University of Hertfordshire, Blended Learning Unit (BLU)
| Contact Details: | The Blended Learning Unit (BLU) website: www.herts.ac.uk/blu Jon Alltree, Deputy Director, BLU: j.r.alltree@herts.ac.uk |
| Type of Project: | The Blended Learning Unit (BLU) has developed two learning spaces at the University of Hertfordshire - one in the main College Lane accommodation and one in the College Lane Learning Resources Centre. They are refurbishments/re-purposing of original spaces. |
| Start/End Date: | The BLU, a HEFCE CETL, was established in 2005 and the refurbishment and repurposing work was carried out from mid 2005 and the spaces were brought into service in February and May 2006. |
Background & Context
The BLU has been set up as a self-contained unit with the aim of supporting the development and evaluation of blended models of learning and teaching i.e. the combining of established ways of teaching and learning with emergent opportunities afforded by learning technologies. It has developed two learning spaces that are designed primarily to support collaborative learning, but also to be flexible enough to support other approaches.
ROOM ONE is a technology-rich learning space for up to 24 students. The room has 24 custom-made trapezoidal tables that can be arranged in various configurations, depending on the desired dynamics (e.g. conference, cabaret or lecture style). The tables were designed to be large enough to work as individual workstations, yet lightweight enough to allow the room layout to be readily reconfigured. The default layout has four groups of six tables in a conference arrangement for collaborative working. Wheeled, office style chairs enable those in the room to move about readily. It is used for a range of teaching projects (mainly involving BLU teachers) and staff development events.
- It offers considerable potential for increasing our understanding of collaborative learning and the degree to which such technology can enhance this process. This will contribute to our views on room specification more widely.
- The wireless laptop provision and flexibility of room layout will mean that it can support a range of computer based learning activities, including a training area for staff wanting to learn to use interactive whiteboards or tablet input devices.
- It provides a well specified environment simply to experiment within.
- Finally, we envisage that it will be made available to groups of staff wishing to work on particular projects - for example, redesigning a curriculum - in a high tech environment, conducive to collaboration and creativity.
ROOM TWO, suitable for 48 students, draws on many of the design features of Room One, but was intended to be scaleable. It has a similar teaching wall, but no interactive whiteboards. The furniture is arranged in 6 tables of 8, each of which has access to wall mounted whiteboards and flipcharts. An early student evaluation of this room rated the audio-visual support and the room layout particularly highly.
Both rooms were underpinned by a student-centric view of learning, with collaborative learning opportunities forming the primary focus of the designs. The use of low desks for the teachers, rather than lecterns, was also intended to put all users of the room on a more equal footing. The rooms are also intended to be easy to use. This is definitely the case with ROOM TWO, but the use of a range of novel technologies, particularly the interactive whiteboards, in ROOM ONE means that teachers, in particular, need a good induction to the room.
