We began with the following:

1
We began with the following

• . . . there is a form of pedagogical shift
  occurring. In essence, this is from a teacher
  and curriculum centred delivery to a student
  centered problem solving, collaborative learning
  environment. It is increasingly social in its
  form of exchange. The purpose for a learning
  commons is to provide the environment in which
  students, teachers, and everyone else involved in
  the learning enterprise can come together to
  solve problems, to interact.
• Ross Donaldson. Flexible Learning in Education
  Futures. Public paper 2. Melbourne Woods
  Bagot Pty. Ltd., 2006.

2
Background to our efforts

• Summer of 2005 Prof. Malpas led a group which
  visited learning commons in N. America.
• HKU had decided that its new 334 year
  curriculum should reform the undergraduate
  experience so that it becomes more flexible and
  focused on objectives to produce globally-aware
  graduates who are critical thinkers, effective
  communicators, life long learners . . .
• We should build a physical space that offers
  shared technology/work/study spaces and a place
  that supports the distribution of as much
  electronic full text of published scholarly
  information as possible.
• Knowledge Team asked to gather information and
  offer suggestions to the Centennial Campus
  Working Group.

3
KT Efforts to Gather Input

• Held 10 small group discussions with students and
  staff to see what sorts of facilities and
  services they wanted.
• Distributed a web survey. Received 128 surveys
  mainly students responded.

4
Small Group Discussion Results

• Atmosphere should be a place where people come
  and meet can work with others to do their own
  thing permit others to join in or at least
  watch encourages active/group learning
  tranquil spots for those who want to read by
  themselves or simply look out at lovely scenery
  and think.

5
More Small Group Results

• Physical Facilities call for flexibility. . .
  given the rapid changes in technology and
  teaching few, if anyone, could have predicted
  five years ago the ways in which the Internet
  would change education need for formal and
  informal places should be like a village green
  or square where performances, talks,
  presentations, and meetings small and large would
  be welcomed/possible.

6
More Small Group Results

• Equipment flexibility was again heard wireless
  connectivity power for laptops non-centrally
  scheduled electronic classrooms with moveable
  tables and desks white boards connections to
  wall mounted screens and computer lab like
  facilities.

7
More Small Group Results

• Services writing and language advisors/coaches
  and academic and careers counselors services
  should be available to special needs and foreign
  students. They didnt reject any of the services
  which other LCs were offering.
• One group of students expressed the feeling that
  the Commons should be like a very large Starbucks
  where people can work together, work on their
  own, use computers, and consume food and drink
  while doing all of these things.

8
More Small Group Results

• Management/Staffing Commons to be a success
  needed well-trained staff but no agreement on
  how it should be managed students be involved
  service providers should have a say service
  providers should be accountable to a PVC.
• A number of potential academic and other service
  providers said that they would need more staff
  since they were already stretched too thin.

9
More Small Group Results

• Library Issues Disappointment, particularly
  from humanities teaching staff, that their books
  would be stored far away at the Main Library.
• There seemed to be flexibility in terms of what
  means might be used to get people the books they
  needed, but the ongoing need for books was
  expressed by a number of people.

10
More Small Group Results

• Miscellaneous They want it to serve as a
  community centre need for a great academic
  bookstore a cinema post office barber/beauty
  shop travel agency real estate office
  shower/gym a clinic a pharmacy shaded outdoor
  spaces and canopied and air-conditioned indoor
  spaces.

11
Web Survey Results Facilities

• 73-88 Wireless wired access power and
  computer workstations with large range of
  software.
• 60-68 24X7 access consultation workstations
  where students and teachers or consultants can
  meet small group study rooms special needs
  facilities large tables where teachers/students
  can spread out while they work on projects
  leisure areas collaborative computer use
  stations small consultation rooms so teachers
  can meet with students.

12
More Web Survey Facilities

• 53-58 Small theatre for performances,
  practices open flexible areas multimedia
  equipment and non centrally scheduled electronic
  classrooms.
• 41-49 Lockers, large screen which advertises
  what is happening today in the LC individual use
  computer workstations and special carrels with
  lockers for graduate students.

13
Web Survey Results Services

• 60-71 Copy services, writing tutors, academic
  counselors career counseling and software
  courses.
• 51-57 reference librarians, foreign language
  tutors information management courses laptop
  charging services multimedia production coaches.

14
Conclusion

• Learning Commons needs to be flexibly designed
• Learning Commons should provide for group and
  individual use workstations electronic
  classrooms leisure reading eating/snacking
  space for student consultation with
  advisors/coaches and teachers, and small and not
  so small theatres.
• We should make it possible for the many service
  agencies on campus have a presence so that our
  students and staff will have the
  advisors/coaches, counsellors, tutors, and
  librarians needed to help with their work.
• Most of those with whom we talked liked the
  one-stop learning support orientation of the
  learning commons at other institutions of higher
  learning.
• We subsequently provided an Excel spreadsheet
  indicating how much of each was needed.