The Colleges of Education and Humanities are coming together to transform the Education North building into a state-of-the-art, collaborative learning space. Our vision is to provide greater access and innovative educational opportunities for UA students and the community, particularly life-long learners in the Humanities Seminars Program. Situated south of the Poetry Center, Education North is in the perfect location to grow our vibrant learning community.
A Hub for Learning at all Stages
The Colleges of Education and Humanities are coming together to transform the Education North building into a state-of-the-art, collaborative learning space. Our vision is to increase accessibility for students and life-long learners to the innovative curriculum and programming offered by the two colleges. Education North is in the perfect location to grow our vibrant learning community. Once renovated, it will be a dynamic and flexible space with multiple configurations allowing for large theater style presentations, intimate seminars, small group learning, board meetings, and more. We intend for this building, which is located across from the Poetry Center, to allow for expansion of the Humanities Seminars Programs (HSP), which are in high demand, Poetry Center offerings, and provide vital classroom space for Colleges of Humanities and Education classes and outreach. In addition, both Colleges and HSP staff will have offices in the newly renovated building, and the HSP staff will have a central home. We will enhance and unify the outside connecting Education North to the Poetry Center. This area will provide the Colleges a beautiful outdoor setting perfect for celebrations, events and receptions. This oasis garden-like environment will create a space for social and spontaneous learning for UA students and HSP seminarians and will provide the Humanities Seminars Program a cohesive experience with classes in both buildings. Preview a 3-D rendering of the space prepared by the Center for Digital Humanities:
New Technology and Flexibility for Classroom Engagement
We want to be leaders in instructional delivery. This classroom will have the most cutting-edge educational technology. This will allow us to practice distance learning, so classes can be seamlessly co-taught by people on campus and abroad. Technological integration with the Rubel Room in the Poetry Center will allow us to simulcast, broadening learning and outreach opportunities. Improving the classroom experience for those who are deaf or hard of hearing and also having the best technology for recording of courses is critical. The only way to achieve this is to invest in a state-of-the-art video capture and sound system. Our new 360 degree cameras allow distance learners to see everyone in the room and have the ability to automatically zoom in on speakers. This flexible technology will also allow faculty to see what students are working on in groups and project their work onto the main screen for discussion. This digital learning space will also have wheels on all furniture, allowing quick and easy large to small group transitions.
Increased Reach for the College of Humanities
The Humanities Seminars Program has grown so much that classroom availability is becoming critical. With the additional space at Education North, we hope to offer several sections of classes to meet the demand. This building is a natural fit for us and our need for large, flexible classrooms and close proximity to our current classes. Learning space in this location will also benefit the UA Poetry Center, one of the most significant and important poetry libraries in the nation, to continue to expand its public offerings. Additionally, the Tucson Humanities Festival, hosted by the College every October, has seen growth in audience and scope over the last decade. These linked learning spaces with a central courtyard will allow for expansion of this vital program as well as provide wider opportunity for all College units engaged in community outreach and education.
New and Improved Programming for the College of Education
The College of Education currently does not have access to enough large, collaborative classroom spaces on campus. With the upgrades to Education North we will be able to meet the need for more dynamic, state-of-the-art learning space for students. We will also use this space for professional development classes for educators. Working with schools and education agencies and organizations throughout our community, we are building the Tucson Regional Educator Collaborative. We will be able to provide more options for educators to customize their learning path and develop their careers. In addition, we will use this classroom for community events such as public panels organized by our new Education Policy Center.
Learn More
For information on the project, how to be involved, or to schedule a personal tour, please reach out to our directors.
