Our Active-Learning Classroom Increases Student Engagement
The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine has designed an active-learning classroom to increase student engagement, using team-based groupings to enhance collaboration skills and provide new opportunities for learning.
Each team table is equipped with an all-in-one 4k touchscreen monitor with a smart camera lens and wireless screen sharing. The team tables surround the instructor, who leads the discussion from the center of the room using wireless presentation technologies. With no ‘front’ of the classroom, faculty are literally at the center of the student experience: right there in the middle of the room.
Partnering with Industry-Leading Technologies
The College of Medicine Office of Technology is the first to add this many Zoom Rooms and DTENs in a single room. We partnered with industry-leading companies who provided best-in-class educational multimedia technologies to encourage active learning and hybrid access to teaching when necessary. The technology in the new Medicine building connects our all-digital curriculum that is delivered on iPads with our innovative approach to medical education in the new space.
The active-learning classroom is equipped with 10 DTEN units, which has never been done before. The DTEN units are an all-in-one touchscreen conference room solution using Zoom Rooms. These devices enable:
- Each table group to work as an individual unit or together within the context of the larger class, seamlessly transitioning back and forth.
- Collaborative digital whiteboarding, to truly engage with the content being presented.
- Students to become active in their learning, getting out of their seat to engage with the technology and presented material.
Each table group has access to a push-to-talk microphone, which allows students to be heard throughout the room to the instructor and their peers, as well as captured clearly on classroom recordings. By amplifying the student’s voice, these microphones boost student-to-student interaction and class participation.
Each DTEN unit is outfitted with a camera to bring remote/hybrid participants right into the group, despite their distance.
Physical whiteboards and dry-erase tables allow for easy engagement, note taking, and interaction at every seat.
High-quality speakers breathe life into the nuances of cardiovascular and respiratory sounds, enabling instructors to teach with both visual and audio modalities.
Technology in medical education classrooms can’t be ignored. We’re committed to creating positive learning experiences, which translates to the health of Washington State communities.
Our small-group classrooms are also top of the line.
Our large-group active-learning classroom is right next to our small-group classrooms, which are equipped with state-of-the-art video conferencing technology, as well as exam tables for clinical skills teaching. The technology-enabled spaces allow our students to seamlessly transition from classroom learning to clinical skills experiences.
The small-group classrooms feature windows that provide natural lighting and a visual connection to nature. Research has shown that a visual connection with nature can reduce stress, improve concentration, and relieve eye strain by providing distant views.
by the Office of Technology