The Learning Commons, Capstone Project Example

Introduction

When trying to change the library in order to appeal to the community and students by adapting to the changes of the technological change in which people turn to kindles and tablets to read books. In order to introduce a new twist on an old tradition, this paper is proposing implementing a Learning Commons. The ideal of a Learning Commons is not new, however, not every community is accepting of designing a layout in which could attract students and staff back into the library. Changing the library to accommodate the layout is more than just adding new technology and furniture. It is about developing partnerships with different departments in the school, as well as creating a space to enhance learning and teaching, introducing different ways to utilize technology with the curriculum. According to Pamela Colburn Harland, “the most difficult aspect of this shift in library experience is helping a librarian to change from being a guardian and protector of information and resources to being a guide to information and resources.” (Colburn, 2011) These changes will bring together students and faculty into a learning environment that is flexible which is an essential part of the ideal of the learning commons.

Learners today favor experiential, participatory, and active learning, the exhibited style of learning that people use daily. Students today are connected with faculty, family and friends, and highly sociable choosing to interact online rather than face to face. Students value being with others, and want their learning experience to support these connections. The way in which they maintain and establish their professional and personal networks are the opposite of traditional. For many students, administrators, and faculty technology is nothing to fear. Faculty and students utilize numerous devices, from laptops to smartphone in order to access information and communicate. Messaging, downloading and browsing happen anytime and anyplace. The attention of students are pulled in various directions, and this proposal is finding a solution that brings faculty and students together that ensures the learning spaces promotes, rather than constrains learning and teaching.

What We Know

The way in which people learned have altered our ways in what we think of a learning space. When having a casual conversation after bumping into them, there is value that can be found. Reflection, discussion, active learning, and hands-on is valued as well. Value is also found in the capability to provide needed immediate support, and from being able to incorporate several activities such as computing, searching, and writing for project completion. The objective of the Learning Commons is to transform the traditional learning spaces into a learning environment that is integrated with several services for the user. In doing this, it involves integrating information technology that incorporates disseminating, displaying, analyzing, and collecting information. One of the primary factors that bring unique competencies to learning, and changes the way that classroom are being taught is technology. Either by providing stimulation from interacting through the use of personal response systems and games or by permitting access to numerous technologies and people from around the world. In order to provide the support and the technological resources that are faculty and students to be successful, we need to implement information technology that recreates the ideal of a learning space.

Mission:

The Learning Commons mission is to create an integrated technology learning center that is unique, in which provides expertise and information, in order to support the learning, researching, and teaching opportunities for our staff, faculty, and students.

Learning Commons Goals:

• To develop partnerships that improves and supports the mission of the Learning Commons
• To create spaces in which faculty is able to meet and come together and learn from each other.
• To create spaces that are flexible for individual study, one on one meetings, and large and small groups.
• Provide information services to the users from the variety of users in numerous formats both online and in person.
• Create an environment without boundaries, not territorial, and where people can come together to improve learning and teaching.

• To consistently assess the needs of students and respond accordingly to those needs.

The Steps In Creating a Learning Commons:

When creating a leaning environment that fosters support for teaching, learning, and researching there are steps that need to be taken in order to put the plan into action. These includes creating a User-Centered Design, Flexible Spacing, Reducing Repetitive Questions, Joining Resources, Removing Barriers, Trusting Your Users, and Publicizing. Below are the steps described in detail to implementing a productive Learning Commons.

User-Centered Design:

“A successful library is user-centered, not technology centered.” (Colhurn, 2011) When creating the space we must place emphasis on creating tools, resources, and services that users will value.

• The user-friendly design that is accessible to everyone, including faculty, staff, and students.
• The design will facilitate the user’s purpose of researching, collaboration, socializing, utilizing a variety of tools, silent study, reading, creation, lesson planning, and content creation.
• The Learning Commons will incorporate books, current news, instructors, classmates, textbooks, DVD/TV players, USB drives, scanners, printers, copiers, supplies, internet access, tablets, and computers.
• Provide a media room in which teachers and students are able to view movies, music, and other media.
• In making it easier for the user it will have handouts, labels on bookstacks, magazines guides for using online databases, signs for proper documentation, and the information desks for students and faculty.
• Workshop area where students are provided with supplies to take notes, staplers, colored pencils, ruler, scissors, glue sticks and markers.

Flexible Spacing

The virtual and physical spaces in the Learning Commons will incorporate the easily adaptable, sustainable, scalable, and flexible policies of the library. This includes providing spaces for computers in a computer lab, mobile shelving, and arrangeable furniture in the common area for easier collaboration. This will allow for social and interactive learning, while not distracting but promoting learning. (Colburn, 2011) The space will allow faculty and students to customize the space based on their needed requirements. It will create a fluid layout were access to networked tools will be available by moving furniture and accommodate future technologies.

Repetitive Questions

In order to deal with students that have repetitive questions, and make them more autonomous and self-reliant, we will streamline services to all users. Borrowing from the Plymouth Model (Colburn, 2011), we will keep track of question by implementing a clipboard system by the checkout desk, in  which users are able to see in which areas we need to improve. This includes improving website design, location of materials, printed direction, handouts, and signage. We will create user-friendly lexicon used in the library so that all users are able to locate materials, without having to ask, but still direct them to our information desk if help is still needed.

Joining Resources

As part of main mission is to enforce collaboration in the Learning Commons. In order to facilitate this we will create a central portal where users have access to information. We will work together with teachers, faculty, and other librarians in creating a way in which we are able to join resources. This includes establishing meeting times, and handouts that discuss access to blocked websites, retrieving lost documents, accessing student network folders, ability to rese student passwords, and other technology issues. The librarians duty is to provide access to information. “We are the professionals in a building looking for ways to provide the most people with the most information.” (Colburn, 2011) We will work together with technology professionals and school members to provide users with the correct information.

Remove Barriers

This entails providing unblocked access to users. This includes our workshop desk where uses can freely use supplies, information literacy for teachers, and working with faculty. The information desk will be a low desk and inviting for all users. Will also create a welcoming environment in which users will be able to come up to staff and ask for questions, as well as help needed on the various technologies, and locating information.

Trusting Your Users

This fit with the above mentioned steps in which users will be trusted to use the workshop desks supplies, as well as the other materials available to them, without hesitation. They will be able to access information, use the technologies such as tablets, computers, and media players to work, learn, or teach others. We will have a trusting environment in which users are able to access the equipment, and the media lab to work.

Publicize

In informing our users of our services, we will take the initiated steps to publicize the Learning Commons by interacting with users on Facebook and Twitter, as well as signs throughout the school. We will keep the community members informed about the Learning Commons through daily, weekly, or monthly updates, current events, and other important developments in the school. The users will be more involved in the decision making, as well as funders will be aware of where their money goes, and the impact it has throughout the school.

Plan Of Action

Understanding more about what constitutes learning and teaching, technology, how people learn, and more about learners has changed. Gradually, learning and study spaces are networked and flexible, bring together informal and formal activities in an environment that is seamless in which acknowledges that learning occurs either in physical or virtual, anyplace, or at any time. In developing a Learnings Commons, we have to understand the design is not a product but a process. The process involves learners, the community, faculty, and essentially all stakeholders. The logical location of the Learning Commons is the library because it is the main area for students looking for information. Implementing the Learning Commons would be advantageous to the school and the community. As the inadequacies of the traditional library for learners, today does not provide accommodating spaces that offer a learning experience that is collaborative for today’s students. An important direction that the school needs to work toward is providing spaces where staff, faculty and students are able to come together to improve their learning and teaching.

References

7 Things You Should Know About…The Modern Learning Commons. (2011). Educause. Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7071.pdf

Colburn, Pamela Harland. (2011). The Learning Commons: Seven Simple Steps to Transform Your Library: Seven Simple Steps to Transform Your Library. California: Libraries Unlimited.

Tinsman, Craig. (2012). From Library to Learning Commons. VAASL. Retrieved from http://www.vaasl.org/pdfs/Conference_Handouts/2012/Tinsman_Craig_From_Library_Learning.pdf