Scott McDonald

Associate Professor of Science Education
Director, Krause Innovation Studio
2014 TLT Faculty Fellow
Focus Area: Learning Spaces

Scott is working with Teaching and Learning with Technology on the exploration of learning spaces across Penn State. Through his work in the Innovation Studio, Scott is already pioneering novel methods to collect and analyze data related to how students are using the space in both formal and informal learning settings. Through the Fellowship, we hope to build on Scott’s work to create a broad suite of resources about our classrooms, designed to inform both students and instructors of the unique characteristics of our formal learning spaces. These resources will help instructors better select a room based on pedagogy, as well as help students select a room (when appropriate) that matches their preferred classroom characteristics. Scott and Cole Camplese initiated a similar project as part of a course in Disruptive Technology, called “Occupy Learning.“

Learning spaces are the forgotten technology in teaching and learning. We need to spend as much energy and thought in designing learning spaces as we do curriculum and teaching if we want to develop truly innovative learning environments.