Higher Education Trends: How to Adjust for Group Learning Activities

Anyone who has recently sat in or observed a college classroom knows: the times of lecturing to a large group of students is coming to an end. While some large universities still prefer the lecture format, increasing numbers of smaller institutions are looking to smaller groups to improve learning experience and knowledge retention. It’s becoming a significant trend in higher education, and one worth monitoring as it relates to classroom design.

When the room is not used for a lecture, it needs to function differently. Instead of a blackboard (or smart board) and a set number of chairs pointing toward it, classrooms oriented toward group learning need to have a layout that accommodates a seating arrangement in which every student can face or at least easily see each other.

Of course, group work does not just mean an entire class of 30 students working on the same project together. More often, higher education faculty are splitting up their students into groups of 4 or 5 that work together or even compete against each other.

Regardless of faculty preference, the keyword in modern classroom design is simple: flexibility. Only furniture that is flexible enough for your professors to move around according to that day’s lesson and project can fully support their vision for educating their students.

To accomplish that goal, tables and chairs with wheels are becoming increasingly popular. They need breaks, of course, but the less time a professor needs to arrange the classroom according to that day’s needs, the more likely they’ll be to apply innovative teaching techniques that benefit your students. To learn more about classroom furniture, and how higher education trends should inform your choices, contact us.