Abstract:

Gen Z students are short in attention span. They have been raised digitally and can switch between topics, and ideas very rapidly. They have spent two years in mask and online. They want a genuine experience when they take a class. They are distracted.

Professors need to think about the need for application, energy, engagement, movement, and participation. Students are changing rapidly, and the professors need to think about these changes and welcome the opportunity to change with the students. If they learn differently the professors must consider the learning environments. The classroom is defined differently.

The authors teach a four course two semester class in a first-year sequence in an honors college of a university in the United States. They use different spaces as the learning environments. Examples of major categories of spaces that the authors use for learning with their students include the following. First the assigned classroom a typical tiered classroom with a podium in the middle of the front. Here we gather most weeks for the six hours we spend together. This room is used for team activities, skits, and applied creativity, drawings, and model building. Second, the wonderful outdoor spaces available on the large campus are used for hiking, creative brainstorming, rustic prototyping using found objects, observations, and sketching. Third, the public spaces in the Honors building and around the campuses of the university are used to eat together, group projects, prototyping and gamification. Also, this where many stills and videos are taken. Fourth, the University at large provides many opportunities, like the second larges art collection in the state, finding examples of your UN Sustainable development goals for 2030 on the campus. You will find students from the class doing interviews, making videos, and visiting university institutes to learn more. Finally, the classroom extends into the community as students visit a local international art event, other universities, and their resources, as well as nonprofit groups. Students enjoy this different concept of a classroom.

This is what the students developed as a sequence abstract: “Take all expectations you have for a college class and throw them out the window–this class has no set structure, and every week looks different. Some weeks we do a lot of hands-on projects, and other weeks we go on class field trips to places in our community. Design Thinking for Social Product Innovation is very unique compared to any other class in the Honors College.

It’s interactive, team-oriented, collaborative, and thought-provoking. We focus on empathy, the design thinking process, and having a holistic perspective of the world and cultures around us. We build houses out of popsicle sticks, go on hikes outside, watch as Dr. Lane jumps on and off the table–rest assured this 6-hour class is nothing like a lecture, which helps the time go by faster! Spending so much time with the same people allows you to become real friends with our classmates, making the class more fun. DTSPI curates’ new perspectives of the world for students and is a good fit for any major as it focuses on many different studies and fields. You’ll improve your communication, public speaking, and time management skills. This class is fun, unique, and engaging, and there is a lot to learn and experience–but it’s also an academic challenge….”

The presentation will focus on the use of the learning environments.

Keywords:

Next Generation Classroom, Learning Environments, Application, 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Active Learning, Design Thinking.