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Gen Y students want a degree and a job, of course. Gen Xers and younger Boomers are attending grad school and night class to polish their skills, while older Boomers are making university towns – vibrant, diverse, intellectually stimulating – the new retirement locales of choice.
A big attractor: being where innovative things are happening. For example, universities are leading the effort to digitize knowledge and information; a joint effort of 30 university libraries will soon have scanned 7 million volumes. Younger generations are always exploring the edges, and Gen Y students have brought their own attitudes and ideas to campus. They seek 21st century skills – collaboration, critical thinking, content creation and analysis, and more – and they’re pushing colleges to prepare them to compete in the new global economy.
College economics have changed, too. (The cost, that is; the course is still a mystery to most of us.) The tab for tuition and fees at private schools has risen 250% in constant dollars over the past 30 years, nearly 300% for public schools. Student and parent expectations for their investments have risen similarly. Colleges are trying to meet those expectations while dealing with increases in the price of everything from real estate to the pasta in the dorm cafeteria.
As a result, colleges and universities are transforming their teaching methods, reconsidering how they use tools and technology, and rethinking the spaces where education happens. Steelcase researchers have studied higher education for more than a decade and have developed a deep understanding of learning spaces and the needs of students, faculty, and administrators. Based on these findings and interviews with educators, designers, and facilities professionals, in this issue we consider space and its role in higher education.
First, we look at how the classroom is being reinvented to support new pedagogies that deeply involve students in the learning process. Next, the library: it’s no longer a book warehouse, but a place for planned and random acts of teaching, learning, and group work. Our third feature examines how learning spills into hallways, cafés, and common areas across campus, and strategies for making the best use of these places.
Lessons Learned captures key insights for making college not just attractive but productive for everyone on campus. And our Q&A guest this issue, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Ph.D., head of the education school at the University of Michigan and a renowned researcher and practicing educator, offers a unique perspective on how to improve the learning spaces for both students and teachers.
We hope you enjoy our visit to campus.
Tags: Education, Gen X, Gen Y, TechnologyFiled under: 360 Magazine
