Hilliard City Schools – McVey Innovative Learning Center

LOTH creates innovative, active-learning environments

The McVey Innovation Learning Center is a one-of-a-kind high-school facility that lets students select what they want to learn while providing a learning experience they can’t get in a traditional classroom.
Hilliard City Schools Superintendent John Marschhausen said they consider the learning center an incubator for trying new classes and new ways of teaching. For example, they have 90-minute classes or doubled blocks where they offer a variety of cutting edge coursework, experiences and teacher support in a cost-effective manner. The center allows some of the district’s existing programs to be centralized and to expand other options such as after-school enrichment and college guidance services.

Challenge:

existing 20,000 sq. ft. building: building was not designed as a learning space, but as office and administrative support
color palate: existing walls/flooring color palate did not reflect the desired attitude – flooring could not be changed
non-traditional methods of teaching: fully enhance the teacher’s role and enable multiple pedagogical styles
increase collaborative learning experience: enable students to establish the level of collaboration in a variety of settings
a test for future learning environments: create flexible spaces so that each teacher can experiment with the ideal style for the highest learning outcome – no barriers
every space is a learning space: each area must perform and support multiple learning objectives

Solution:

color: a vibrant color palate to use across all furnishings
adaptability: designed to support quick reconfiguration among multiple modes: from lecture to project work to discussion and test taking and back again
ownership: each teacher can make quick changes to adapt to changing users and varying class requirements
multiple learning styles: each space supports analog and digital means to co-create and provide postural movement
movement: when students can easily move about they are more interactive, collaborative and engaged
media lab: benching workspaces efficiently use real estate and are much better at routing wires and cables
modularity: simply, easily divide a number of spaces with glass walls allowing privacy and visual access

Result:

control, comfort, collaboration: all spaces support increasing learning outcomes
every space is a learning space
effectively supports peer-to-peer learning
personalized learning is beginning to happen
more than 700 students signed up for classes in the first year

“We have come together as a community to support the changing needs of today’s students and to ensure they are ready for life after graduation.”
Director of Innovation and Extended Learning Brent Wise

Hilliard City Schools – McVey Innovative Learning Center.pdf