Learning Spaces

Park Room for Innovative Education

Funding from B.J. and Chunghi Park, the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA), and the Institute was used to transform a large flat classroom into an amphitheatre. The new 1,600-square-foot space has fixed tables and loose chairs to encourage group work, two video projectors, a document camera, VCR, DVD/CD player, Athena workstation, microphones for each student, two flat-screen monitors and four cameras for use during distance education classes. SMA primarily uses the room to connect teachers and students at MIT connect with their counterparts in Singapore. The Department of Mechanical Engineering also uses the Park Room for active learning initiatives.

Shakespeare Electronic Archive Room

Room 4-231, a lecture hall formerly known for its uncomfortable wooden seats and stationary lab sink, was transformed into an all-purpose learning space with network and wireless connectivity for the Shakespeare Electronic Archive. The archive provides online access to a wealth of materials that relate to performances dating from the early 17th century to the present. The renovated space enables face-to-face and remote interaction and serves as an "archive in the classroom" model for the humanities and other subject areas.

Undergraduate Architecture Studio

The renovated studios in the School of Architecture introduce undergraduates to the skills needed for building in contemporary cities. For the most part, computers have replaced drafting tables; all the studios are equipped with network drops and CAD workstations as well as with ISDN lines for videoconferencing.