The UPD College of Engineering (COE) Library marked a milestone with the inauguration of its Learning Commons building, a space where students can gather, socialize, and engage in academic activities.
Putting Learning into the Learning Commons: A Literature Review by Shay Keating and Roger Gabb defines learning commons as “a dynamic, collaborative learning environment on campus providing assistance to learners with information and research needs. It combines individual and group study spaces, in‐depth reference services, and instruction from a variety of sources, including librarians and information technology staff.”
The new Learning Commons building, a two-story building located behind the UP Alumni Engineers Hall, boasts of several state-of-the-art facilities. It has dedicated discussion rooms for undergraduate and graduate students equipped with ergonomic furniture, monitors, and writing boards. Laptops are also available for students to borrow while inside the facility whenever all 30 collaborative workstations are fully occupied.
One unique feature of the Learning Commons is the Makerspace or Creative Studio, equipped with several 3D printers. Students “can work in groups, teach and learn from each other, conduct research and creativity, in a one-stop environment.”
Faculty members can also use three co-working spaces for project meetings. These spaces are equipped with a smartboard and reconfigurable furniture to accommodate hybrid-flexible project meetings when not all students can attend class in person.
They also have access to a larger dedicated space for videoconferencing and large meetings, also equipped with a smartboard and an espresso machine. There is also a wellness room that has a pantry with a coffee maker, bean bags, and a massage chair which they can use to take a break from the rigors of academic work.
COE Library Head Librarian Sharon Maria S. Esposo-Betan said the creation of the COE Library Learning Commons building came about after she examined how today’s students and faculty use the the library and saw a need to incorporate change.
“Students and teachers don’t go to libraries for the sole purpose of obtaining information anymore. Instead, libraries have become a place that allows the co-construction of understanding of data. Technological advancements have opened other paths to obtain academic content. This is a shift from the traditional library as a repository of books to a dynamic, flexible, inclusive space to support diverse learning activities and promote collaboration, creativity, and innovation,” Esposo-Betan said.
Esposo-Betan hopes that beyond being a space to work and study, students and faculty will eventually adopt this new facility as their “third space,” a location outside the home and classroom where they can gather, socialize, and engage in activities.
The first COE Library learning commons opened in 2010 at the COE Library 2, a one-room facility that was the first of its kind in the country. The COE Library Learning Commons building was inaugurated on March 28.
