An "active learning" classroom design recognizes the importance of students becoming engaged in their own learning. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study compared student-reported data (n = 219) and used the "community of inquiry" framework to evaluate the impact of environmental features on students' experience. Students…

The goal of this study was to contribute to research on active learning by addressing the problem of disentangling the effects of classroom architecture, student characteristics, and pedagogical design as they relate to student achievement. The study utilized a quasiexperimental design where data was collected on student perceptions of their…

The concept of 'flexible seating' has emerged as a possibility to meeting the goals of an active learning classroom. Recent scholarship has suggested that numerous student learning predictors are enhanced when interacting with flexible seating. This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by investigating the effects of flexible seating from a…

Student learning and engagement are paramount for educational institutions. This paper examines the impact of an interactive learning space on teaching and learning for both faculty and students. Specifically, four faculty from disparate disciplines examine the impacts on teaching and learning of an active learning space designed for student…

Active learning classrooms (ALCs) support teaching approaches that foster greater interaction and student engagement. However, a common challenge for instructors who teach in ALCs is to provide adequate assistance to students while implementing collaborative activities. This study examined the impact of teaching assistants in a large ALC. The…

Institutions may invest heavily into building and equipping new learning teaching spaces with the intention of encouraging active and collaborative learning to occur. However, there may not be a concomitant shift in teachers' existing pedagogical practices. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of thirty-two tertiary teachers across a…

This quantitative, cross-sectional research study explored students' perceptions of five different seating styles within typical classrooms in an urban public higher education institution. The five seating styles included: modern mobile chairs, tablet arm chairs, fixed tiered seating with tablet arms, rectangle tables with standard chairs, and…

Traditional designs for most mid-sized college classrooms discourage 1) face-to-face interaction among students, 2) instructor movement in the classroom, and 3) efficient transitions between different kinds of learning activities. An experimental classroom piloted during Spring Semester 2011 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill uses…