The Daily Bulletin Archive

A twenty-first-century learning space is an environment that engages students and enables them to construct their own learning by incorporating flexibility, user-friendly technology, and overall support for active learning. Please join us for "A Conversation on Twenty-First-Century Learning Spaces" on Monday, April 16, in Bacon Hall 117 from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided.

The talk will be led by Abby Spindelman, a graduate of Buffalo State now working for Steelcase Education Solutions. Steelcase Inc. employs a user-centered research process that focuses on observation as the key aspect to understanding behavior in space. The company has used this process to research classrooms, libraries, and other learning spaces and has developed insights that drive innovative applications and products to support the active learning principles.

Higher education is experiencing rapid shifts around student expectations, teaching pedagogy, and a general trend to focus on a more learner-centric environment. At this talk we will engage in an open dialogue around what faculty are experiencing in their classrooms and include application ideas that were developed from the insights.

Spindelman graduated from Buffalo State with a B.F.A. in interior design, and her senior thesis focused on the redesign of a local public library. She is co-chair of the IIDA Mentorship Committee and workshop manager for LMNOP. She is passionate about lifelong learning and giving back to her community. Spindelman joined Steelcase in September 2011 and has been working extensively with the design community in New York City since 2008.

Buffalo State has Steelcase products on campus in Ketchum Hall 100 (node chairs), and for fall 2012, E. H. Butler Library 314 will be transformed into a LearnLab environment.

For more information, see Steelcase education research, 360° magazine, Steelcase education case studies, the Stanford d.School video, and demos on the node chair and the node classroom application.