Merry Christmas

Its snowy here in Glasgow and very Christmassy.  If you have not stopped yet for the festive season then please take 5 minutes to take our poll.  If not our very best wishes for the festive season and the New Year.

Learning Spaces Design Poll

We have created a quick poll for you to take that will help us to understand your learning spaces and needs better. Please take 5 minutes to take our poll before the Christmas break to ensure that we can include your views in our design for your new learning spaces. We hope to have initial ideas by early January so the more views the merrier at the moment!

This survey is powered by SurveyGizmo’s online survey software. Please take my survey now

Cat Hill Cat

We have a very serious survey to upload in the next 24 hours.  In the meantime though we are very curious about the Cat Hill Cat.  Can anyone tell us what his/her name is and why he/she lives in Cat Hill?

Workshops

Last week we ran a couple of workshops for staff and students at both Cat Hill and Hendon.  These were a great success and we would like to thank everyone who took part.  We have collated the results and fed back to the participants involved.  If you would like to take part in one of activities from our workshops then have a think about your current learning spaces and tell us, what would you keep, change and lose?

Friday Day # 4!

We have had a busy week on site.  We have spent time at both Cat Hill and Hendon and have carried out observation exercises and hosted workshops.  Our last day on site is tomorrow, Friday 11th and one of our researchers, Antonio will be at Cat Hill in the morning and Hendon in the afternoon to ask students and staff to take part in a 5 minute mapping exercise.  This is a really fun process and it will only take five minutes of your time.  We want to know about the spaces you love and hate, the spaces where you study alone and where you can work with friends.   Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

The Research Begins…

Over the next couple of days our researchers and designers will be at both Cat Hill and Hendon.  We will be carrying out a number of observation exercises and experiencing the life of a student at Middlesex University. If you bump into one of us why not stop and tell us about your life as a student.

On Friday (11^th) one of our researchers will set up a stall close to the Sheppard Library where we will be hoping to ask you some quick questions that will help complete our ‘snapshot’ of campus life.  Keep an eye out on the Inside Out Blog and Twitter for more details about when and where over the next couple of days.

About Inside Out

Welcome to the blog page for the project Inside out: Rethinking Learning Resources.  This blog has been set up by Glasgow design practice Nomad RDC and is one of the ways that we hope to consult you about the design of your learning spaces.

The library is often, and should be, at the heart of the University experience. It is a service that all students rely on and a place that student must spend a great deal of time in.

At Nomad we are a research led design consultancy and we specialise in the design of learning environments & we have been appointed by the University to explore design ideas to make your experience of the library and learning resources better.

We would like to use this blog over the course of the next few months to ask you questions get your opinions and even upload design ideas for you to discuss.

Why should we change the learning spaces?
The Sheppard Library opened in September 2004. The envelope of the building is a stunning piece of contemporary architecture.  However despite offering the latest technology to students the interior spaces were largely designed around a traditional library model and do not accommodate the diverse range of requirements that students now have.

Additionally Cat Hill will be closing in the next 12 months and moving over to the Hendon Campus.  There is not currently a sufficient quantity or type of learning spaces in the Sheppard Library to meet the needs of the Cat Hill students.

Several Universities have started to invest significantly in their Libraries and rethink the use of space, the current trend is very much toward supporting a variety of learning styles and this includes integrating technology more closely with teaching materials, the creation of quiet and noisy study spaces, casual, group and social learning spaces and we want to know what Middlesex University students need.