Adaptations in Higher Education
Designing to Center Library Operations Around Students
This interview is the first of a two-part series with leaders from the Community College of Philadelphia, diving into the unique qualities of their student body, the evolving role of academic librarians, the increased printing of digital materials, and how libraries impact students' view of the world.
Libraries as the Epicenter of Campus
This interview is the second of a two-part series with leaders from the Community College of Philadelphia, exploring the qualities of an emerging library typology that challenges the library's traditional role by prioritizing open, collaborative space for students over book storage. Continue reading to understand what it means to design for students, how this can happen without building new, the functionality of glass-enclosed stacks, and how the design process strengthens the bond among faculty.
Campus Sustainability: Where We Go From Here
In August 2021, HDR hosted three university facilities and sustainability leaders from three different countries in a Virtual Adaptations panel to discuss the growth, strategies and challenges of sustainability efforts on their respective campuses and in higher education. Their thoughtful insights shed light on a topic that has risen to the forefront of university issues as climate change becomes an ever-increasing reality.
Adapting through the Pandemic
During this virtual panel, conducted in August 2020, we took a closer look at virtual learning and how academic institutions in the U.S. and Canada are structuring classes in the fall. We discussed the challenges of in-person lectures, hybrid courses, and space requirements for different modes of learning.
During this virtual panel, conducted in August 2020, we discussed town-gown relationships — specifically how the short-term needs of universities, colleges and the towns they are located in have fundamentally shifted due to the pandemic and how some long-term ones are likely to as well.
During this virtual panel conducted in July 2020, we discussed how public health guidance impacted the "return to campus" for institutions in the U.S. and Canada, emphasizing how higher education leaders are thinking about creating a meaningful and safe student experience in the current moment.
Building an Emerging Media Arts Program from the Ground-Up
In this interview, we sit down with Megan Elliott, founding director of UNL's Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, and discuss the “origin story” of the new Center and how Megan worked with many stakeholders to assure that the program and the space worked together to achieve her vision.
Designing a "Mixed-Use" Home for an Emerging Media Arts Center
In the second part of our interview with Megan, we talk about the inspiration behind the design of the building and the vision of it being a different type of educational facility that’s connected to both the community and the larger UNL campus in meaningful ways.
Student Leadership and Campus Life for the Century Ahead
In this interview, we sit down with Marianne Simm, Vice Principal of Students, at Brescia University College to discuss the changes she has seen on the Brescia University College campus and across the higher education landscape. Our interview captured Marianne’s perspective on what “leadership” means to Brescia, how academic institutions are adjusting to lifelong learning and new student pathways, and the inherent benefits and challenges of collaboration with the industry and other institutions.
Inside Today’s Food Science Labs and Classrooms
In this interview, we talk with Dr. Colleen O’Connor, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator for nutrition and dietetics in the School of Food & Nutritional Sciences at Brescia University College in London, Ontario, to discuss her experience with food science education and research over the years. Our interview captured Dr. O’Connor’s perspective on key themes like the shift to active learning, the importance of industry engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration in today’s educational landscape, and the value of current trends such as “science on display” that are prominent in the new Academic Pavilion.
The Job Readiness Factor
Part 1 of our interview with Houston Community College’s (HCC) Dr. Phillip Nicotera, President of the Coleman College for Health Sciences and Jeff Gricar, Dean of Health Sciences focuses the importance that post-secondary experiences play in helping prepare students for future jobs. The interview highlights some of the strategies that HCC is using to reach out to students, prepare them for the working world, and assure they have great educational experiences.
Community College Focus on In-Demand Allied Health Jobs
In Part 2 of our interview, Dr. Nicotera and Dean Gricar discuss how the allied health programs at HCC's Coleman College for Health Sciences are evolving to meet the demands of a changing healthcare system. They also highlight how community colleges in general play a significant role in job training for the United State's allied health workforce.
Re-Imagining the Teaching Lab for Inquiry-Based Learning
In Part 1 of our interview with Professor John Kyndt from Bellevue University in Omaha, Nebraska, he discusses the process for designing a new type of teaching lab that meets the changing needs of undergraduate science curricula and of higher education as a whole. Dr. Kyndt emphasizes the emerging role of inquiry-based education, and how it informed a collaborative effort to create a “Science, Research and Demonstration” Lab in the Bellevue Lab renovations.
The Hybrid Course: Virtual Learning & the Physical Classroom
In Part 2 of our interview with Professor Kyndt, he discusses his experience with implementing a hybrid course — which incorporates elements of both the physical and virtual classroom in the same course.
