Virtual Space, Virtuous Place

1. Virtual Space, Virtuous Place College Libraries in the 21st Century

2. Libraries Being Both Virtual & Physical Places • Human interaction, creativity, & needs require different environments • Libraries create collections & services that support existing types of learners & learning activities • Concept of the library = one’s own place • Both/and mirrors contemporary life

3. Accessible Just in time 24/7 Impersonal Self-directing Building Capacity challenging Can improve interactions Effectiveness for student learning is not clear Can eliminate the intermediary Impersonal Time-consuming Discourages selectivity What Do We Know about the Virtual Environment?

4. Encourages reflection & critical thinking Connects learning experiences Supports vision & values Broadens role of library Distracts from primary functions Misunderstood by constituents Requires different expertise Inserts internal competition for resources What Do We Know About the Virtuous Environment?

5. Creativity & the Life of the Mind Ideas and thoughts happen in the in-between spaces of time, place, experience, & interaction. Where is best?

6. Value of the Learner “In these new learning paradigms, the word student becomes largely obsolete…instead we should begin to refer to the clients of the 21st century as active learners, since they will increasingly demand responsibility for their own learning experiences and outcomes.” -- James J. Duderstadt A University for the 21st Century

7. Knowing About the “Occupant” • Does the learning activity as defined by the educational objective require: observation or reflection? • Are interactions with people, resources, or materials? • How are the learning requirements aligned with student abilities to: multitask, adapt, self-regulate?

8. Designing Spaces for Learning and Learners • For what student learning outcomes are spaces being created? • How are criteria for design of spaces determined? • Does collaboration & active learning need different kinds of spaces? • How might continuous improvement affect continuous design?

9. Imagining the Future: Institutional Models In his book, University for the 21st Century, James J. Duderstadt, President Emeritus of the University of Michigan, offers an array of “possible futures” for institutions of higher learning: the world university the creative university the divisionless university the cyberspace university the university college the lifelong university

10. Elements in Future Models of Space • Responds to learning styles & needs • Alignment with institutional purpose • Intentional design • Fulfillment of educational objectives • Fluidity/adaptability to change • Linkage to what really matters • Offers the potential to inspire

11. Accreditation as a Frame for Viewing Space • Focus on student learning • Align with institutional purposes • Be intentional about achieving academic goals to support learning • Both virtual & physical contribute to capacity & educational effectiveness • Organized venues for learning, & measuring student performance

12. Making Meaning from Assessment Activities • Use accreditation process as opportunity to learn about student learning in the virtual and the physical contexts • Data collection about activities may yield interesting contrasts for decision-making • Identify probing questions on the role & impact of library experiences

13. Research Questions: Place and Space • By what means & methods can students successfully achieve skills? • How do changes in teaching & course delivery impact use of space? • Will the design of virtual & physical places enable the institution’s vision of education to be experienced? • Does research inform space design?

14. Degrees of Distance “Criteria for access to communities are quite different from criteria for access to information.” --John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid The Social Life of Information

15. Further Conversation Stephanie Bangert sbangert@wascsenior.org www.wascweb.org