Students in the College of Charleston’s Department of Computer Science returned this semester to an innovative new classroom that puts students, thus learning, at the center of the room ­ literally. Room 220, in the JC Long Building (corner of Liberty and St. Philip Streets), now features students in a circle in the center of the room with screens covering the walls. The professor stands in the center, equidistant from every student. Both faculty and students who use the room report it is an overwhelming success.

“The new design, based on a classroom at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is about a room with multiple learning surfaces and multiple configurations,” said Chris Starr, chair of the department of computer science. “By learning surfaces I mean, each student has a computer for computational engagement, a space for human engagement (from one on one to small groups) and a focal point for class engagement.”

Users can meet for discussions, group projects, lectures in the round, seminars and software/web development. Each type of activity can be supported by a configuration that takes just minutes to set up.

What motivated the new design is the introductory class in computer science that includes programming robots that run in the robot pit in the center of the room. By taking away traditional rows of desks and chairs, there is obviously no front or back. It also put each student equidistant from the professor and screens so they can participate as equals. The instructor has a wireless computer connection to the Internet and projection screen for unparalleled classroom mobility.

Through the new design, there is also a great focus on learning, since students can no longer use the computers for e-mail or Facebook undetected.

“We learned long ago that we cannot simply install computers in a room to have a smart classroom,” Starr said. “We know that the room must be designed around the computers for the room to work best. We have abstracted that idea in this room of the future. To bring about pedagogical change and increase learning, the instructor cannot be placed in just any space. The room must be designed to support the new pedagogy directly.”

The investment is already paying off. Faculty members are already making requests to teach their classes in the new room.

The new room is a test bed for the design of a new departmental space occupying the main floor of the Robert Scott Small building, a space that will borrow heavily from Starr’s experiences at the GooglePlex in Mountain View, CA.

For more information, contact Chris Starr at 843.953.6905 or starrc@cofc.edu.