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Classroom Rapid Refresh Program

As educators, we are aware that effective teaching is accomplished by meeting students where they are and presenting information in multimodal ways. To best meet the needs of our students, we must have dynamic classroom environments that aid in our teaching. The pandemic highlighted many needs for our classrooms, particularly around the flexibility in use needed to adapt to changing campus conditions or instructors’ preferred teaching modes.

The Office of the Provost is implementing the Classroom Rapid Refresh program, founded on planned maintenance cycles that refresh and update all A&S and Guarini classrooms on campus. The plan would target up to five classrooms a term for a refresh.

What are the goals?

The program's primary objective is to equip A&S and Guarini classrooms with modern technology and furnishings that are adaptable to various teaching methods and arrangements. It aims to standardize technological resources across campus, enhancing usability and simplifying maintenance. The initiative also prioritizes accessibility improvements for all Dartmouth community members through furniture upgrades, targeted infrastructure, and technology. By creating attractive and functional spaces that cater to user needs, the program addresses ongoing challenges related to classroom shortages and congestion. A key goal is to implement a refresh cycle that ensures all classrooms remain up-to-date, solidifying Dartmouth's position as a leader in higher education. This will be accomplished through collaboration across campus and the standardization of processes among Dartmouth's teams.

What types of changes to classrooms might we expect?

Overall, we seek to categorize classrooms into five types:

  • Seminar
  • Standard
  • Demonstration
  • Lecture Hall
  • Group Learning

All classrooms will have core technologies enabled for conferencing, video capture, and presentation. Most classrooms will have updated furnishing - tables, chairs, boards, etc. - that are flexible and reconfigurable. Some rooms, such as the last three categories, will have more advanced technologies and furnishing suitable for those uses.

How will classrooms be prioritized?

The program employs usage data, condition assessments, accessibility barriers, and classroom shortcomings to prioritize based on the greatest need. This prioritization is founded on minimizing the impact on teaching, with all classroom scheduling collaboratively developed by the CRR Program Manager and Office of the Undergraduate Registrar.

How will stakeholders be involved?

The program will actively seek feedback and insights from departments and programs situated in affected spaces, as well as from other faculty members who currently use or may potentially use the spaces targeted for refresh. This feedback process will commence early in the project and will be iterative, drawing upon insights gained from ongoing conversations and collaborations. Initial discussions will focus on comprehensively understanding the current uses of the spaces, identifying any existing deficiencies, and exploring potential expanded uses post-refresh. While the program is geared towards standardization and flexibility, these conversations will also highlight specific or unique use cases that may not align with the broader plan, such as laboratory or performance spaces.

It's worth noting that, due to the diverse array of departments utilizing classrooms, the program will, in certain instances, engage primarily with departments that heavily utilize a particular classroom or group of classrooms.