Redefining spaces: Collaborative spaces enhance learning and foster connections
Friday, December 13, 2024
Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | sophia.fahleson@okstate.edu
As you walk through Agricultural Hall during the day, the buzz of students collaborating, studying, and hanging out with their friends floats from the new designated student areas.
When designing Agricultural Hall, the Studio Architecture team focused on creating functional spaces, said Cynda Clary, associate dean for the Ferguson College of Agriculture.
To achieve this goal, representatives visited the original Agricultural Hall, now named Legacy Hall, during high traffic times, such as class changes, and spoke with a variety of people to understand the building ’s limitations, Clary said.
“The team of architects listened to how people used the space,” Clary said. “Then, they presented some alternatives for how we could have the space people really needed, and that included the students.”
One main concern in the previous building was the few spaces available for students to study, collaborate, or sit between classes, Clary said.
“There were some study spaces, and some of the departments had common spaces,” Clary said, “but as you walked through the building, particularly as students were waiting for class, there would be students sitting on the floor trying to study before they went into an exam.
“There just wasn’t a good space for studying,” she added.
Some students told the architects they did not have a place to go between classes, Clary said.
Many opted to go to other buildings on campus during their free time to study, sit between classes, or meet for group projects, Clary added.
“Before, I always went to the library,” said Lauren Coker, environmental science junior. “The main study areas were just the Student Success Center and the empty classrooms.”
Learning and teaching have changed since Legacy Hall was built, Clary said.
“Most of the older buildings on campus weren’t designed for a lot of collaborative learning,” Clary said.“Things were more individually focused with a lot of individual offices and individual classrooms. Things have changed a lot in terms of how we engage with students.”
Classes incorporate more group projects and collaborative learning, which is similar to what students will experience after they graduate and enter work settings, Clary said.
“We are a college that is very much built on relationships with our state, other land-grant institutions, constituent groups, commodity groups, our alums, and our students, faculty and staff,” Clary said. “Not having a structural environment that really helps support that building of relationships can really be a challenge.”
The new building offers multiple spaces available for students to use, including the first- and second-floor atrium, 19 huddle rooms, and 10 club and study rooms.
“There are different spaces in many different sizes that students can reserve,” Clary said. “The huddle rooms are open when the building is open.”
The larger club and study rooms are available for students and clubs to use throughout the building for bigger groups. Clubs also can reserve classrooms in the evenings, Clary said.
“The space has been very beneficial,” said Tinley Sitton, agribusiness senior. “I am on the agricultural economics quiz bowl team, and one of the subsets of the quiz bowl is case studies. Last year, we had a really hard time finding a good spot to sit down and work things out for the case studies. It was nice this semester that we were able to meet and practice in the new building.”
Sitton is a teaching assistant for the Farm and Agribusiness Management course and the Quantitative Methods in Agricultural Economics course. She uses club and study rooms to have her office hours. The spaces have been beneficial to be able to work with students who may need extra help outside of class, Sitton said.
Some students now find themselves in the new areas during the day, instead of walking across campus to other buildings, Coker said.
“I have multiple labs and classes in this building,” Coker said. “It’s convenient to be able to go to class, come to the atrium to study, and then my next class is just down the hall. I don’t have to walk across campus just to turn around and come back.”
The new spaces are often full of students in all corners — studying, collaborating and hanging out in between classes as they use all the areas designed with them in mind.
“If you have a place where you can come in and eat your lunch, wait in between classes, have a chance to visit, meet somebody new, or talk to a faculty member, it feels a lot more like your home,” Clary said.
Story by Haley Dinterman | Cowboy Journal