Taking Next-Gen Classrooms Beyond the Pilot. Smart Classroom Design | Features Taking Next-Gen Classrooms Beyond the Pilot How the University of Minnesota moved its Active Learning Classroom concept to prime time. By Jennifer Demski05/25/11 In early 2008, after piloting two Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) for only one full semester, the University of Minnesota had a decision to make: Should the new classroom format be incorporated into the design of its new Science Teaching and Student Services (STSS) building? Since faculty, students, and researchers all agreed that the ALC format was making a difference in teaching and learning, the answer was an unqualified yes.
"The data collected during that one semester convinced us to move forward with 10 ALC spaces in the new STSS building," recalled Jeremy Todd, director of the Office of Classroom Management. But the new classrooms would not simply duplicate the piloted setup. The MET. Science Leadership Academy. High Tech High. Habits and Habitats: Introducing the IDEA.