Learning by Design: How UNLV University Libraries are Designing Learner Centered Environments

Photo Credit: UNLV Photo Services

When you hear the word “library,” the first image that pops into your head is likely to be endless stacks of bookshelves amid quiet spaces for reading and reflection. You might even think of it as a place with somewhat rigid rules and structures (or maybe that’s just those of us who grew up with Nickelodeon’s All That etching the phrase “Quiet this is a library!” into our subconscious). 

But those traditional, unwritten rules of compliance are being rewritten as educators consider how to design environments that are truly learner centered. While books, periodicals and recorded knowledge remain the heart of any library, you might be surprised to see how these learning spaces have evolved to meet the needs of learners. In a world where so much information is right at our fingertips, libraries are stepping forward as dynamic "learning commons” - collaborative ecosystems built for active creation, accessibility and collaborative connection.

We recently sat down with Maggie Farrell, Dean of UNLV Libraries; and Ingrid Ruffin, Associate Dean/Division Director of Research and Education at UNLV Libraries, on the CFL podcast to discuss some of the design principles that are shaping the future of libraries and learning spaces. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation: 

Shifting from Passive Consumption to Active Creation

Throughout the six libraries that make up UNLV’s University Library System, learners find much more than static resources. There are podcast studios, makerspaces with 3D-printers, a Patent & Trademark Resource Center to help learners prototype and protect new ideas, and a 4,000 square foot virtual reality classroom where classes can take a virtual field trip to locations across the globe. 

Photo Credit: UNLV Photo Services

As Ingrid shares, “...providing all of these different resources is another way for learners to get information, and not only consume information, but actually create and get their own learning and ideas out there.” Through their focus on applied learning, research, and creation the UNLV Libraries are “...helping learners to become critical thinkers and not just passively engage with the world, so they don’t  just accept a message but understand it and integrate it with their own learning to then become the people leading conversations.” 

When learners are empowered to learn by doing, they form deeper connections with the content and their own mastery of knowledge. To replicate this shift across a future-ready K-12 context, look for these instructional shifts:

• From Passive to Active: Shift from compliance-based worksheets to generative activities that allow educators to observe performance-based evidence of learning.

• Authentic Products of Learning: Move beyond multiple-choice bubbles to let students prove what they know by building real-world solutions or authentic portfolios that demonstrate the true depth of their learning.

Low-Permission Learning Environments for All Learners

The UNLV Libraries are focused on maintaining their unique position as shared, connective spaces that bring together learners from across all disciplines and education levels. Unique resources like the makerspaces, virtual reality classroom and support centers are available to any student regardless of their focus of study or experience level. 

Librarians and team members work to help learners identify and connect with the content and experiences that will advance their learning journey, but their focus is on acting as guides to support both students and faculty rather than “gatekeepers” who limit access to specialized resources. 

As we consider the future of learning, we can bring this low-permission environmental design to our K-12 classrooms by considering:

• Breaking Down Silos: How can we remove traditional barriers between standardized tracks and advanced or specialized coursework?

• Frictionless Access: How can we open up opportunities to explore specialized career or elective pathways to any curious student? 

• Educators as Learning Guides: How do we help connect learners with more resources across a fluid educational ecosystem and empower them to curate their own learning journey?

Creating Space for Cross-disciplinary Connection

Photo Credit: UNLV Photo Services

As a shared university resource, the library is intentionally designed to bring people together. This design choice is reflected in the changing use of space. Quiet study zones now exist alongside bustling, highly collaborative group study environments, galleries and places to eat or drink. The libraries provide spaces for learners to come together, ask questions, exchange ideas, solve problems and learn alongside one another. 

Amid all of this connection, the library is also intentionally fostering cross-disciplinary “collisions.”  Because the space brings together multiple departments, interests, and experience levels, it naturally breaks down academic silos and encourages learners to collaborate across diverse viewpoints and skill sets.

Future-ready K-12 environments can step away from isolating subjects into separate period blocks dictated by rigid bell schedules. Instead, we can intentionally design "collision points" that prepare students for future success:

• Interdisciplinary Blocks: Imagine a shared project block where art, math, and science students combine forces  to co-create an architecture project that draws from each of their disciplines.

• Model Real World Collaboration: Structure tasks to mirror modern professional environments where siloed working is increasingly a thing of the past.

• Highlight Durable Skills: You don’t have to step away from your core curriculum to cultivate essential, high-demand workforce skills like teamwork, active listening, and adaptive communication styles, instead find ways to integrate them through projects, group activities and active reflection processes.

Designing for the Future

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the conversation is that the future of learning is not simply about technology, but rather the ways in which educators can utilize emerging tech as design tools to shape learning environments that are grounded in active creation, accessibility and collaborative connection. 

This recap just scratches the surface of our conversation, so listen to the full episode on YouTube and learn more about the great work happening each day across the UNLV University Libraries. No matter how you’re connected to our education ecosystem, we hope that you will walk away with some inspiration for what the future of learning can look like for you. 

Listen to the full episode on YouTube or visit our website to learn more about the experiences available through The Center for the Future of Learning.