The University of Arizona has made a strong commitment to the continuous improvement of teaching quality and culture change by transforming more traditional classrooms to collaborative learning spaces, which allow instructors to become innovative and apply teaching and learning strategies that promote higher order thinking. The result: students learn more, fail less.
Below is a gallery of photos that tells our story of the first 30 CLSs on campus.
2013 AAU GRANT | UA received a grant from the Association of American Universities for the Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative. We transformed STEM foundation classes to use evidence-based, active and collaborative learning. AAU Vice President Emily Miller, pictured above in CLS Gittings, visits UA periodically to evaluate the sustainability of the grant-funded projects. Here's a video about the pilot project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbVxFN1jiKU&rel=0 1 of 16
2014 THE PIONEER | John Pollard's vision for improving teaching and student learning on campus came to life in the Science-Engineering Library #CollaborativeLearningSpace 2 of 16
CLASSROOM INNOVATOR | University Distinguished Professor Paul Blowers encourages students to think aloud, collaborate, and share with their neighbors. 3 of 16
2015 PILOT SUCCESS = MAKEOVER | UA's pilot CLS receives a makeover - new furniture, paint, carpet & techonology. The Science-Engineering Library, Room 200SW was UA's largest CLS with 268 seats. 4 of 16
2015 FOUR MORE CLS CREATED | Pictured is Biological Sciences West, room 301 (BIO W 301) with a room capacity for 112 students. Undergraduate students engage in active learning by discussing and sharing ideas while using the whiteboards. This is Gail Burd's favorite room. 5 of 16
2015 CLS ALL SIZES | CHVEZ 307 is one of the smaller CLSs with seats for 32 students. (note: food/beverages are not allowed in classrooms) 6 of 16
2016 NOT JUST FOR STEM STUDENTS | All students benefit from learning in a Collaborative Learning Space | Students pictured here are enrolled in Ed Prather's Tier1 Natural Science General Education class: the Physical Universe. UA's CLS reach for active learning is astronomical!! 7 of 16
2016 AAU AWARDS | Amy Graham was honored with the Undergraduate STEM Education Teaching Excellence Award. Graham not only engages students by using creative strategies but also trains preceptors on how to interact with students in large CLSs. 8 of 16
LEARNING ASSISTANTS | CLS instructors recommend graduate teaching assistants and undergraduate preceptors to become CLS Learning Assistants. The students must complete a one-week training course about active learning strategies. 9 of 16
2016 CLASS PROJECTS | In Collaborative Learning Spaces, tables can be rearranged within seconds. Pictured here are students working on a class project in Regents' Professor Emeritus (and former Provost) George Davis' Geosciences class in the Integrated Learning Center, ILC. 10 of 16
2017 EXAM LAYOUT | GITT 201 | During the open-house showcase of Gittings, room 201, the CLS furniture was displayed to show instructors how to rearrange tables, chairs, and whiteboards for student exams. 11 of 16
CAMPUS TEAMWORK | The CLS Project was a university-wide, collaborative effort. Partner units include: Office of the Provost, Instruction and Assessment, Room and Course Scheduling, Facilities Management, Classroom Technology Services, Business Affairs, and very dedicated and innovative faculty members. 12 of 16
2018 CLS CHALLENGE | EDUC 211 has a student capacity of 200. More commonly known as the Kiva room, EDUC 211 was a CLS transformation challenge. Its round, 3-tier, upside-down wedding cake shape has been filled and leveled into two tiers. Pictured here is Assistant Professor Ramirez-Andreotta with environmental science students discussing geographic locations for completing a toxic release inventory. 13 of 16
CATCH BOX | In the two Largest CLSs, GITT 129B and EDUC 211, instructors toss these soft, Styrofoam microphones to students to answer questions and share ideas to the entire class. 14 of 16
2019 GYM TO CLS | GITT129B | The Science-Engineering Library became part of the Student Success District project, which meant that the original pilot space was reallocated into something more cutting-edge. Thus, the need for an XL CLS was necessary. Gittings Room 129B - Formerly a gymnasium is now the largest CLS that seats 264 students. A unique function of this CLS is the adjacent 'huddle in / huddle out space' for pre- and post- class discussions. 15 of 16
THE PROJECT MANAGER | Jane Hunter (pictured here) transformed thirty centralized classrooms of all different sizes into Collaborative Learning Spaces. The goal of the original AAU project was to have 25 rooms completed by 2020 | Dr. Hunter achieved this goal in 2018 and didn't stop. Now the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Hunter oversees larger projects for the entire University. One of many goals in the Presidential plan is to have 50% of all central classrooms converted into collaborative, flexible, and/or innovative learning spaces. 16 of 16