The Computer Lab of the Future

A recent piece in the Chronicle about the transformation from labs to lounges has kicked me back into writing. I couldn't agree more about the need to move away from soldierly rows of computers, elbow-to-elbow, into something more comfortable and flexible. I will get into that in a moment, but first I will point out why we still need computer labs--albeit downsized--for a little while longer.

Are Computer Labs Still Necessary?

Certainly this conversation is happening at more and more institutions as we look at ways to cut costs. Do we still need so many computers? Probably not, though we still need some sort of lab environment for three primary reasons:

Provide computers for students who do not have them. We make so many assumptions about our students--today's net generation is always connected, so they must all have shiny new laptops, right? While computer ownership increases each year, many of those are hand-me downs. 17.9% of students surveyed in the 2009 ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology own a computer that is at least four years old and around 1.5% own no computer at all. I would suspect those numbers are even higher in poorer states. Another consideration is those students who have to rely on dial-up access at home; many rural areas still aren't served with high speed access. Rather than work over a painfully slow connection, students in those areas would be more inclined to work in a campus lab. I know my step-sister would. While laptop ownership does increase each year, we continue to have other access issues.

Access to specialized software and equipment. For those connected students who own a fairly new personal laptop, it is likely that they do not have access to specialized software. Why pay for those applications if you only need them for a single class? For those students who run an alternative OS at home, they may need access to a different platform for class work. In addition to software, labs usually offer scanners and printers that students may not have access to at home. Space in a typical residence hall room is at a premium--if you own a printer and/or scanner, why would you take up precious space when you could use the shared resource in the lab? Granted, virtualization will largely solve the expensive, "I just need it for this one class" application issue, but we have to be at a point where campuses are offering a virtualized enviroment that works well and students have equipment that is robust enough to handle virtualized applications. This still doesn't address the issue of scanners and printers and other peripherals--perhaps those will remain a part of the reinvented lab space.

Convenience. If you have a short break between classes, it usually isn't worth going back to your room. This is particularly true of commuter students who often camp out for most of the day on campus. What a great opportunity to get some work done between classes--check the course management system, email, Facebook, and maybe start writing a paper or doing some library research. For those who have a laptop, who would want to lug it around all day, particularly if it is a 4+ year old brick. Even if the laptop is light, why carry it and risk theft or damage--the parents would not be happy! So enter the computer lab (and the library) for computers available for general use at students' convenience. I realize the convenience argument has less weight in these difficult budgetary times, but knowing students, I suspect it remains a much higher priority for them than we realize.

So what's the answer?

Obviously with each year, there will be fewer students who have no computing access outside of a lab. It will be a slow process to see 100% connectivity, especially in poorer states, but that doesn't prevent us from reducing the number of lab machines.

As far as specialized software, more institutions are looking toward virtualization. There are several notable virtualization projects out there already, and I expect we will see more of these in the next couple of years. I hope more institutions will put resources into this area.

So as we slowly reduce the number of lab machines, what do we do with all that space?

The Next Generation Computer Lab

I love this trend of making labs more commons-like. We've seen it at other institutions, and we have dabbled with it a bit on my campus with our "Hublets." Based on the commons concept, I see these as a few key elements of the next generation computer lab (assuming the lab isn't part of a library/commons environment already):

Relaxed food and drink policies. It has taken the library years to overcome our fear of food and drink--and many of us are not there yet--but for a space to be student-friendly, we have to be more accommodating. Is it realistic to expect someone to spend several hours in the lab without food or drink? How many hours do you spend at your own desk without food or drink? I did quite a bit of reading and talking to people about food policies before we opened the Hub, and students are generally good about being neat and reporting spills. If you don't modify those outdated policies, you won't be a student destination.

Comfort! In addition to the comforts of food and drink, students need comfortable, reconfigurable furniture. I have just completed a few student focus groups and surveys, and over and over again, students asked that chairs be comfortable enough to sit there for hours. Again, think of your own desk. Would you really sit on a pretty wooden chair all day? Of course not, yet we tend to put really uncomfortable chairs in our student spaces. You don't have to break the bank, either--I've seen several lab and commons spaces that utilized bean bags, ottomans, and pillows quite effectively (check out my pics of the Cox Computing Center at Emory, for example). Flexibility is important as well. Students are going to rearrange furniture unless it is nailed down. And if it is nailed down, students will sometimes need to gather together, so lose the idea of spacing computers only a couple of feet apart.

Fun, funky student influence. Some of the coolest labs I have seen incorporate student art, signs, or other student creativity into the space. One space even had a little ambient music going. If you want to be a destination, you have to create an inviting atmosphere. Think of the coffeehouse. The supermarket-style lighting won't cut it anymore, either.

Friendly, expert help. I still think this is the most important element. While the technology is important--particularly the specialized software and hardware that students would not have otherwise--the key to a successful space is knowledgeable, friendly experts who can provide excellent customer service. Rows and rows of computers watchdogged by sullen techies is not the image to project. When I managed desktop support, I always looked for students who had a great attitude, patience, and the willingness to teach without jargon or arrogance. The tech skills were less important.

What other elements do you see for the computer lab of the future?

New Learning Hubs

I wish I'd trademarked the name of the Hub :-) Dalhousie University is considering four Learning Hubs as part of their master plan. Similar to their Learning Commons, these Learning Hubs are spaces that would:

provide comfort, a choice of study space for groups or individuals, food service and access to information.

It's an interesting idea to move the concept of the commons beyond the traditional library space. We've been experimenting with that here with our "Hublets," as some of our computer labs are now affectionately called.

My Atlanta Learning Spaces Tour

Last month when I was in Atlanta for the Frye Leadership Institute, I had the opportunity to visit libraries and labs at both Emory University and Georgia Tech. The Cox Computing Center at Emory was so impressive, I already wrote about it and posted a few images over on the Translational Technologies blog. I really wanted to see the renovated Guy Chemistry Library at Emory as well, but our tour group asked so many questions at Cox that we never made it over there. Check out these photos of the Chemistry Library from one of my Frye colleagues.

Georgia Tech's commons had been one of our models for developing the Hub, so it was truly delightful to visit the space in person. Even though much of the west commons was closed for renovation, it was well worth the visit to see the rest of the space.

I had heard about the power strips hanging from the ceiling and the low lighting, but until I visited in person, I did not realize how useful this is, and how much it adds to the atmosphere at the same time. I learned that some of these panels require staff intervention to move, but it doesn't seem to inconvenience students too much when they need to rearrange the space to best meet their needs.

Admittedly I am not the best photographer (that's partly why most of the photos on this blog are from Alice), so you should check out these Georgia Tech photos from some of my Frye colleagues.

Are Computer Labs Still Necessary?

Earlier this week the University of Virginia announced that they have begun a three-year plan to phase out student computer labs. A Chronicle blog post about this yielded a number of comments, largely negative ones. Certainly this conversation is happening at more and more institutions as we look at ways to cut costs: are computer labs still necessary? Historically labs are needed for three primary reasons.

Provide computers for students who do not have them. We often make assumptions about our students. Today's net generation students are always connected, so they must all have a laptop, right? The 2008 ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology reports that 16.8% of survey respondents own a computer older than four years and 1.5% own no computer at all. While this is a minority, there are students who still have no computer at all or have one so old it is likely not much more than a glorified typewriter. This doesn't account either for those students who might have a computer but still have dial-up access; my step-sister falls into that category and certainly she would choose a campus lab over trying to work over a painfully slow connection. Granted, the percentage of students who own a laptop increases each year, but it still isn't all students, and short of a mandated laptop purchase program, it probably won't be for quite some time.

Access to specialized software and equipment. For those connected students who do have a fairly new personal laptop, it is likely that they do not have access to SPSS, Matlab, ArcView, and other specialized software packages. Even Photoshop or other components of the Adobe Creative Suite--why pay for those applications if you only need them for a single class? For those students who run an alternative OS at home, they may need access to Windows or a Mac platform. In addition to software, labs usually offer scanners and printers that students may not have access to at home. Space in a typical residence hall room is at a premium--if you even own a printer and/or scanner, why would you take up precious space when you could use the shared resource in the lab?

Convenience. If you have a short break between classes, it usually isn't worth going back to your room. This is particularly true of commuter students who often camp out for most of the day on campus. What a great opportunity to get some work done in between classes--check the course management system, email, Facebook of course, and maybe start writing a paper or doing some research with library databases. For those who have a laptop, who would want to lug it around all day, particularly if it is a 4+ year old brick. Even if the laptop is light, why carry it and risk theft or damage--the parents would not be happy! So enter the computer lab (and the library) for computers available for general use at students' convenience. I realize the convenience argument has less weight in these difficult budget times, but knowing students, I suspect it remains a much higher priority for them than we realize.


So what's the answer? "Yes, but..."?

Obviously there will be fewer and fewer students who need the labs because they have no other computing access. It will be a slow process for 100% of our students to be connected, but that doesn't prevent us from slowly reducing the number of lab machines.

As far as specialized software, more institutions are looking toward virtualization, something that I personally find very appealing. If I bring my own computer to the lab, why can't I use campus-licensed software on it? There are several notable virtualization projects out there already, and I expect we'll see more of these in the next couple of years. I hope many institutions consider putting resources into this area.

So as we are slowly reducing our number of machines, perhaps reducing our entire footprint on campus by consolidating labs as well, and we are working toward a more virtualized environment, what do we do with our lab spaces? As a commons person, I do like Virginia's solution:

ITC understands that students need collaborative space where they can bring their laptops and mobile devices to conduct group work, especially as the curriculum becomes increasingly team- and project-based. As one example of how this need might be addressed, the computing lab on the fourth floor of Clemons Library was recently repurposed. This space has been transformed into a technology-rich collaboration area in a joint effort between the Libraries, ITC, Office of the Provost, Facilities, and Housing.

Basically they have transformed the area into a commons-like space. Very cool.

I hope this becomes a trend to reinvent computer lab spaces in this fashion. Last year IT on my campus reduced the number of machines in a few labs and added/rearranged furniture to create spaces that were more comfortable and conducive to group study. These redesigned spaces have affectionately been dubbed "hublets" as IT sought to capture some of the elements of the Hub in these labs. More on that in a future post.

Student Technology Forum

So often we make assumptions about what students want, based upon our reading or casual observations or our own experiences as students. Instead of making assumptions, why don't we talk to students more often?

Last semester a few colleagues from IT and I met with Student Government (SGA) leadership to discuss technology and library issues on campus. What's working, what's not, what can we do to provide better services for students? I did not expect some of our best students--our campus leaders--to admit to Googling for resources for a paper or to not know about many of our services such as chat reference and one-on-one consults. The students in the group who used library resources tended to stick to just one database such as JSTOR or Academic Search Premier. The discussion was lively and enlightening, and we decided to offer a much larger student forum in the spring.

I was delighted that SGA and IT took me up on my offer to hold the student forum in the Hub. We felt that offering the event in the evening in a heavily trafficked location like the library would provide a much bigger turnout. The previous event was entirely attended by Student Government leadership, likely because it was in the middle of a Thursday afternoon in a small meeting room. Plus there were no incentives like free pizza or giveaways.

So on Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30 pm, IT and SGA invited students to come to the Hub to talk about technology but also to take advantage of free pizza and a drawing for the iPod Touch (five of them!). The date and time were carefully chosen--away game, wasn't televised until 9 pm--to draw maximum attendance. IT advertised on Facebook and sent an email to all students. We posted flyers around campus, and about an hour before the start of the event, we talked to students on every floor of the library and distributed flyers.

To our amazement, over 250 students came to the forum. While it was nearly impossible to have a substantive discussion with a group this large, we did ask them some questions before we turned them loose on the pizza. What they told us wasn't too surprising--they wanted more wireless on campus, particularly in their rooms in the residence halls, they wanted more cell phone coverage inside of campus buildings, they loved the Hub (hooray!) and wanted more places like it around campus. In general, they greatly preferred wheeled furniture and wanted more whiteboards. When I asked them if they had ever used "the help desk" or even knew why it was there, I got a lot of blank looks and had to explain. Several students made comments about individual issues, and I suggested they visit "the help desk" in the Hub. They appreciated the advice, though that made it even clearer that they were unfamiliar with our services.

Once the pizza line formed, many of us mingled with the students and asked more questions. I found it useful to talk with students in the pizza line--captive audience, can't escape. Seriously, I had some good conversations and heard many of the same comments repeatedly about wireless, furniture, and so forth.

The ticket for the prize drawing was a short survey about their communication preferences, what kinds of devices they own, what services they are familiar with, what other services they would like to see, etc. IT staff are still compiling the results, and I am very curious to see the responses. I have heard already that some students answered the "what other services would you like to see" question with: moving sidewalks, Segways for all, deer with antler-mounted lasers. At the very least, these will be fun to read.

So what to do differently next time?

We had some obvious logistical issues, but that happens when you have events that large. I've learned a great deal about these things from my experience with the Hubbub parties, so we'll just add our observations to the list of things to do differently next time.

While I love hosting events in the Hub, we may move the forum to a new location next semester to attract a different group of students. Several of the campus computer labs have been designated as "hublets" by IT--basically spaces that are information commons-like, so perhaps one of those locations will be the next host. We are also considering holding a forum focused more on faculty and graduate students--perhaps a wine and cheese party?

Photo by Tony Jenkins

Improving Laptop Support in the Commons

I enjoyed reading this post from Brian Mathews about what we might offer students to enhance library laptop use. When we think of support, most of us typically think in terms of desktop support/customer service/help desk: "I can't get on the wireless network!" or "My laptop won't power on!" While that is important (we too offer that kind of support in the Hub), he moves beyond that by asking students what else they need, such as:

• Specific kinds of furniture, like ottomans, desk chairs, etc.
• Extension cords
• Flash drives
• Wireless keyboards and mice
• Docking stations
• And so on...
  

He includes many other things on the list, some of which had never occurred to me but are terrific ideas. I like their idea of packaging some of these items together and offering a sort of "laptop kit" for checkout.


We offer laptops for checkout at the Hub but haven't moved much beyond that yet. Our labs offer headphones and a "power bar" of sorts (various power adapters available for checkout). I've mentioned previously that I'd like to see us offer more. We certainly get the requests from students, though I suspect it's unlikely we'll expand our offerings in the current budget climate. Still, it's vital to keep asking the questions and have some ideas and proposals ready should a funding opportunity arise.

Photos courtesy UK IT

New Furniture in the Computer Lab

One of the computer labs in the Hub has been getting a makeover to better meet student needs and to look more like the rest of the Hub. UK IT, our partner in the Hub project, recently rearranged the lab space and added more comfortable seating as well as the ever-popular "power towers" for plugging in laptops. Students have been excited to see couches in the lab--I expect they'll be especially popular during finals week.

I watched the furniture getting unpacked, and within an hour, we already had a student using one of the tables with a laptop--no staging necessary!

The next phase of the hub-lification of the lab includes some original artwork, as well as better signs and the addition of a "power bar" for plugging in mobile devices. More ideas are always in the works--today Student Government and UK IT are hosting an open forum to get more feedback on student technology needs.

Photos by Alice Wasielewski