Learning Studio

Experiential Learning Studios

Flooring:
The visible flooring is made of removable, interlocking carpeted "tiles" and is more aesthetically pleasing than the traditional cement floors found in most chemistry labs. The actual floor of the room is a foot below the tiled floor. This allows for the electrical, gas, and other utility wiring to be attached to each station from underneath rather than the wall or the ceiling. This type of floor aids in the flexibility of the sciplexes.

Storage:
In order to have a multipurpose room, (chemistry, physics, biology, etc.) there needs to be an abundance of easy access storage areas to keep equipment. One such item is the "cart on wheels." This unit allows for flexibility in two ways. The top of the cart can be used for class sets of chemicals and supplies for experiments, and/or the drawers can be filled with individual sets of materials to be switched with the ones at each station between classes. The studio also contains cabinets for storage of student and instructor's possessions. These cabinets provide a counter space to set equipment such as balances or for clean-up.

Sinks:
In each studio, there are eight sinks with faucets available for clean-up purposes and for experiments requiring running water. The type of sink used is stainless steel. At each sink, there is also a tap for distilled water.

Hoods:
Although most of the chemicals used in Small-Scale Science are very low in concentration and volatility, there are two hoods in each studio for large-scale experiments.

Lighting:

Because the monitors for the computers are mounted underneath the desk top, and covered with glass, the indirect lighting fixtures focus the light upwards instead of downwards to reduce glare.

White Boards:

White boards cover one or two walls of the studio. They are used instead of chalk boards because of the dust chalk creates, and are easier to maintain. They can also double as a screen for projectors when needed.

Experiential Learning Studio Configurations

Standard Circle with Wheel Chair Accessible Ends	Square Grouping
Figure 8 Grouping	"C" Grouping

Last modified 8/29/03