Learning Space Developments

Learning and Teaching Committee

Subject: Learning Space Developments

The following developments took place during the summer:

Opening of the Health Exercise and Biosciences Building and four lecture rooms within the building (one tiered for 100 plus 3 flat-floor rooms) and some casual seating areas suitable for student groupwork. It is suggested that L&TC propose a review of the rooms and the facilities provided from a learning and teaching perspective so that anything which can be learned from the process and the facilities can be fed into future projects.

Development of D003 which is where ELSU were located in the “D wing” of the James France Building as informal open access (during office hours) learning spaces for student use. The completion of this has been delayed due to problems with some orders. This may be open by the time Learning and Teaching Committee meet.

Discussions have also taken place regarding the development of the James France Building to improve the exhibition area and increase the amount of learning and teaching space (both formal and informal). The major refurbishment originally planned for 2009 is now on hold as it has not been prioritised within the capital programme. Some modest refurbishment work may be undertaken in summer 2009.

In the longer term it is hoped that once some of the existing rooms are vacated (the Prayer Room and some first floor offices) it may be possible to progress this project. One issue relates to the length of notice needed for the project as conferences get booked into the facility a number of years prior to them taking place.

The small meeting rooms D101 and D203 have come into the pool. The availability of these rooms may allow us to do some work to knock together some other very small rooms to create some additional rooms for groups sizes where we have more demand than rooms (W005d & W005e and U013 & U014)

Current discussions regarding the proposed Design Building on East Park (once this is built the Bridgeman centre will be knocked down – in 2011) include a 250 seat lecture theatre and a large flat floor room capable of seating 70+ students.

There is an increasing demand for very large (over 250 capacity) rooms and it is not possible to meet these demands with the current room stock.

Author - Dr Anne Mumford

Date – October 2008