The Taylor Institute and Role Perspectives

D’arcy Norman describes the benefits for many individuals in various roles who are welcome to use the newly designed Audio-Visual (AV) systems that are offered in the Taylor Institutes’ new building located on the University of Calgary’s campus. Norman Highlights that roles aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. Think about the instructor that works alongside the support of a student that has taken on a coaching role in the “TI Learning Technologies Coaches program” and who supports the instructor in assisting in the technology delivery. IT departments are not only needed but are often learning new technologies themselves. As more innovations are introduced, support staff will likely find themselves taking on the role of the learner as they develop the necessary skills. This could be said about stewards as well, who are students who take on the role of replacing the equipment into a default position. There is a lot to be learned about effective rooms and collaborative spaces that assist in a myriad of group sessions, from focus groups to live experience interviews and hosting workshops, which is possible with versatile and purpose build spaces. Benefits and limitations can be continuously identified as new roles are introduced and new purposes are identified

The technology industries’ specific needs and requirements create unique obstacles that take innovative solutions, which the collaboration carts are designed to address. The technology company I work at leverages opportunities for cross-team collaboration where teams often use video capabilities to demonstrate product demos and marketing campaigns and share coding, UI and UX solutions with other team members, leadership and stakeholders. Norman explains that the 50″ touch displays with wheels are not only able to host large presentations but can also be broken out to host content independent of the network. Having this freedom mimics environments familiar to workplace environments that need to support information sharing across teams. Universal Design for Learning is also mentioned by Norman, and there are countless opportunities, from adding close captioning to AV systems and providing flexible workspaces to meet learners’ needs. One area that may require a deeper analysis is whether it is the technology that supports active learning or the space or perhaps both; this will help the U of C understand where resources will provide the most significant impact, whether in creating better access to the technology available or to advocate to stay relevant to the most up to date technology. This will likely depend on the perspective and evaluation of each role or learning style. It is transparently clear that an area built to innovate will be both a testament to its structure and those who occupy it.