In Design: Circular Learning

The old lecture hall is going through a reboot. More schools these days are exploring a circular classroom as a route to improve student engagement, interactions and, ultimately, learning outcomes. For the University of California, Merced, LPA designers explored the possibilities, working with educators to determine if there were tangible advantages to a round lecture hall.

At least one result was surprising: Instead of taking up more space, the design actually fit more students into the same space as a traditional layout. (The old-style hall uses a lot of space across the front of the room.) As it turned out, the same numbers of students could be accommodated in a smaller space.

“You can see the whites of their eyes if you’re a teacher, they can’t sit in the back row and zone out.” – LPA Design Director Helen Pierce

The design illustrates many of the advantages of the circular concept. Students and the teacher are closer together, creating intimacy and a collaborative environment. More of the seats are “front rows,” encouraging engagement with the teacher.

“You can see the whites of their eyes if you’re a teacher,” says LPA Design Director Helen Pierce. “They can’t sit in the back row and zone out.”

In the tiered, circular seating, students are looking at their classmates, instead of the back of their heads. The concept encourages cross-talk and mobility, all of which improves attention and outcomes, studies confirm. “The dialogue between students can occur in a much more natural and more intimate way,” Pierce says.

The circular design requires some adjustment. The ceiling has to be higher to accommodate multimedia screens, which need to be easily visible from every part of the room. (LPA engineers worked with designers on an under-floor displacement system to free ceiling space.) Access is also an issue, and some professors may struggle with presentation in the round.

“We can help schools decide if this concept is right for their approach,” said LPA Director of Higher Education Steve Flanagan. “But it presents a different way to get students engaged.”