In recent years, immersive technology tools have burgeoned. After the release of the affordable Oculus Go headset and the Merge Cube, there has been increasing use of virtual, augmented, and extended reality (VR, AR, XR) in classrooms. Of significance to chemistry educators are the virtual lab simulations developed by Labster and HoloLab Champions…

This chapter examines active learning spaces as they have developed over the years. Consistently well-designed classrooms can facilitate active learning even though the details of implementing pedagogies may differ.

This chapter explores whether a new learning space, designed to be more like a café than a classroom, provides an environment that facilitates active and collaborative learning.

Ask any professor to describe a "first-row student," and you will likely hear a description of an engaged learner who pays attention during class, takes notes, and asks questions. A research study from the 1980s has indicated that undergraduate students sitting in the front and center of the classroom score higher than other students.…

Recognizing that traditional classrooms do not facilitate active learning, colleges and universities are increasingly converting traditional classroom space into studio space. Research indicates positive effects on student learning when studio classroom space is combined with active learning pedagogy, but the research does not separate the effect…

An article in last year's "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" special issue on learning spaces reported on the results of the University of Minnesota's pilot evaluation of its high-tech, state-of-the art Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs). The next phase of research on learning environments at the University of Minnesota involved a unique partnership…

Research shows that for effective learning to occur, children must be actively involved. They need space to work with a wide variety of materials, share ideas, and present their findings. Architects are working to produce designs featuring large common areas or large complexes devoted to specific interests. Working in an open environment…

Technology has long been a part of the classroom space. Sometime in the 1990s, the word technology was co-opted to refer only to digital tools. "Technology in the classroom" or "technology stocks" or "the dangers posed by technology" came to refer only to digital technology rather than to technology as a whole. As such, much of the discussion…