Empowering Technology-Enhanced Active Learning for Staff and Students in the “World’s Best Academic Building”.

This panel presents an exploration of how learners (both staff and students alike) were empowered to teach in Murdoch University’s new technology-enhanced teaching and learning building, Boola Katitjin, awarded the world’s best academic building (2023 World Architecture Festival).

Officially opened at the start of 2023, Boola Katitjin, a Whadjuk Noongar name meaning ‘lots of learning’, is designed with students at its heart, with Australian-first technology throughout the building’s 21 large teaching and learning spaces, including a mixed reality digital immersive lab.

The panellists will each present how they led a specific area of capability development for the building, for staff and students to be able to use the technology-enhanced environments in pedagogically innovative ways with students’ learning experiences at the forefront.

Prosser will introduce the professional learning project for staff transition into Boola Katitjin. She will outline the pedagogical model created for the building, and how it shaped the suite of support designed for staff to empower their preparedness to teach in these new learning environments.

Hill will then delve into the Collaborative and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) spaces which feature tracking, room, document and whiteboard cameras along with webcams, microphones, wireless screen sharing and dual screens at every TEL desk. He will explain how students are empowered to collaborate and actively share their learning with others using the learning spaces’ technological features.  Software integrations (including Microsoft Teams, Echo360 and Moodle) further afford seamless hybrid learning through simple, one-button collaboration and conferencing for all classes.

Finally, Davine will share how students were empowered to be at the forefront of the hands-on support provided in the building using a ‘students as partners’ approach. She will explore how students worked with other support teams to help staff and students use the building, while building their own professional capabilities and preparing for their future careers.

This panel presentation aims to provide the audience with a holistic understanding of how Murdoch University embraced a timely whole-of-university approach to empowering technological transition in a rapidly changing contemporary higher education landscape.