The New Learning Commons

Sep 2

New to Magale Library is the Learning Commons, a space for students and faculty alike. The Learning Commons, also known as the LC, is located on the second floor of the library behind the glass walls. The LC is a hub designed to foster learning and growth. In the space you will find the offices of Dr. Johnson, the director of the Center of Teaching and Learning, Ashley Dehart, the coordinator of Academic and Disability Services, Dr. Breashears, director of Integrated Advising, and the Trek offices. You will also find a coffee machine for those early morning study sessions, some candy, and the chatter of mongooses, which is the LC mascot. Each mongoose has its own name and personality, as evident by how one is climbing on the giant Jenga set and the other is over by the whiteboard, as if it is studying an intense math problem.

I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Johnson, one of the many brains behind the concept of the LC. When creating the Learning Commons, the people involved had to figure out why they were creating the LC. Dr. Johnson told me that they “wanted to create it so that there was a place on campus where you could access a community of people who are learning and growing beside you.” She went on to talk about how they wanted it to be a place where you could ask questions freely, get advice, and just be able to do things in a way that you can’t do sitting in your dorm room at your desk. As a student, you can tell that this is what they were going for just by the way the room is set up. When you walk in, there are multiple tables and rolling chairs. The furniture is designed to move in a way that works for the students. I myself have moved the tables multiple times to fit my needs and have seen others do the same. The furniture in the Multi-purpose room all has wheels on it so that it is even easier to move around, either around that room or to pull out into the main room. Dr. Johnson told me that they “want it to feel like it is a space where anything can happen. We want the space to be adaptable to the needs and students. It needs to be creative and exciting.”

There is even more furniture on the way. The glass walls on the second floor aren’t going to hold the LC in for long. Dr. Johnson and her team is planning on expanding the space throughout the second floor of the library.

The Learning Commons is different from other spaces on campus. This is a place where you can meet a peer mentor at 1:00 pm, have a session with a Peer Consultant at 2:00 pm, take a break until 2:30 pm, and then talk with Mrs. Anne-Marie about a study abroad trip, all in one afternoon without having to walk all over campus. Dr. Johnson put it beautifully when she said that “there are a lot of dynamic spaces on campus but this is a blend of the professional and the whimsical.”

If you ever have a chance to talk with Dr. Johnson, you might get to hear some of her ideas for the space.

Overall, Dr. Johnson wants students to feel like they belong, like they are welcome, and that they are independent. She wants them to be confident. At the Learning Commons, we strip away the walls that hide what the learning process looks like and confidently show that the process looks different for everyone. The Learning Commons is the place to be if you want to learn, no matter what that process looks like for you.