of the flatscreen is lower. The advent of
touch screen interfaces such as those found on tablet PCs will
further improve line-of-sight issues, since they tend to be
laid flat while in use. Other solutions to the problem include alternative room
layouts, accessories that change the angle of the monitor like the laidback or improve ergonomics like the elevator, or use of screen sharing technology.
Electrical
Outlets should be abundant. Have you noticed the
behavior of people with laptops and other electronic gadgets in
airports? They cluster around power outlets along the walls. In
modern technology classrooms, there should be power (and
Internet access either through data jack or wireless) at every
desk. While power is fairly reliable on a typical university campus, critical machines such as servers should be brought down gently when the power fails. Newer UPS (uninterruptable power supply) units will shut down a server automatically when they detect a loss of power. Laptops, because they have a battery, are similarly protected. Old UPS units however are a nuisance to dispose of because they are considered toxic waste.
Classroom Movement Patterns
Stadium style seating is popular in many new classroom designs. While it improves the line of sight issue, it makes
student movement more difficult. Seats are bolted to the floor,
resulting in limited ability for group work. Because the floor
of such rooms is steeply slanted, wheelchair access is usually
only at the front (bottom) or the back (top) of the room, which
tends to exclude students with physical handicaps from full
participation.
In large classroom design, many instructors express the
need for more passageways that sub-divide large blocks of
seats. This improves the ability to help students who have
questions, to effectively proctor during testing, and to
improve movement of people at class start/end times and during
emergencies. In some large classrooms, the chairs are also
bolted down and mounted on a spring-loaded hinge so that the
chair swings in towards the table when nobody is sitting in it.
This allows easier passage through aisles but makes wheelchair
access difficult. Instructors and students also dislike the
small fold-out writing surfaces found in many older lecture
hall stadium style classrooms, and complain that there are
rarely enough “left-handed” desks. Newer designs tend
to have a larger flat surface, often with data and power in the
desk. In lecture hall design, large open spaces are needed just
outside classroom doors to facilitate entry and exit of a large
number of students, and to accommodate students waiting for the
next class to begin. Some classrooms have designated doors for
entry and others for exit in order to improve flow in high
traffic areas. Weather can change the nature of these flow
patterns so thought must be given to differences in student
movement patterns on hot days, rainy and snowy days.
Food and Drink Policies
A trend in learning space design is to make it more
comfortable for students. This includes allowing food and
drink. However, carpet and upholstered furniture do not clean
up easily and these spaces may not wear well over time. Waste
disposal can also be a concern since trashcans will need to be
emptied more frequently.
Capturing Audio and Video
Both a microphone and camera (or probably more than one of each) will be required if classroom instruction and interaction will be archived for later viewing or streamed to distant participants. In order to create a podcast
or streaming video, it can be challenging to capture both the presenter and audience participation both on audio and video. An operator who can intelligently switch cameras and microphones may be required
Retrofits
When a learning space was not designed for its current
purpose, problems are inevitable. Common problems include low
ceilings, tripping hazards from exposed cabling, and oddly
shaped rooms. Insufficient heating and cooling, insufficient or
poorly placed electrical outlets, and poor lighting are also
common, and expensive to fix. It is always difficult to make a
redesign work when you are constrained by the prior design. In
buildings that have been retrofitted most successfully, the old
building was gutted and the interior was completely redone.
Modern computers run hot, and a room full of machines and
people can get unpleasantly warm in only a few minutes. Special
attention needs to be given to the ventilation and cooling
system needs in a computer lab.
Computer "Labs"
The modern student might enter the classroom or lab
carrying a backpack, a cup of coffee, a cell phone, an iPod, a
laptop, a purse or other bag, and, at least in the dead of
winter, a heavy coat. Students need a place to safely and
securely store all of their belongings out of the way of other
students. Bags on the floor get tripped over or stepped on.
Bulky coats on the backs of chairs impede student movement.
Things get stolen or left behind by accident. Classrooms cannot
be effective learning spaces unless we can find places to put
all of our stuff! Most classrooms do not encorporate these
basic elements into their design.
Monitors
CRT monitors are fast disappearing from technology
labs as the price of LCD displays comes down. CRTs are heavy,
take up more space, and contain more toxic substances than LCD
displays. LCD displays sometimes suffer from a few bad or stuck
pixels and colors may not be as true as on CRTs. Viewing angle
is also sometimes an issue. The screens are plastic rather than
glass and are more easily scratched. More caution must be used
when cleaning LCD displays. Some LCD displays support
orientation switching so that they can be used in either
"portrait" or "landscape" mode. Some displays and projectors support both analog VGA and digital DVI connectors, which is useful since some laptops still use VGA out rather than DVI.
Televisions
Televisions were one of the first technologies to make
their way into the classroom. Sometimes, televisions are
suspended from a support arm. If so, it is important to look
for one with a standard "VESA
mount." Televisions are usually connected to a VCR or DVD
player. You will still occasionally find a Laserdisc player but
these devices are now obsolete and media is getting hard to
find. LCD projectors are coming down in price and are
increasingly used instead of televisions. Since most computers
play DVDs, even a standalone DVD player may not be needed.
Flatscreen televisions and touchscreen displays are now more
frequently used as information kiosks. Scan
converters display the computer screen on a television. As
televisions are less common in modern classrooms, these devices
are seen less frequently than in the past. With newer HDTVs, a DVI to HDMI cable sends computer output directly to the HDTV without the need for a scan converter. As HDTV screen sizes increase and prices come down, these may become good substitutes for LCD projectors in smaller classrooms. A benefit of the HDTV is that it is silent, while the projector has a fan to cool the bulb.
Document or PAD Cameras
Document cameras are a high-tech substitute for an
overhead projector and the video can be routed to an LCD
projector.
LCD Projectors
Things to consider in the selection of a projector: lumens
(the brightness; 2000 or more is recommended in large or well
lit rooms), keystoning adjustment (if the projected image must
be angled above or below the level of the projector, the image
will take on a keystone shape), resolution (check which output
resolution is native to your laptops), image flip (essential
for projectors mounted upside down from the ceiling), security
mount. You will need power in the ceiling. Wireless projectors
or network projectors need internet access as well. You will
want to clean the air filter without taking the projector out
of its enclosure. The best security enclosures are tailored to
the projector model and have openings where necessary for
ports, IR sensors, cooling fans and dust filters. Use a
throw
distance calculator to mount the projector within its
optimal projection range. Tip: When hanging a projector, center the lens, not the projector, since the lens is usually to left or right of center on the unit. Projectors need adequate support for
their weight, and they are prone to theft so they must be well
secured. This also helps reduce any vibration that will cause
the image to jitter. Projectors of small size and light weight
are more expensive. If you don't need portability, you can save
money. Consider the price of replacement bulbs, as they vary
quite a bit between models and can cost upwards of $500.00
Projection Screens
Projection screens come in several grades of
reflectiveness. A flat painted, untextured white wall is a good
substitute. Whiteboards can also work as projection surfaces,
but because they are somewhat reflective, there can be issues
with glare and hotspots. This can be particularly serious if
the windows are opposite the projection screen. Good window
shades can mitigate this problem. One advantage of using a
whiteboard as a projection surface is that you can write on it
and highlight things in the projected image. However, you would
need to erase your whiteboard in order to use it as a
projection surface.
Electronic (Smart) Whiteboards
Smartboards are expensive and tend to be used
infrequently. New and less expensive products like eBeam
may replace the smartboard. Such devices allow the capture of
content written on the board and allow the user to control the
computer by pointing at the board.Tip: Keep your permanent markers far away from whiteboards.
If someone uses a permanent marker to write on a whiteboard,
alcohol can remove it. Some people use a permanent marker to deliberately put non-eraseable content on a whiteboard.
Screen Control and Sharing
There are a variety of tools that can be used for
screen control and screen sharing, either for teaching or
support purposes. Among hardware based systems for labs,
ComWeb
is a popular one. VNC
is an open standard for cross-platform software solutions. On
the Mac, Apple's Remote
Desktop software works quite well, combining administrative
and instructor tools in a single product. Windows users can
request Remote
Assistance from more experienced users, and can control
other PCs using Remote
Desktop. A well designed product for Windows labs is
NetSupport
School. In some setups, the technology
classroom podium can be controlled remotely by support staff
when an instructor requests assistance. This allows for much
faster service than a classroom visit. Screen control software
allows the instructor to share any screen to all students, and
eliminates the line-of-sight problem. When not being used for
instruction, the software can monitor student screens or lock
screens. Administrative software allows the instructor to
install software, push out or gather up documents on remote
machines, change system settings, reboot machines and perform
updates from a remote location.
Software Deployment
Deploying software to a group of machines is time
consuming. Typically, a build is replaced only in the downtime
between semesters because it needs to be carefully tested and
installed on a large number of machines. Lab managers generally
prefer to create a standard image and push that out to all lab
machines using software. On Windows, a popular tool is Norton's
Ghost.
However, this approach only works well if all lab machines have
similar hardware, and requires a good network. While ghosting machines, it's wise to isolate the lab from the rest of the network to avoid reducing network performance. Mac lab managers
like to restore a disk image from a
portable firewire hard drive. In this
case, they may use a firewire daisy chain and the terminal command
line or applications like Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper.
Access Privileges
Lab machines should have several administrative
accounts. A lab manager should have full administrative
privileges. An instructor or lab aide should have some
privileges to install software and change settings.
Consistency of machines is important in a training
environment, so student accounts are generally controlled to
prevent accidental, innocent, or malicious changes to the
software build. Locking down the machines protects them against
hacking, disabling of anti-virus and other security software,
installation of keystroke loggers, spambots, etc. There are
several strategies for managing restricted accounts.
In rare circumstances, it might be necessary to
set up a lab where students have full administrative access. For example, if you are training them to
administer machines, they need administrative access.
However, the consistency of the machines quickly disappears
and the lab manager will spend a lot of time restoring
services as things get deleted, moved, renamed, and added.
In this case, re-imaging the machines after the students are
done is the only simple solution. The main disadvantage of
this approach is that while the machines are wide open, they
could become compromised.
Students can be locked out using third party software or
a restricted set of access privileges so that they cannot
make changes to lab machines. A problem with this approach
is that it changes the normal behavior of the machine, which
can cause confusion or frustration. Students can't save
bookmarks, customize applications, install software, or
change system settings. Especially if the lab manager is not
around to assist with these functions, it may limit the kind
of teaching that can occur. This approach is most effective
at Internet Cafes, public terminals and kiosks.
The system can be configured to restore the default
state when the student logs out, essentially wiping out all
changes made by the user. A good product that uses this
approach is Deep
Freeze. In this case, the problem is that the user must
be aware that the machine will reset, because any bookmarks
saved, settings changed, etc. will be gone after reset. The
benefit of this approach is that the user is not restricted
but there is a simple way to restore the machine to a
pristine state. This is a good strategy for a teaching
lab.
Another approach is to create a roaming profile so
that each student accesses his/her own account when logged
in. This solution requires a server where the accounts are
maintained, and a fast and reliable network is necessary for
it to work well. However, it offers the user good
flexibility because any lab machine where they log in is
customized to their personal preferences. If a student
forgets to log out however, another person could gain access
to all of their information. This is a good practice for an
open lab.
In all cases, consideration must be given to where the
user will save their work. Whether the default is to force a
save to a network drive, optical media (CD-R, CD-RW, etc),
or USB flash drive, one option should always be to save to a
temporary space on the local drive. This is especially
important for programs like Photoshop, which requires a
large "scratch disk" on the local drive.
Internet Access
Ubiquitous high speed Internet access is an
expectation on a university campus. Although common in the K-12
setting, content filtering is rare at universities. However, in
a teaching lab, it can be very effective to open all browsers
to a particular website without requiring students to type in
the address. There are also times when it is useful to restrict
students to a particular domain or an approved list of websites
in order to keep them on task. Wireless is increasingly
available, and more forward thinking universities have set up a
wireless umbrella over their entire campus allowing continuous
roaming access, indoors and out! At some universities, only students and employees could access the network.
Others left access in at least some areas wide open for public
access.
Network Storage
Most campuses have a system which allows users to
store their work on a networked server. Backup is taken care of
by central IT. This is ideal for students who move from place
to place and need access to their files from any campus
computer.
Printers
Fast networked laser printers are common in computer
labs. Some schools use a software based payment system so that
the cost of printing is passed on to the student. It is better
to have one fast laser printer rather than several slow ones
because students rarely notice to which printer they sent the
job. It is convenient to add a large paper tray and a nearby
cabinet with more paper and a spare toner cartridge. Printers
should be placed where access is easy but where noise and cued
students don't create distractions. A basket is often placed
nearby for scrap paper and for uncollected printouts.
Seating
Wheeled chairs tend to create uneven carpet wear and
students may play
“games” on wheeled chairs. However, wheeled chairs
can be easily reconfigured for different activities such as
small group projects. Stadium style seating, where the seats
fold up or swing under the desk when not occupied, presents
problems for students with physical handicaps.
Desktop PCs
In most computer labs, you will find desktop personal computers with flatscreen LCD
displays. CRT monitors are rapidly disappearing from these
learning spaces because they are bulky, heavy, power hungry,
and create line of sight problems. Typically, these PCs are
standalone systems that boot up in Microsoft Windows and are
imaged using network software utilities such as Norton’s
Ghost. However, some classrooms use thin clients and I have
observed increased interest in Macintosh computers because of
their new dual (MacOS and Windows) or triple boot (MacOS, Linux
and Windows) capabilities. The form factor and location of the
computer is sometimes very important. While towers tend to be
the most expandable, best performing, and easiest to work on,
they are bulky and can create line of sight issues. If placed
under the desk, they reduce legroom and access to drive trays
and ports is more difficult. Some lab designs suspend the tower
below the table to get it up off the floor and improve cable
management. Consideration should be given as to whether the
computer even needs an optical drive, or whether network
storage and portable USB flash drives can substitute.
Mini-towers and low profile “pizza box” form
factors are possible alternatives that can sit on or hang under
the desk without creating serious line of sight issues.
Similarly, all-in-one models, such as the iMac,
that integrate the computer and display provide increased
legroom and better access to ports without creating line of
sight issues. However, all-in-one models cost more because the
displays must be repurchased when the machine becomes obsolete
and typically monitors last at least twice as long as
computers. One potential disadvantage of mini-towers is that
they sometimes orient the CD/DVD drive vertically for space
savings and this orientation is more prone to problems than the
horizontally mounted drive. The slot-loading optical drives
common in Macs also have problems with non-standard sized
disks, which get lost in the drive. All of the smaller form
factors also tend to have lower performance processors, less
hard drive storage capacity, fewer RAM slots, and less
expandability. Because they are more compact, they may also be
more difficult to service.
Laptop programs
Some schools have mandatory laptop programs where all
students are given (or sold) the same model of machine. There
are several support advantages to this approach. At least one
institution had stations around campus where students could
exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one. Some
models also have easily removeable hard drives, and this
facilitates loaning out a replacement machine while a
user’s laptop is being repaired.
Tablet
PCs, particularly the convertible laptop style, are growing
in popularity. These convertable models make the transition to
the tablet way of working more gradual. "Ruggedized"
versions are used by field classes for collecting data.
PDAs, Netbooks, and UMPCs
Although not yet common, smart phones and ultra-mobile
PCs (UMPCs)
will grow in popularity. The Blackberry, iPhone,
ASUS EEE, MSI WInd, the Palm
Treo, and similar devices that can browse the web in a
small form factor will be popular with students, and prices are
already dropping into the "affordable" range. While sales of more full featured and more expensive desktop PCs is currently sluggish, sales of netbooks in the $400 price range are growing rapidly.
Thin Clients
The most critical factor for the implementation of
thin client machines is a fast network architecture and a well
designed server room. This is difficult to retrofit but has a
number of advantages when it can be deployed. Thin clients have
little street value so they are less prone to theft. They are
cheaper to replace because they contain fewer components than
standalone PCs. They eliminate the need to clone an image to
each computer in a lab. Of course, the downside of thin clients
is that network problems or server problems bring the entire
infrastructure to a standstill.
Platform switching
There are some compelling reasons to consider Apple's new
Intel-based Macintosh computers because they can run
both the MacOS and Windows using BootCamp,
Parallels
or VMWare.
It is even possible to configure triple boot systems with Linux. This allows the instructor and students to work on the
platform of their choice, but it creates double or triple the
work for a lab manager and, potentially, twice the number of
software licenses.
IV. Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Jad Lutfi and Dr. Spencer Benson at the
University of Maryland, to Beth Marhanka at Georgetown University,
to Raylene Thompson and friends at Catholic University, to Dr. Pat
Hernandez at George Washington University, to Michael MacPhee at
Northern Arizona University, and to Steve Ehrmann of the TLT
Group. Ken Grett did the VR panoramas.
VI. Appendix
Additional photos and comments are at Flickr.com at
http://flickr.com/larrymacphee
