From left, Jake St. Marie, a STEP tutor and UW senior from Bellevue, Wash., provides tutoring to Hunter LeFaivre, a UW sophomore from Rock Springs, in the Student Learning Commons. (UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s Coe Library is home to the new Student Learning Commons, a centralized, one-stop academic support network for UW students.
Due to the lack of in-person events over the past year, UW Libraries had the opportunity to reenvision Level 1 to create the Student Learning Commons. The STEP Tutor Center, the Learning Resource Network (LeaRN), the Writing Center and Information Technology collaborated with UW Libraries to develop the space.
The revamped collaborative space will better serve both on- and off-campus students. Students can meet with individuals from UW Libraries, the STEP Tutor Center, LeaRN and the Writing Center as well as with their peers, both in person and online. The space allows for student consultations, supplemental instruction sessions, small-group student trainings and workshops from the space partners.
The redesigned space includes flexible seating for up to 185 students, with a mix of mobile tables and chairs, cozy booths and meeting tables. The area also houses Room 121, which hosts supplemental instruction, targeted student sessions and workshops, and space for learning communities’ activities. There are multiple zones that also are beneficial to students, such as the convertible presentation space and a startup space where students can meet to work on projects and presentations.
“We are excited for the ways students are already using the Student Learning Commons. The space is overflowing many hours of the day with students seeking tutoring and writing support, or studying with their peers,” says April Heaney, LeaRN director. “And units such as the Advising, Career and Exploratory Studies Center are planning for ways to use the Student Learning Commons, especially for academic coaching and targeted, just-in-time presentations for a range of student groups during the year. We’re very excited for the additional potential partnerships that this space will bring to bolster academic student success.”
For more information about the Student Learning Commons, call Cass Kvenild, Associate Dean of Libraries, at (307) 766-5119 or ckvenild@uwyo.edu.