I am posting this announcement of a new learning space rating system for classrooms, an important development for those of you interested in learning space design. --Joan Lippincott, CNI

Greetings, I am writing to announce a new learning space initiative: the Learning Space Rating System (LSRS).

The web site for the LSRS initiative is at: http://www.educause.edu/eli/initiatives/learning-space-rating-system and detailed information about the project is available from those LSRS web pages.

In a nutshell: the LSRS provides a set of measurable criteria to assess how well the design of classrooms support and enable active learning activities. The LSRS criteria form the basis for a rating system that will allow institutions to benchmark their environments against best practices within the higher education community. This initial beta version is for formal classrooms, ones designed to accommodate course sessions with all participants; later versions will target informal and other types of learning spaces.

We are announcing the availability of the beta version of the criteria and a scoresheet. These can be downloaded from links available at the URL above. We are eager to hear from the community about the LSRS criteria and are soliciting community input and feedback. The form for providing this is at http://tinyurl.com/lsrsinput

We urge you to read over the criteria, try out the scoresheet on classrooms at your institution, and then provide feedback via the form. We will use this feedback to produce version 1 of the criteria in 2014. All LSRS materials are covered by CC BY 3.0.

There will be sessions at the EDUCAUSE 2013 conference on the LSRS project, and we very much invite your participation in those sessions. Session 1 (on line program only) http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2013/learning-spaces-rating-system

Session 2 (face-to-face venue) http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2013/learning-space-rating-system-sponsored-furniture-provided-steelcase-gold-partner

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have questions.

LSRS team members: Malcolm Brown, ELI mbrown@educause.edu Joseph Cevetello, University of Southern California Shirley Dugdale, Dugdale Strategy, LLC Elliot Felix, Brightspot Strategy, LLC Richard Holeton, Stanford University Carole Meyers, Dartmouth College

Earlier members of the project team: Robert Beichner, North Carolina State University Linda Jorn, University of Wisconsin Phil Long, University of Queensland Andrew Milne, Tidebreak

Malcolm Brown Director, EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative

EDUCAUSE Uncommon Thinking for the Common Good 1150 18th Street, NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20036 direct: 575.448.1313 | main: 202.872.4200 | fax: 202.872.4318 | educause.edu/mbrown@educause.edu