New look Lecture Theatre opens its doors to students and staff
Roger Stevens Lecture Theatre 8 has undergone an innovative transformation and will open its doors for teaching this week.
The state-of-the-art refurbishment is part of the wider £2.8m, sector leading redesign of our lecture theatre spaces that’s taken place this summer. The pilot programme encompassed three, tiered lecture theatres in key locations across campus, upgrading teaching space to a new set of standards which seeks to improve collaborative and technologically enabled experiences for staff and students alike.
This exciting redevelopment of space will allow group discussion alongside the use of installed technology, bringing about group work, interaction, communication and recording.
Professor Neil Morris, Director of Digital Learning, said: “It is really exciting to see these new spaces come to life – they are truly sector-leading innovative learning spaces that combine the best use of space and digital technology to offer a collaborative and interactive learning experience.”
Dr. Lee Edwards, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and PR, School of Media and Communication, held the first teaching session this week in the Roger Stevens lecture theatre and commented: "The interactive technologies, intuitive control panels and touch screen make integrating technology into teaching a more interesting and rewarding experience for everyone. Students can access the VLE at their desks, use their interactive whiteboards to write and share work as a group, and their input can easily be integrated into the teaching process through the dual display system. It means I can create a learning environment that is varied and engaging, using different tools to help students develop and reflect on knowledge in new ways."
The Roger Stevens lecture theatre is the first to complete, and will be followed by the Dental lecture theatre in the Worsley building and Mechanical Engineering lecture theatre B, which are both due for completion at the end of this month.
Over the coming months this pilot will be thoroughly evaluated to gather feedback from teaching staff and students, and usage statistics, to form a view about the value of these rooms for teaching and learning. The results of this evaluation will help inform the strategic direction for teaching facilities at Leeds.
Please see the Campus Development website for further information on the project.
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