Sondheim Rooms 101 & 409 to be Renovated Over Summer 2017

Beginning at the end of May 2017, Sondheim rooms 101 & 409 will undergo major renovations and be converted into active learning classrooms modeled after the upcoming Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB). Renovations are expected to be completed before the start of Fall 2017 with DoIT, the Office of the Provost, and Facilities Management all collaborating on the project.

The new active learning spaces will feature movable furniture and multiple flat panel displays throughout the room. Enhanced audio will allow faculty and students to have their voice projected thanks to a microphone and a speaker system throughout the room. A new wireless collaboration tool will allow students to share content from their personal devices on the room’s main display.

Antonio Moreira, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, said, “We want to make sure these facilities are suitable for faculty and students to have the learning environment they need, to really obtain the best education possible.” 

The rooms will also receive major touch ups to their overall design including new windows, improved lighting, and upgraded finishes on floors, walls, and ceilings. In addition, new door lock sets, access control devices, and door operators will help improve accessibility for the rooms. 

“​This is the continuation of many collaborations for the ongoing improvements to classroom spaces. The Provost's Office, Facilities Management,  and DoIT have collaborated on many projects identified by the classroom committee for many years in numerous buildings,” said Joe Rexing, Director Design and Construction Services for Facilities Management. “It is important that all three offices are engaged in these projects for the improvements.”

DoIT, the Office of the Provost, and Facilities Management will use the feedback on these rooms from faculty and students to modify designs for rooms in the upcoming ILSB. “We must develop more and more of these types of facilities, where the students are excited to come to their class and the faculty have new ways of improving teaching and learning, and they need classrooms that provide that,” said Moreira.