Smart Spaces

When it comes to innovative learning spaces, the remarkable Nationality and Heritage Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning get most of the glory. Butt Pitt is full of classrooms, lecture halls, and other spaces that are specially designed and equipped to help students and faculty approach education in fresh and innovative ways. “At Pitt,” says Provost Patricia E. Beeson, “we believe that the environments we create to support learning can have a significant impact on helping out students achieve their goals. That includes both the physical spaces and the educational technologies students and faculty use to support their teaching and learning.”

Peek inside some of the campus spaces promoting academic excellence and discovery at the University of Pittsburgh. Whether it’s a revamped lecture hall that better connects pupils to professors, or a repository of tech tools capable of turning a tricky math problem into an aha moment, these are places that combine the traditional with the cutting edge to make room for students to learn, grow, and excel.

University Center for Teaching and Learning’s Open Lab, Alumni Hall

The Open Lab is where scholars and instructors can find the tools to explore a subject from a new angle. Part of Pitt’s Center for Teaching and Learning, the lab’s specialists work with students and faculty to find productive ways to incorporate advanced technology into everyday learning in the classroom and beyond. For example, a writing course recently borrowed 360-degree cameras to gain a different perspective on storytelling by creating immersive, multimedia works of journalism.

“It’s not about the technology itself,” says Cynthia Golden, the center’s director. “It’s about how you apply it, and where, that’s going to make a difference.”

This article appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of Pitt Magazine.