Gallery • 16 Photos

Image by Sophie Nourbakhsh

View from the back of Galbraith Hall. It is difficult to see the whiteboard.

Students learn in diverse ways, whether they are iPad notetakers or classic pen and paper notetakers. Teachers also teach in diverse ways, some primarily focused on powerpoint, some focus on the blackboards, and some do a hybrid of both. No style of learning or teaching is superior, it is purely personal preference. Many of our classrooms have obvious, major flaws that impede both teaching and learning. Classrooms old and brand new- York, Mosaic, and Podemos- have projector screens that block the blackboard or whiteboard. Galbraith Hall and Jeanie Auditorium, with a capacity of 417 and 600, have a blackboard and whiteboard that are not visible from the back. Small classrooms have desks pressed against the blackboards, making them inaccessible. Also, to add to the issue, blackboards never fully erase. New classrooms, as well as old ones, do not have plugs to accommodate iPad learners. The narrowness of lecture hall aisles pose problems for both teacher and students during exams; teachers have to physically climb over students to answer questions and students are shoulder to shoulder. Professor Andrew Cooper said “Teachers don’t actually get input into how classrooms were designed“. It makes sense that older classrooms are not updated, but brand new classrooms such as Podemos still carry the same issues that impede learning and teaching.