the original results, the evidence derived from the replication offers extraordi-

narily strong evidence that ALCs have an independent and significantly posi-
tive impact on student learning.
Figure 2.2 Student perceptions of ALC impact on five theoretical constructs.
3.5

Effective Use
3.3

Room/Course Fit
3.1
Flexibility

2.9 Engagement

27 —
Enrichment

2.5
2008 2009 2012 2014

Although we were able to confirm that teaching and learning in an ALC us-
ing active learning approaches is superior to active learning in a traditional
classroom (III versus IV), we still lacked evidence to support the hypothesis
that lecturing is less effective than active learning approaches in an ALC (II
versus IV). The next section attends to this gap by considering another
quasiexperimental project that explicitly addressed this comparison.
The Effect of Pedagogy and Space
In the fall 2008 semester, at the same time we were conducting our original
study of the traditional classroom versus the ALC, we began working with
Professor Catherine Solheim in the Department of Family Social Science at
the University of Minnesota. Solheim received an 18-month Faculty Fellow-
ship Program grant to revise her regularly taught Family Social Science
(FSoS) 3101: Personal and Family Finances course in preparation for offering
it in an ALC. During the same semester, Solheim taught the course in the
same manner as she had in previous semesters (i.e., instructor-centered, lec-
ture-based, structured discussion, controlled small-group work), but instead
of holding class in a lecture hall, all sessions were held in an ALC classroom.
During spring and summer 2009, Solheim overhauled the course so that
the technological and spatial affordances of the ALC could be harnessed to
improve learning. While the course description, rationale, and objectives re-
mained the same, the fall 2009 version of the course was altered in the fol-
lowing ways: (a) attendance and participation were required and became
graded components of the course; (b) all course materials (e.g., readings, vid-
eos) were to be completed before class; (c) the textbook was replaced with
freely available online materials and articles made available through the
learning management system; (d) the midterm exam was eliminated; and (e)
more in-class time was designated to work on the semester-long, team-based
project. Moreover, the instructor jettisoned her traditional, lengthy lectures
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Figure 2.1 Expected versus actual grades in three quasi-experimental research proj-
ects. Comparing ALCs to traditional classrooms.
90.00%

85.50%
85.00%

80.73% 80.96%
80.00%

75.76% 7EA0%

75.00%
T1.77%

70.00%

65.00%

60.00%
PSTL 1131" BIOL 1003°** FSoS"***

BB Expected Actual

Note: ***p< 001, ****p < .0001

To understand the impact of physical learning environments on students’

perceptions, we developed a set of survey-based scales designed to measure
various aspects of their experiences in the classroom. In the first iteration of
our survey, we measured students’ perceptions of the degrees to which a
classroom (a) promotes engagement, (b) enhances learning experiences, (c)
presents flexibility in regard to learning opportunities, (d) is a good fit to the
subject matter and course, and (e) is used well by an instructor; in later ver-
sions, we also included scales that measured students’ perceptions of the im-
pact of classrooms on university-defined student learning outcomes and con-
fidence levels. In this first quasi-experimental study, students who took PSTL
1131 in the ALC reported significantly higher levels of engagement, enrich-
ment, and flexibility than did the PSTL 1131 students in the traditional class-
room; they also thought that the instructor used the ALC and its technology
better than he used the traditional room with its technology and thought that
the subject matter and course design (e.g., a problem-based approach) were a
better fit to the ALC than the traditional classroom (Whiteside, Brooks, &
Walker, 2010). These systematically and comparatively high ratings of the
ALC are suggestive that part of the reason we might have observed the
significantly larger learning gains in that space is due to the manner in
which it shaped student experiences. However, it was not just the learning
side of the teaching-learning curve that was affected by the variation in
classroom types: The teaching side of the curve experienced the impact of
the ALC in significant ways as well.
We also were able to isolate and understand the impact of the different
spaces with data collected by the following methods: (a) biweekly interviews
with the instructor and (b) course observation data derived from a series of
systematic, randomized classroom visits that documented instructor and stu-
dent behavior and activities in 5-minute intervals. During the interviews the
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the break is|Frequent but

a good way|moderate breaks help
to bridge|maintain energy and
sessions. give the sense of what
* What are}can be accomplished
two in 50 minutes, a
“rumors”|period that mirrors
you have}some_ typical class
heard times.
about
ALCs
that you
want
clarified
today?
11:00-11:50 |Common challenges of| Building off preceding]A general overview of the
teaching in| “rumors” common challenges is a good
ALCs:Present common|ormisconceptions way to help participants realize
challenges that arise|activity, the many components that go
for those new to ALCs|participantsaddress into successfully teaching in an
and begin to provide|these questions: ALC for the first time.
insight into how to| * How do I plan to
address them| teach in the space?
successfully * How does my role
as the instructor
change in an ALC?
* How do I address
student
expectations and
resistance to ALCs?
« How will I
incorporate
technology in an
ALC?
* How do I help
students with
accommodations?
12:00-1:00 |Seasoned ALC| During breaks, /Instructors who have taught in
instructors: Voices of|participants can|the space can discuss and model
experience generate a list of/their experience for those new
questions for seasoned|to teaching in the space. This can
instructors or socialize] be done formally (via
with other/presentation or panel) or
participants. We|informally (seasoned ALC
recommend providing|instructors sit around room and
key questions to/share).
discuss:
* What new ideas
have you heard
that apply to your
teaching?
* What new
questions do you
have since we
started this
morning?