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The Bear Claw – in 3D!

Clyde Miller — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:00:20 +0000

The Design and Construction Department has come through with some wonderfully rendered designs of the Bear CLAW. This design was approved this morning, and while the main counter and glass partition will probably take a little longer to be installed, everything could be ready by September 1.

Check out some of the other views of the space. Seeing it in 3 dimensions certainly makes all the ideas coalesce.

The view when entering the area from the main entrance.

The soft seating against the windows along the south.

We envision this to be the drop-in tutoring, but with everything on wheels, it can be reconfigured for anything.

Obviously, there is much to be excited about this September!

SOAR, Furniture, Deadlines, Tutortrac, Publicity, and Tutors

Clyde Miller — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:42:01 +0000

This is a long post, but in the past few weeks a lot of work has been done on the Learning Commons and the Bear CLAW. Given how soon the summer will be over, this is excellent news!

Dr. Darabi has given the first Learning Commons / CLAW presentation at SOAR (the new student orientation), and the response has been excellent – both students and their parents are excited about the all of the services being offered to facilitate student success.

The Design team will have something to show the committee next week, but the plans are quickly getting to the polished stage. They’ve been in contact with two different vendors who’ll be providing the furniture (Steel Case, and KI). As long as everything falls into place, the furniture should be installed just before school starts. In the unfortunate case that there is a delay in the process, Fall Break was suggested as a second time that the furniture could be installed. On the positive side, it looks like all of this will be done on or under budget!

In news directly related to the tutoring services that will be provided at the CLAW, we can finally announce that we will be getting Tutortrac! Tutortrac is software that will be used in the CLAW to track reservations and tutoring times. But beyond that it allows students to register on-line for appointments and even allows for some on-line tutoring (with white boards to better assist math instruction). And from the administrative side, it will help ensure that we have the tutors available for the need (and no extra tutors just sitting around). It’s a win-win for everyone.

One of the next major concerns for the Learning Commons’ various committees is building a cadre of excellent tutors. Since they are at the core of this venture, it is of the utmost importance that they are some of the best that Missouri State has to offer. If you’re reading this and know of some students that fit the bill, keep them in mind. Once I know more information about who they must contact, I will post it here.

Last week, the Service Integration Committee met and sketched out the basics of how each various service will interact with the others so that there is open communication and a solid structure to best guide students. This included the hours that the various portions would be open and how many separate desks would actually be present.

The last main point that we discussed involved publicity. While the committee is confident that the popularity of the learning commons will be assured through word-of-mouth, getting students there initially is highly important. Some of our intentions are this point are to hand out information at SOAR, get a table for the new student convocation, have a table in the student union and hand out bear claws during the first week of school, give out some kind of publicity (magnets?) for students in the Residence Halls, and have the Learning Commons be one of the focuses of the Library’s annual New Student Pizza Party. Additionally, a formal Learning Commons website is being constructed and should be up in the coming weeks. And finally, Michael Frizell has produced bookmarks to hand out to new students. Given their popularity in the past, they should be quite popular:

The CLAW bookmark

The Writing Center opens up in the Library

Clyde Miller — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:40:06 +0000

As of Monday, June 1, the Writing Center is in the Library! There’s not much in the way of furniture for it, and it won’t start serving students until the 10th, but the move has been made. This means that … Continue reading →

Marketing the Bear CLAW for Fall

Clyde Miller — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:03:37 +0000

To get the word out about the CLAW, we need to start considering how we can let students know about the services offered. This goes for both incoming students (who should be the easiest to reach) through commuting graduate assistants. Below are the various means we’ve considered:

Publications/Handouts/Media

· Bookmarks to hand out – they’ve proven popular for the writing center in the past.

· Try to get an article in The Standard

· Have the CLAW mentioned in the Provost’s Communiqué

· Magnets for students coming into the Residence Halls – refrigerator.

· Flyers to be handed with room keys at Residence Halls.

· Posters made and put up around campus

· Card to advisors

· Perhaps advertise or have a segment run on NPR

· Learning Commons department publications

Web/computers

· My Missouri State resource links

· Alter the screen savers of open lab computers

· Banners on multi media lab computers

· Get the Learning Commons added on Master Calendar

Events

· Have the CLAW discussed in the IDS / GEP 101 classes

· Have the CLAW discussed in new faculty orientation

· Grad student orientation

· Be part of the SOAR presentations

· Beginning of semester pizza party at library

· Be incorporated into TA Meetings

Naming the Learning Commons and creating a logo

Clyde Miller — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:08:18 +0000

Within the Student Advisory Committee, there has been a strong contingent of people focused on branding the Learning Commons with a name and visual identity that will be recognizable and interesting to students while still emphasizing the Commons’ purpose as a centralized place for services. Of the nearly two dozen suggested names, Bear Hub, Bear Central, and Bear Commons were given serious serious consideration. However, a stroke of genius from Jeff Morrissey quickly established a front-runner: The Bear CLAW (the Center for Learning And Writing). Given the enthusiasm for the Bear CLAW as a name, James Mulvenon, a graphic designer on the Student Advisory Committee quickly produced a number of logos, including the following:

Bear CLAW logo with Paw

Bear Claw Logo with inverted paw.

A slightly more formal take on the Bear Claw Logo.

This more formal take on the Bear Claw logo was quite popular with some members of the Student Advisory Committee, especially when thought of as letterhead.

This logo, featuring only the claws of the bear paw, was very popular.

The logo with just the claws was quite popular, and the Student Advisory Committee proposed it be the official logo of the Learning Commons – or, as we should probably get accustomed to calling it – the Center for Learning And Writing.

Herman Miller visits for talks on furniture.

Clyde Miller — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:59:47 +0000

Herman Miller, a leading provider of office furniture in the United States, gave a presentation on what was possible in regards to furniture, lighting, and color in a learning commons. Some of their more interesting ideas involved creating adaptable spaces to suit individuals’ ideal study environment. This included moveable “sails” that could enclose an area and desks with adjustable heights. In addition to that, they presented desks with somewhat-flowery canopies above them, to give the space a more three dimensional feel.

They also recommended desks that could serve the Writing Center’s need for one-on-one assistance, unique opportunities for lighting and advertising, and introducing pink noise. Pink noise is very similar to white noise, in that it is used in the background to mask noise. One website that I found compared it to white noise thusly: “An advantage of Pink noise is the added low frequency emphasis. This makes it less like static/rain and more like a distant ocean roar”. By considering sound as well as color and design, the Learning Commons will have a complete feel.

While I don’t have any pictures from the Herman Miller Presentation, one of the committee members went to the Greene County Library, where they have recently installed some of the furniture we were shown.

The "flowers" above the desks add vertical interest.

Notice how the network cables are run through the column, effectively hiding them.

The red wall area behind the flowers makes for a very vivid space.

MU’s Learning Commons

Clyde Miller — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:55:36 +0000

Another contingent of people on the various Learning Common’s committees had an opportunity to visit MU’s Learning Commons. Again, there’s doesn’t have the services integrated yet, but they’re planning to incorporate those elements in the near future. MU’s Learning Commons has 135 computers. The orientation of the computers below may be similar to how we will be setting some up (since the columns are an ideal place for power and network connectivity).

They use shorter walls to divide the space but maintain an open, airy feel.

Their architectural choices make the space aesthetically interesting and unique.

The use of glass for walls allows light to come in, but still distinguishes the space.

They also have multiple spaces designated for group study.

A field trip to UMKC

Clyde Miller — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:35:24 +0000

Some of the committee members were fortunate enough to go to UMKC where they have built a Learning Commons of their own, although they call it an Information Commons. The primary difference between theirs and the one we’re planning (aside from size) is that they are just now starting to integrate all of the services we plan to integrate from the beginning. Below, you’ll see some of the pictures that were taken during the trip.

In particular, I think it’s worth noting how they incorporated lighting and color to make an inviting space.

Entrance to UMKC's Information Commons

The group study rooms near the entrance. They allow for a more private study experience and having them encased in glass really advertises the space.

They call this area the living room. The soft seating makes it very inviting, and students who are already in the space are more likely to use the services around it.

These are they types of desks they use for consultations. They seem like they might work wonderfully for writing center and tutoring consultations.

Hopefully these pictures will give us a good idea of what kind of feel and presence that our Learning Commons can have.

Student Advisory Committee’s “Job Description”

Clyde Miller — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:24:25 +0000

The Student Advisory Subcommittee has done some preliminary outlining of the duties of the students who would be employed in the Learning Commons. Here’s what they have outlined:

Mission:

To work with the Learning Commons* partners to create outstanding learning spaces, services and resources.

Duties

• Assist with capturing, evaluating and interpreting the feedback, opinions and wisdom of students regarding the design, development, and continuing operation of the Learning Commons. Methods include surveys, focus groups, observation and communication.
• Assist with marketing efforts and communication with their peers.

Skills

•   Strong communication skills
•   Leadership ability
•   Critical thinking skills
•   Knowledge of new technological applications

Term of Service

• Twelve months
• First year service through April 2009 – May 2010.

Minutes from the Service Integration Subcommittee – 3.12.09

Clyde Miller — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:13:36 +0000

Services to be integrated:

Writing Center
Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning
Tutoring Services
Computer lab
Assistive Technology
Multimedia
Supplemental Support
Disability Support
TRIO
Counseling and Testing
Library Reference
Technology training/assistance

Not all these services may be physically housed at the Commons, but could be integrated virtually.

Student Union needs to be consulted about their successful remodeling project.

Issues that need to be addressed:

Computer support

Should support be centralized campus-wide?
Duplication of services – technology training spread throughout various departments on campus
Should there be consistency of software, etc. campus-wide?
Who is in charge of the technology?

Reference Support

How to position library reference staff?
Should service be moved to Commons area, continue at current location or duplicated at both?

Writing Center

Location is important so that there is not a perception that the service is remedial, particularly for graduate students
Needs a visible location
Noise level a concern
Smooth transition with move very important
Space needs:
Receptionist area to control traffic
Director’s Office
Open space for four tables and chairs
Closed room(s) for more quiet work
Computer bank
Equipment for training

Assignment Visibility

Ability to predict class assignments in order to better manage the workload and have proper resources to serve the student
Challenges
Data management capability
Political factors – faculty independence

Financial Sustainability

Source of ongoing funding
Who controls the funds?

Organizational Issues

How does the Learning Commons fit within the organization?
What level of authority does the director have
Who does the director report to?

Staffing

Where does staff come from?
What do they get paid?
How do they get paid?

Space

Is there enough for all the services?

Timing of the moves