1. The Learning Space Rating System
Carole Meyers
Dartmouth College
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2. Learning Space Rating System | Beta Draft Authors
Malcolm Brown, Ph.D.
Director
EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative
Joseph Cevetello, Ed.D.
Director, Learning Environments
Univ. of Southern California
Shirley Dugdale, AIA
Principal
Dugdale Strategy LLC
Elliot Felix
Director
Brightspot Strategy LLC
Rich Holeton
Academic Computing Services
Stanford University
Carol Meyers, Ph.D.
Project Director, Research Information Services
Dartmouth College
Early Contributors:
Phil Long, Ph.D
Director, CEIT
Univ. of Queensland
Andrew Milne, Ph.D.
CEO, Tidebreak Inc.
Bob Beichner
NCSU
Linda Jorn
U.Wisconsin
Team 4 years
Slides

3. 5/11/2018
We in the teaching and learning profession know how important feedback is to the learning process.
Important and complex: more important feedback becomes.
Classroom fleet: managing, renovating, innovating, advocating for changes to T&L  complex, multidimensional, important
So it would seem that any and all feedback we can get in this project is worthwhile
Peers

4. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Peter Drucker

5. 5/11/2018
We are accustomed to measuring and being measured in pursuit of particular goals

7. Assessment is increasingly crowd-sourced
Evaluate room as part of course evals?

8. Sustainability of construction and operations increasingly measured

9. 1 2 3 Steps Get rating Design Score the design
All have same basic process

10. ref
title
aim / intent
of credit
points
criteria
score sheet

12. active learning design
green design
Our challenge – modify processes of green to design to assess whether spaces support active learning
Pt of clarification – rating system focuses on formal spaces, active learning
active learning design

13. Enable richer interaction
Enhance support and evaluation systems
Measure potential to support active learning
Rating system attempts to
A system that continues to improve with community input
A framework of criteria for best practice

14. LSRS Structure: 6 sections
5/11/2018
LSRS Structure: 6 sections
Integration with campus context 1
Planning and design process 2
Support and operations 3
Environmental quality 4
Layout and furnishings 5
Technology and tools 6

15. 5/11/2018
Initial sample credit: straightforward

18. Innovation credits

20. Exercise: Use the rating system on this room
LF Credit 3: Seating Density Intent To ensure that the density of seating and the space allocated per seat support the desirable range of potential learning activities. 1 point

21. Institutional Context Planning and Design Operations & Support
LSRS: Three Sections
Institutional Context Planning and Design Operations & Support
A more in depth look at 3 sections

22. Learning Space Rating System
Focus: For renovations or new construction
Time to have the most impact is before construction during design when the building layout and room dimensions are determined.

23. LSRS: Institutional Context
Align learning spaces with strategic plans and/or accreditation activities Align learning spaces with any master planning (space or technology) activities Create an institutional culture of regular assessment of whether spaces align to goals Promote evidence-based design that can be replicated
This section -- fewest credits (5) still an important section
reward and stimulate campus-wide cultural conversations about LSD.
Credit -- when learning space design occurs as part of regular institutional activities like strategic planning processes or accreditation exercises.
By including LSD in these regular activities, the level of vocabulary is raised so that the institution can arrive at a more complete understanding of one of its most important assets.
Periodic assessment of whether spaces align with the institution’s goals. Can the room pool support the ambitions of the institution, especially if change is being planned?

24. LSRS: Planning and Design
Help get involved during the planning stages
Educate administrators, architects, campus planning staff, other IT staff about best practices
Design and planning process (7 points), --new construction or renovations.
new construction, live with choices for long time
Design stage – classrooms need an owner at the table – otherwise can get left last
End up with rooms that meet your guidelines (SF/seat) but aren’t usable dimensionally
Points – engaging stakeholders– admins, architects, campus planning staff, and other IT staff –Awards points for documenting your steps
points -- for consulting the emerging best practices in the field and for seeing what’s being done elsewhere through benchmarking tours – and then bringing those ideas back to your constituents through presentations, notes, etc.

25. Plan to evaluate, share, innovate
LSRS: Space Planning
Provide impetus for connecting spaces with teaching & technology centers
Pilot or prototype, potentially as part of a faculty development activity
Plan to evaluate, share, innovate
Award points – connecting with teaching and technology centers
the classroom team -- new opportunities for faculty training.
Space design exercise as part of a faculty development effort.
The rating system supports using evidence-based design in a kind of rapid application development context. large boxes, masking tape, etc. –
(Emory ex)
Leverage your pilot spaces -- spaces of demonstration that can assist the campus discussion -- your grandmother’s classroom is not your granddaughter’s learning space.
Formally evaluate those pilots through observational studies, surveys, diaries, interviews, etc. The feedback mechanism can be quite simple – a flip chart in the space with a simple question.
Report your pilot results (pos, neg) out
Learning space toolkit

26. Formalize documentation, training for support staff and customers
LSRS: Operations
Formalize documentation, training for support staff and customers
Educate staff on layouts that promote active learning
Example: Pictures on doors can display effective layouts
best practice in classroom operations.
The system -- how faculty and students are using the spaces – what technology sources are used most? What trends are there in utilization? These data can in turn inform refresh strategies for particular components.
Use your documentation to educate staff and faculty about layouts that promote active learning – and those layouts (and room features) could be posted in the room, as well. Early term training sessions are another area where you can include discussions about different layout possibilities.
Another option -- a demonstration space, where faculty and students can rehearse, potentially with video capture for review.

27. LSRS: Operations
Evaluating spaces can lead to continual improvement Occupancy goals (65%) can encourage a diverse use of the spaces (longer hours, summer groups) Documenting spaces (total ASF, ASF per seat, potential configurations) can inform space master planning
CSI – simple things -- paint
Formalizing your occupancy goals and getting administrative buyin could lead to greater use –
It can also help to identify your under-performers as well as your “bread and butter” rooms, allowing you to allocate refresh dollars accordingly.
Finally, simply having a formal room inventory can assist in both space and financial planning.
The rating system gives points for the development of a resource management plan that covers anticipated expenditures for technology, furniture, and operations. For example, if you’re opening a new building with 17 new classrooms, then you’ll want to have conversations about staffing levels well in advance of opening.

28. Understand the portfolio
The Learning space rating system provides a way to rate your portfolio of formal learning spaces (or a sampling of them) to understand their relative and absolute performance.
Can start with a sampling of spaces

29. See how you compare to others
As more institutions adopt the rating system and contribute to a common data set, comparisons across institutions will be possible.
image credits:

30. Identify the low-and high-performers
Once you’ve rated your spaces (or a sampling of them) you can identify which ones best support active learning and which are good candidates for renovation or repurposing, setting internal benchmarks.
Which rooms can be flexed to support active learning, where are you better off just keeping in decent shape?

31. Reference an objective, Third-party standard
Being able to reference an objective third-party standard can help make the case to leaders and funders about the need to improve learning spaces.
Add credibility

32. Learning Space Rating System

33. Downloading the criteria and scoresheet

34. Community review Nov 13 > Jan 14 Feb > July revision of beta
Next steps
Community review Nov 13 > Jan 14
Feb > July revision of beta
Summer 2014: publication of version 1

35. Review team
Jeremy Todd, U Minnesota Adam Finkelstein, U Toronto Roger Yohe, Mesa CC Jenn Stringer, UC Berkeley Lisa Stephens, SUNY Buffalo Scott Diener, U of Auckland
Ed Gomes, Duke Clare van den Blink, Cornell Beth McCullough, Stanford Tim Murphy, George Mason Amy Keller, Skidmore Owings & Merrill Kenn Fisher, U Melbourne

36. tinyurl.com/lsrscomment

37.
ELI Community Forum
Learning Space discussion group
LSRS site

38. Thank you!