Are we looking at the end of the lecture or does it still have a role in post-secondary education? Are SCALE-UP classrooms and the flipped pedagogy the panacea to reform modern educational institutions? This interactive presentation will explore these questions and more, as we look deeper into how our physical teaching and learning environments affect pedagogy. In 2012, the University of Lethbridge initiated the Learning Environment Evaluation (LEE) Project to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning spaces, and to inform the planning process of future spaces (new construction and renovations). In summer 2014, the LEE project expanded with the modification of 3 classrooms on campus, creating 3 unique active learning environments, including our first SCALE-UP classroom. SCALE-UP classrooms have been shown to have significant impact on student performance and engagement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines (Beichner, 2008; Benson, Orr, Biggers, Moss, Ohland, & Schiff, 2010; Freeman et al., 2014). However, the majority of instructors who have utilized the SCALE –UP room at the University of Lethbridge have been from outside of these disciplines. This has focused our research on the effectiveness of this space for teaching across disciplines. The goal of this presentation is to share the results of our research and spark a debate regarding the impact of the physical classroom on teaching and learning. We will also engage in a discussion about new pedagogies, such as the flipped classroom, and the impact it has on student performance.
Beichner, R. J. (2008). The SCALE-UP project: A student-centered, active learning environment for undergraduate programs. An invited white paper for the National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved from http://physics.ucf.edu/~bindell/PHY%202049%20SCALE-UP%20Fall%202011/Beichner_CommissionedPaper.pdf
Benson, L. C., Orr, M. K., Biggers, S. B. Moss, W. F., Ohland, M. W. & Schiff, S. D. (2010). Student-centered active, cooperative learning in engineering. International Journal of Engineering Education, 26(5), 1097-1110.
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111
