Educause and Atomic Learning

Educause

Educause is a website that provides programs, activities, and resources that are focused on knowledge creation and dissemination, collaboration and community, analysis and advocacy, career and leadership development, and experimentation.  Educause seeks to be responsive and member-focused, proactively surface emerging trends and synthesize information, take a leadership role on important community issues, help members be change agents on campus, and be agile and focused on organization.

The first article I reviewed on the Educause website was The Evolving Classroom:  Creating Experiential Learning Spaces.  The article discussed the importance of experiential learning and how it enhances student engagement and success.  Learning spaces were created at George Washington University, and the school faced many challenges.  One challenge was designing theses spaces for the unique needs of the faculty who needed to accommodate a variety of teaching styles and learning environments. 

The university also created a nursing skills and simulation space.  The lab environment assisted students in synthesizing and applying the information that was learned in the didactic courses.  This allows the students to learn in a low-risk environment.

Modular classrooms were also designed for flexibility and varied active learning arrangements.  This helped faculty move away from the traditional classroom.  The university took a minimalist approach at the new modular design and received excellent feedback from faculty and students.

Scale-up spaces were also created on campus.  These classrooms integrated many forms of technology for engineering students.  Robotic cameras, touch panels, projectors, ceiling mounted cameras, and multiple displays were utilized to enhance student learning.

Collaborative partnerships were also developed and are said to be critical to the success of new learning spaces.  With the knowledge gained through collaboration, new goals can be developed and projects created.

In conclusion, successful creation of experiential learning environments, faculty adoption, and the use of innovative learning spaces depend critically on collaborative partnerships.  Investing in the creation of experiential learning spaces proves essential to preparing students for today’s marketplace.

The second article reviewed was Using Design Thinking in Higher Education.  Design thinkers strive to balance what is desirable from a user’s point of view with what is feasible with technology and viable from a business factor’s perspective.  There are five principles behind the approach and the process that bring them to life.  First, the best designs are human centered.  Second, framing the problem is the foundation of the design.  Third, innovation is born from the class of ideas.  Fourth, showing is better than telling, and lastly, the difference between creative people and innovative people is action.

The next step is achieving empathy.  In order to do this, the observer must observe people in context, which allows the observer to ask better questions.  It also provides data that we can begin to dissect and learn what thoughts and feelings motivate users.  This method will allow the observer to know people at a level that enables responsive design.

Next is to frame the problem.  This is a crucial step in the process because where one starts a design challenge has much to do with where one ends.  To frame the challenge three questions must be asked.  Who is your user, and what benefit are you trying to provide?  Why do you want to do this?  What’s preventing you from doing it?

Brainstorming is the next step in the process.  In this phase of the process quantity is far more important than quality.  Bad ideas can often give rise to good ideas.

Prototyping occurs next.  This is expanding on original ideas.  Storyboards work well for this step in the process.  The storyboard will assist in conveying the idea.

Design thinking focuses on the users and their needs, encourages brainstorming and prototyping, and rewards out-of–the-box thinking that takes wild ideas and transforms them into real-world solutions.

References

Garrett, P.B. (2014). The evoloving classroom: Creating experiential learning spaces. EDUCAUSEreview.  http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/evolving-classroom-creating-experiential-learning-spaces

Morris, H. E. & Warman, G. (2015). Using design thinking in higher education. EDUCAUSEreview.  http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/using-design-thinking-higher-education

Atomic Learning

This website was founded by a group of technology educators designed to serve the unique needs of educational institutions.  They are dedicated to helping colleges and universities make meaningful use of technology to impact students’ academic career success.  The website offers technology training tools that can be accessed 24/7 with online support for hundreds of software applications, as well as assessment tools to measure a person’s ability to use technology.  This company works directly with higher education institutions and can assist in integrating technology into the preexisting campus learning-management systems.  The company offers faculty development to faculty and staff to assist in having successful technology integration in the classroom.  This company offers multiple resources like future teaching preparation, blackboard building blocks, career skills courses, tech skills assessments, assistive technology training, and much more.  This is an invaluable resource for faculty in the classroom.