Metamorphosis: from traditional computer labs to collaboratories

Abstract

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater embarked on a pilot project to build group working space in the General Access Computer lab area in response to the social needs and working style of the net-generation student population. We started by converting an existing room in our computer lab into 5 smaller group work rooms equipped with the technology, flexibility and privacy students need. These 'collaboratories' have been extremely well received since its opening in the Spring semester 2006. Over 900 groups of 3 or more students with more than 3700 student head count used these spaces out of our student population of 9,800. We continue to reconfigure additional space for smaller group work. Learn more about the process we went through in creating a new learning space as we move towards a new generation of learners within our limited resources.