Specifications

Learning Spaces Guidelines
Small Classrooms: 27
Section 4: Small Classrooms (< 10 capacity)
These spaces are defined as having movable furniture, flat floors
and range in capacity from accommodating 4 students up to 9
students.
Small classrooms are used by staff and students on more
specialised modules or where a larger cohort is taught in subdivided
groups. They are also commonly used for tutorial and post-graduate
supervision meetings. Students will also utilise unoccupied small
classrooms to practice group presentations etc.
Space is a major constraining factor when specifying the equipment
for small classrooms. Whilst across all other types of learning space
there is an aim to keep the user experience consistent so that staff
become confident how to operate the facilities across the whole
estate this is not feasible for the small classrooms on the grounds of
space. It is also difficult to justify the higher cost of the equipment
types used in larger rooms (e.g. touch control panels) for small
classrooms when lower budget systems work adequately in this type
of space.
Voice reinforcement and assisted listening systems (induction loop
system) are not justifiable within small classrooms. If a student or
staff member identifies the need for this type of system then there
are portable systems available with UCL that will work well in this
size of space. Loudspeakers and amplifier should be present for
programme sound (the replay of sound from recorded and remote
sources). Lecturecast is unlikely to be installed in small classrooms
as the sessions run should be more interactive than a typical lecture
and thus recordings of such sessions are of limited value unless
all participants are recorded and this gives rise to various consent
issues.
It is acceptable to omit dedicated video playback facilities as most
optical video discs can be replayed via the computer resident in the
room.
The teaching equipment in small classrooms should not intrude into
the limited space available and therefore it is recommended that
wall-mounted equipment and housings are utilised.
By the nature of the furniture being movable there will be a degree
of flexibility in the layout of the classrooms. However this does not
mean that specific design attention shouldn’t be paid to the potential
layouts achievable with suitable furniture. Guidance illustrations of
exemplar layouts with the furniture supplied in the space should be
attached to the wall of the space and made available on the room
bookings website. Additionally an inventory of the furniture provided
in the room should be included so users are aware of what should be
present and how to report missing items if appropriate.
Small classrooms may not have enough space to allocate a
‘Teaching Wall’ and therefore it may be appropriate the use separate
walls for electronic display and dry-erase writing surfaces. The layout
TASK
The purpose
of a small
classroom
4.01
TASK
Technology
in small
classrooms
4.02
TASK
Layout
of small
classrooms
4.03