Space influences both pedagogical and professional processes. For students, learning how to learn, learning how to communicate, and learning how to collaborate are distinctly more important than the specific content vehicle of an individual course.

How does space affect pedagogical processes?

Many writing and communication classes and many technical classes (whether architecture, business, engineering, or science) require oral presentations, which may take numerous forms. The Communication Center has three presentation rehearsal rooms within its walls, two small and one large. These rooms include Smart Board technology, mounted video cameras, and software that allows the students to record their presentation practice sessions and email the files to themselves, allowing them to watch their practice sessions and learn how they can best improve. These spaces can only be used if the tutee has made an appointment with a Communication Center tutor, who watches the presentation and comments on any of four aspects of it: content, visual aids, oral communication skills, and nonverbal communication skills. The tutees have the option of recording the tutor’s notes in addition to their presentation, providing them with easy access to the tutor’s comments.

Four additional rehearsal rooms adjacent to the Communication Center’s space were also designed by the Writing and Communication Program. Each of these additional rehearsal studios includes video capture and playback capabilities. These rooms are used by students for a variety of purposes, including presentation rehearsals. Students can reserve these spaces independently, whether or not they see a tutor, for up to two hours at a time.  These rehearsal spaces were designed to reflect specific corporate environments at differing levels of formality.

For other assistance with the process of planning and designing communication projects, individual students or small student groups can make appointments to work with a professional or peer tutor in the Communication Center’s general tutoring space (see Figure 10.7) or in one of the Communication Center’s small meeting rooms (see Figure 10.8).

 

 

How does space affect professional processes?

The postdoctoral fellows have spaces to engage in various kinds of planning activities. Designing parts of the Communication Center and the Hall Building for supporting students in their communication processes was not difficult. Creating the argument that the faculty members also need specially designed spaces and equipment for their processes took more effort, especially since we were talking about spaces that encourage inventing, planning, and revising. Wouldn’t the usual conference table and white board be sufficient? No. Figure 10.9, which shows a committee meeting in the Hall Seminar Room, provides technology (e.g., a high-resolution projection system, a wired table, and cameras and microphones for using Skype and Google Hangouts) that makes the space one of the most heavily used in the building. In addition, open, collaborative areas throughout the Hall Building encourage chance conversations and the easy exchange of ideas, allowing the entire building to be a site of invention and collaboration.

Figure 10.10 shows that not all technology is digital. For example, a flipchart on an easel is used in the Hall Building’s Communication Commons alongside the digital technologies, supporting our argument that space and technology should be designed to support users rather than expecting people to adapt their processes to whatever is available.

 

 

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