Context & Scale
This pattern is concerned with active learning in large workshops and can be used with any large cohort where a suitable large flat-floor space is available. It supports learning and teaching at scale as it provides components that can be sequenced to support active learning in large groups.
Problem
Large classes mean different things to different people. Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of large classes might be influenced by what they are accustomed to, by their discipline and related pedagogies (Hornsby & Osman, 2014), by the physical or virtual learning environment, or by their level of interaction with others. Many teachers would agree however, that while active learning in large classes supports learning, engagement and student satisfaction (Cuseo, 2007), facilitating active learning becomes more challenging as class sizes increase. Active learning strategies that work well in a small workshop require adjustments in design when used in larger workshop setting. Some of the factors that contribute to the challenge of active learning in large workshops include the acoustics of the classroom, achieving smooth transitions between activities, communicating clear instructions to a large number of students, and the complexities of hybrid learning when coordinating activities for online and in-class students. Further, large workshops have a tendency to reduce the frequency and quality of teachers’ interaction with and feedback to students (Cuseo, 2007).
Solution
This pattern consists of four key elements or modes that can be arranged in any order to support active learning in a large workshop. Using these modes, the large workshop can be broken down into different configurations and group sizes to support different kinds of activity, hence addressing some of the challenges of active learning in large workshops. The four modes are:
- Launchpad: the ‘launchpad’ is a mode where mini-lectures, demos, or any other activity requiring a shared focus of attention with the whole workshop group are conducted. As the name suggests, it is often used at the beginning to set a class in motion, but it can also be used to bring students back together as a whole group at strategic points during a workshop session to launch a new activity.
- The huddle: the ‘huddle’ breaks the whole workshop group down into separate tutorial groups. These groups resemble group sizes that students might be traditionally accustomed to, such as groups of between 20-30. Each tutorial group has a dedicated area or zone in the large workshop space, and its own teacher to facilitate learning activities.
- Focus: the ‘focus’ mode breaks the group down further to accommodate ‘students at work’ in groups. Each group has access to a range of tools and resources (such as writing surfaces) to facilitate collaborative ways of working.
- Debrief: the ‘debrief’ mode brings all students in the workshop back together to share learning across tutorial groups or debrief on a completed learning activity. It is often used at the end of a class, but it can also be used to bring students back together as a whole group at strategic points during a session to bring together issues, challenges, and insights across tutorial groups.
The physical environment needs to be set up to accommodate smooth transitions between the four modes. This can be achieved by designing or reconfiguring spaces that are zoned to align with the configurations described (see Example of Patterns in Use below).
Acknowledgement
The four modes outlined in this pattern were developed by Professor Peter Bryant from the University of Sydney and Wendy Sammels from ThinkForward. The pattern was first tested in the ‘Red room’ (see example 1) and is currently being tested in a new learning space across numerous large courses at The University of Sydney (see example 2).
Implementation
Request a large flat-floor teaching space to run your large workshop/s.
As team teaching is embedded in this large workshop pattern, a collaborative approach to designing workshops involving all teachers in the team is recommended.
Decide what activities are going to best support your workshop learning outcomes. For each activity, decide how you would like students to be interacting with teachers and with each other, and which resources and qualities of the learning environment will best support the activities.
Based on the activities you have designed, consider which configurations/modes would be most effective in supporting the kinds of social interactions and engagement with resources you require. Decide on an appropriate sequence for the activities/modes. The following group configurations can occur in any order: whole group (launchpad or debrief), tutorial group (huddle), or student groups (focus).
Give some consideration to the transitions between activities. How will you support smooth transitions between activities, particularly if you anticipate needing to move people or objects during transition periods?
As part of the workshop design, consider how knowledge and insights can best be shared across the whole workshop group and at what points this would be most beneficial. This includes deciding how the teachers leading the combined tutorial groups within the workshop will interact as the workshop progresses.
Examples of pattern in use
The ‘red room’
The ‘red room’ is a 90-seat room at The University of Sydney Business School that was refurbished to support active learning in large workshops. As the floorplate in the room had three graduated tiers (see image below showing different floor levels), these served as in-built ‘zones’ that were used to support different stages and activity types in a single workshop.
Drawing on two previous pilot spaces in the Business School (Yeoman & Wilson, 2019), and previous work on active learning and making in the social sciences (Bryant, 2019), the reconfiguration involved replacing existing conventional furniture with furniture sourced from the wider university deemed suitable for supporting active learning. In addition, several portable whiteboards with acoustic panels were purchased. The new furniture and whiteboards contributed to the zoning of the room and provided the additional benefit of acting as sound barriers between different groups.
In 2021, when some students were learning on-campus and others remotely, we added new technology to the room in the form of Microsoft Surface Hubs to support hybrid learning. These portable devices offered us the ability to combine video conferencing, collaboration, as well as digital whiteboard and presentation capabilities into one device and, most importantly, to provide a stronger connection between students in the room and students learning remotely.
Several classes used the Hubs as a video conferencing tool that allowed teaching staff to move more freely around the room whilst teaching instead of being stationed behind the main lectern area for the duration of the class. In addition, for classes with a large online cohort, the Hubs were used as a collaboration tool by students in the room to better engage with their online counterparts and conduct group work tasks in small groups.
- Launchpad: as illustrated in the left-hand picture, the first zone (the front of the room) was designed as a ‘launchpad’ for a class where mini-lectures, demos, or any other activity requiring a shared focus of attention could be held.
- The huddle: the second zone was designed so that the whole group could be divided into two ‘tutorial groups’ each with one tutor to facilitate learning (with the option of sound partitions to be used where necessary).
- Focus: the second and third zones could both be used to accommodate ‘students at work’ in groups. Each group has access to a shared computer screen and collaborative software tools. The third zone includes numerous writing surfaces and standing tables and is intended to support visual thinking, sketching, concept mapping etc.
- Debrief: the room was designed so that students could return to zone 1 for a final debrief and wrap-up session at the conclusion of the tutorial/workshop.
A number of courses that have used the ‘red room’ utilised the zones to support a variety of activities. For example, a large core Master of Commerce course sequenced activities that utilised Zones 1 (launchpad and debrief) and 2 (huddle and focus). Zone 1 was used for presentations and debates involving the whole class, and Zone 2 was used for students to work on group projects. The course overall had ~1500 students enrolled, and each workshop had up to 60 students.
PNR CONNECTSpace
The University of Sydney’s Connected Learning at Scale (CLaS) project team collaborated with a diverse group of stakeholders to create a flat-floor teaching space that supports active learning at scale. The PNR CONNECTSpace accommodates up to 160 students and is pivotal in fulfilling the University of Sydney’s vision of transforming education and enhancing student experiences. It is designed to be a testing ground for innovative teaching methods, building on our three-year experience with hybrid and flexible education models. The space facilitates both the intimacy of small-group interactions and the energy of large-scale lectures. Three large acoustic curtains in the room can be closed to divide the space into the four quadrants. Further, the room contains four enclosed booths to provide an optional quiet space for students, and to support communication between on-campus students and those learning remotely.
The four modes in this design pattern: launchpad, huddle, focus and debrief have been embedded in the design of the space in a number of ways. For example, the space is designed to facilitate efficient transitions between the modes. The room is divided into four quadrants (zones), and each can accommodate a tutorial of up to 40 students. Each zone has a default set up to support 8 student groups, with tables and chairs already in these group configurations.
The four modes are reflected in the inbuilt pre-set states at the teaching console to support fluent transitions between them:
- The first pre-set state on the console supports the ‘launchpad’ mode. By selecting this mode at the console, the four quadrants in the room open up (into one large space) to support activities directed to all 160 students (e.g. large group presentations, mini-lectures, demos etc). Screens and speakers around the room make the visuals and audio accessible across the space. Screens pick up on the location and movement of the key speaker as they move around the space so that they are visible to students no matter where they sit in the room.
- The second pre-set state supports the ‘huddle’ mode. It closes the acoustic curtains that divide the quadrants to create four separate tutorial spaces. The acoustic curtains minimise the noise heard between tutorial groups. Each quadrant has its own teaching station (console) that can be controlled by the tutor in their section.
- The third pre-set state supports the ‘focus’ mode. This setting is further supported in the room with the addition of ‘quiet booths’ where students can connect with their group members who are not on campus.
- The final pre-set state supports the ‘debrief’ mode, where the space returns to the open setting which removes the dividing curtains between quadrants. In a debrief session, teachers and students share their questions and insights with the whole group, microphones pick up who is speaking, and the localised sound is amplified so that it can be heard across the large flat floor teaching space.
Nine courses across the Business School and Faculty of Engineering are participating in design workshops and professional development sessions to prepare them for running workshops in the space in Semester 2, 2024. The use of the space will be evaluated throughout the semester using a combination of classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and focus groups with students and teaching teams. This pattern will be updated once these findings become available.
Acknowledgements
The thinking behind the 400-seat space was informed by the award winning LSE Centre Building project (in particular the Learning Commons), and the Hive Studio, as well as previous active learning spaces piloted in the Business School.
The design was led by Professor Peter Bryant from the University of Sydney and Wendy Sammels from ThinkForward. Many people at The University of Sydney have contributed to the design, implementation and evaluation of the PNR CONNECTSpace including but not limited to Craig Purcell, Business Co-Design, University Infrastructure, Educational Innovation, and the University’s AV and ICT teams.
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