Designing Active Learning Classrooms

It seems like the term “active learning” is everywhere in the higher education zeitgeist—and everyone has a slightly different definition for what that means. Regardless of the specific interpretation, every classroom in which active learning occurs has one thing in common: a need for flexibility. 

Active learning can take many faces—group activities, drawing on writeable surfaces, and class discussion are just a few common methods. The built environment should (ideally) easily support however the instructor teaches during their class period, and then easily support the next class, without requiring extensive time to reorganize the room, taking valuable class time in the process. 

Image of Oxford Elementary, furniture provided by Interior Elements, photo courtesy of High5 Productions

There is no one-size-fits all method for designing an active learning classroom, especially as faculty explore new and emerging technologies and pedagogies to respond to the shift in education. But there are some tactics that can be applied to a range of classroom typologies. Classrooms should (ideally) be: flexible and uncomplicated, able to support a variety of technologies including writing on the walls, have some ability to control lighting, and be designed to be student-centered. 

Flexibility

The number one rule in designing active learning classrooms is to design for flexibility. One class might need rows of tables to take a test while the next needs students to divide into team to work on a problem, and often there’s only a few minutes arrange the room.

Image of McAdams, furniture provided by Interior Elements, photo courtesy of High5 Productions

This doesn’t mean that everything has to have casters—though that can be a significant perk if the room is reorganized throughout the day. Some faculty steer away from furniture on wheels, citing that classrooms look messy when everything can scoot around. 

But when designed properly, classrooms can be full of wheel-based-furniture and look orderly at the end of the day. When selecting tables for a pod-based active learning classroom, where students sit in groups at tables, select casters that are able to lock into place, keeping the tables in place unless they’re moved intentionally. Chairs should also have casters, and be able to swivel, allowing student to turn to talk to each other. 

One way to ensure that classrooms don’t become a chaotic mess by the end of the day is to design a “menu” of classroom configurations that the instructor can flash on the screen, so students can set (or reset) the classroom back to its original state. Because this is a visual aid that harnesses the power of the individuals (students), it typically takes less than a minute to set or reset a room if the furniture is flexible and the diagram is clear. Skilled designers like the ones at Interior Elements can easily provide such a diagram, removing the burden from the institution. 

Write Now

All active learning classrooms need ample writable surfaces. Period. It’s a bold statement, but research shows that having students engage with hand-writing or hand-drawing concepts activates a brain-body connection that helps reinforce learning. Even large lecture halls can benefit from writable surfaces, installing them on perimeter walls, allowing students to step into the aisles for a quick activity. 

Image courtesy of Clarus

Writable surfaces can range from basic whiteboards to magnetized glassboards, so determining how the writable surfaces will be used is key to making the correct choice. Glassboards are significantly more expensive upfront, but if the classroom is used heavily then it’s inevitable that basic whiteboars will need to be replaced—and often. Because glassboards are impervious, no marker residue will ever stain them, allowing them to look brand new, even after years of intensive use. Permanent marker is easily removed from glassboards as well, something that even the best whiteboard can’t consistently do. 

Another perk to glassboards is the ability to backpaint them to match any paint color—allowing for pops of color to be introduced into the space that coordinate exactly with the rest of the building. This can serve as an organization tools as well—by coordinating seat colors to glassboard colors, students can be easily divided into teams, and it can make resetting the room that much easier. 

Basic is Better

It can be tempting to invest in expensive furniture options that integrate technology into a proprietary system for screensharing and team work, but in most cases basic is better. Unless the classroom is used for a professional program/major that is trained in using specific technologies, simplifying how technology is used and accessed will save valuable time and troubleshooting. 

Image courtesy of Allsteel

Most active learning classrooms function just as well—if not better—with flexible, free-standing tables and chairs that aren’t tethered to technology. 

Technology Agnostic

Speaking of technology, the best active learning classrooms are intentionally designed to be technology agnostic. Technology evolves at a much faster rate than classroom renovations typically occur, so selecting furniture and fixtures that can adapt to any type of technology future-proofs the space, allowing the furniture investment to outlive the technology investment by years.  

Image courtesy of KI

Lighting & Controls

Lighting is one of the most researched concepts in designed environments—and rightly so! The right lighting can make a space, just like poorly selected lighting can make it unusable. When possible, designing the space to have access to natural lighting via windows is best, but to ensure the space is usable in all circumstances (e.g. a remote presentation, etc.), specify shades to control the natural light. Shades can be manually operated or electronically and will often come in different percent-values of openness. Common percent values are 10% open (you can see shapes of trees, buildings, etc. through them), 5% open (harder to see through them and the room is a little darker when they’re down), and blackout (no light penetrates the shade when it’s down). 

Image of McAdams, furniture provided by Interior Elements, photo courtesy of High5 Productions

Designing artificial light to be zoned to different settings and/or able to be dimmed is also helpful for ensuring that the learning environment flexes with the needs. 

Student-Centered 

Ultimately the best active learning classrooms—and the best spaces in higher education—are student-centered. By empathizing with the main user of the space—the student—the designer can include amenities such as ample table space per student, to allow for books, technologies, and beverages; clear sightlines throughout the space; and extra electrical outlets for charging devices. 

Image courtesy of KI

It’s possible to provide ample electrical outlets throughout without integrating power into the tables, effectively tethering them in one place an eliminating flexibility. If the project is able to, outlets can be embedded throughout the floorplate of the classroom. Often that’s not possible for a variety of reasons, so furniture options exist that help get power to the center of the room. Designing the room to be more rectangular (vs. square) also allows easier access to power, with the benefit of usually providing better sightlines in the room for both the instructor and the student. 

Whether it’s new construction, a full renovation, or a furniture-refresh, it doesn’t have to be hard to intentionally plan an active learning classroom that’s flexible enough for almost any type of active learning activity—including lectures! 

Image of Hoover Police Training Center, furniture provided by Interior Elements, photo courtesy of High5 Productions

For more information on active learning and design strategies to support all modes of learning or to be connected to Interior Elements, click here.