LRS Policies and Procedures

The purpose of the Learning Research Studios is to support San Diego State University faculty who wish to experiment with teaching strategies involving the use of instructional technologies. Located in Adams Humanities (AH) 1112 and 1120; Lamden Hall (LH) 410; and Student Services West (SSW) 2649 and 2667, the facilities enable the conduct of research aimed at measuring and documenting the use of technological tools and associated pedagogies to improve teaching and learning.

  1. To schedule the room, complete the LRS Reservation Request Form.
  2. The requestor will be notified by phone and/or email of the availability of the Learning Research Studio for the requested times/dates.
  3. Requests are processed as they are received and decisions are based on priority and availability.
  4. In order to best assure your ability to utilize all the equipment and resources available, faculty who wish to use the space must attend a mandatory training session prior to the date of the use. Practice using the technologies is also highly recommended. Contact ITS at (619) 594-5691 or via the ServiceNow Service Portal to make arrangements at least one week prior to use.
  1. No smoking, food, or drinks are allowed. Instructors are responsible for enforcing this policy with their students. Note, bottled water is okay.
  2. Only ITS personnel should make software and/or configuration changes to the student computers and instructor workstation computers. See below for more information.
  3. Faculty must be present during the entire class session.
  4. If a break is to be taken resulting in everyone leaving the classroom, the door is to be closed and locked. When you are ready to resume the class, contact a technician at (619) 594-5691 for help getting back into the room.
  5. If problems occur during a day class session in AH 1112 or 1120, go to Classroom Support (AH 1129) or call 594-5691 for assistance.
  6. Please notify Boun Moua at [email protected] at least one day in advance if you will not be using the classroom at a scheduled time.
  1. To gain access to the LRS spaces in Adams Humanities (AH), please see an ITS technician in AH 1129 or call 594-5691. The ITS desk can be very busy at times, so please allow a few minutes for a staff person to be able to unlock the door.
  2. If you need access after the ITS desk is closed, or to access SSW 2667, please call (619) 594-5691 for assistance and a technician will open the room for you. To access LH 410, ITS will arrange for you to have Card Access.
  1. Log out of Canvas or any other password protected sites, and then log out of your SDSU account on the computer.
  2. All equipment should be turned off and cabinet doors closed.
  3. Please leave viewing screens in the down position.
  4. Please return the room to its original condition.
    1. Pick up items left behind on the floor or desks.
    2. Return tables and chairs to the configuration they were in at the beginning of class, with chairs pushed in.
    3. Erase white boards (except please leave the passcode info).
    4. Turn off the main lights and close the door

Notify an ITS technician at 4-5691 that you are finished with the room. Please report any problems you may have encountered at this time, if you have not already done so.

In exchange for the opportunity to teach in an LRS, faculty will be asked to:

  1. Adapt or add at least one Student Learning Outcome (SLO) for their course that explicitly addresses how the LRS will foster collaborative and active learning, in order to ensure that students see the value of active learning. Research has shown that many students who are accustomed to traditional lecture-based classes perceive that they are learning less in active learning classes than is actually the case. Articulating an explicit SLO on the syllabus can help students to know what to expect and to engage with a new way of learning. Some examples of SLOs are:
    1. Collaborate in a dedicated team using effective interpersonal communication skills
    2. Work in a team using technology and room design to enhance effective collaborative learning
    3. Experiment with collaborative approaches to learning using technology
    4. Practice collaborative learning using technology
  2. Adapt and add to your syllabus the following boiler-plate language: This class meets in an innovative classroom space that promotes interactive, collaborative learning through room design and state-of-the art technologies. The ITS Learning Research Studio (LRS) classroom includes group tables that each have HD monitors, built-in computers and multiple outlets & charging stations. To protect the space’s integrity, the door is locked between classes. If you arrive to class early, please wait quietly outside the room.
  3. Direct your students to view the ITS Video that describes the features of the LRS and what makes having a class in an LRS so exciting and exceptional.

Use of the Learning Research Studios are prioritized in the following order (i.e., faculty who request to use the room for):

  1. An entire semester’s course that is part of a research study involving technology and its impact on the teaching/learning process.
  2. An entire semester’s course being taught by a faculty member using the Learning Research Studio for the first time, in order to become more familiar with the use of the room and its potential for research.
  3. An entire semester’s course whose enrollment capacity maximizes the seating capacity of the LRS requested.
  4. Selected class days during a semester that involve a research study.
  5. Selected class days during a semester that involve a faculty member exploring the uses of specialized technologies and their relationship to the teaching/learning process.*
  6. A faculty member who wishes to explore the use of specialized technologies and their relationship to the teaching/learning process by him- or herself.*
  7. When available, and when it will not impact the room configuration, the room may be used for standard Classroom types of teaching activities.*

*In lower priority cases (e.g., 4-7), the room will not be scheduled for full semester use and will involve limits on the number of uses per semester.

  • To request additional software in the room, please contact the ITS Learning Spaces via the ServiceNow Service Portal to make arrangements at least 10 days prior to use. Lead time is needed to load and test software on the instructor’s station and the student computers.
  • Software change requests are approved only if they are compatible with existing system applications.
  • Sponsoring faculty or departments must be able to provide the software and proof of licensing upon request.
  • The ITS Director and Learning Environments Manager, in consultation with ITS support staff, will determine the feasibility of loading software based on staff schedules, system configurations and possible conflicts with other software.

Features

The Learning Research Studio Features:

  • Integrated touch panel control system
  • Video/data projectors and / or HDTVs (for alternate classroom orientation or to display multiple sources simultaneously)
  • DVD player
  • Visual presenter (document camera)
  • Touch-sensitive (Smart) whiteboard
  • Connections for tying a laptop or tablet computers and other mobile devices into the room’s presentation system
  • Traditional and movable dry erase boards
  • Tables and chairs that are fixed for small groups or that can be rearranged in various configurations
  • Wireless Internet-connectivity
  • Power connections for extended use of laptops/tablets and other mobile devices
  • Built-in video cameras and microphones for capturing classroom interactions for research purposes
  • Wireless audio and video projection capability