With increasing amounts of required Zoom calls and online meetings, students’ needs for individual learning spaces and private areas on campus are also increasing. Due to this crucial aspect of campus life, Parks Library is doing its best to keep up with new pod installations and individual learning spaces.
Online learning is progressively more common on Iowa State’s campus and other universities across the nation. The benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks in terms of convenience and flexibility, but when it comes to navigating online learning, there are a few resources necessary to make it possible.
“We are past the days where every single student is in the classroom constantly,” Sherry Berghefer, a professor at Iowa State, said. She teaches in-person and hybrid courses for the Greenlee School of Journalism.
The progression of Zoom and hybrid classes makes it easier for students to attend class regularly.
“It’s just so flexible,” Anna Lee, a junior in liberal studies that is entirely online, said. “Her classes all meet asynchronously except for one Zoom call per week. The convenience of being in the comfort of your home and not having to come to campus all of the time is much simpler. Although, when it comes to joining Zoom calls on campus, it can be tricky to find a quiet and secluded area.”
One issue comes from the mix of online and in-person classes. In situations where there is bad weather or inconsistent communication with online versus in-person classes, students may have to take calls on campus, and sometimes it is a last-minute situation. Other times, if a student’s living area doesn’t have good service or comfort, it’s important for them to have a space on campus to join.
In fall of 2023, Parks Library launched their brand new addition of the “Central Parks,” which is a cluster of pods located on the first floor of the library.
“Parks Library has evolved in a number of ways to meet students’ emerging needs, and one of the emerging needs in the last few years has been more individual space,” Melea Licht, a communications professional in the Parks Library, said.
Individual spaces and pods are open for student use, but the need continues to grow. With the pods installed, it gives more options for reservation, and if the schedule is open students are just able to pop in.
“[The pods are] not soundproof but sound-dampening,” Licht said.“[They have] enough privacy so that you don’t feel like you’re being watched but also safety so that you can see in and out of the doors.”
It’s a great tool for any and all online needs on campus.
Zoom meetings, telehealth and online interviews–our academic world seems to become more and more virtual with every semester. Individual study spaces for students’ web-based responsibilities are becoming increasingly important, and Iowa State is doing their best to keep up with the change.
