by Bruce Dewey, Distance Education Specialist
Instructional Communications Systems
University of Wisconsin-Extension

Planning space for distance learning has attracted the interested of business, industry, public schools, colleges and universities. These learning spaces need to be flexible to provide for a variety of new and changing technologies. This spring, the UW-Madison, College of Engineering, Department of Engineering Professional Development will be hosting a 3-day workshop for architects, facility managers, corporate training directors and educators, addressing the issues involved in Planning and Using Distance Learning Spaces.

The dates of the first workshop are April 5-7, 2000, which will be held in Madison, Wisconsin at the Pyle Center. The program will incorporate staff from the College of Engineering and the UW-Extension, Instructional Communications Systems. Other guest lecturers will come from architecture firms, state facilities designers, and distance education organizations. A duplicate workshop will be held December 6-8, 2000, and a third shortened version of the workshop will be offered on July 31-August 1, 2000 in conjunction with the "16th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning." The conference website is: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/

LearningSpace planners, designers, and managers need ideas that will not be quickly out-of-date - yesterday's solutions will not solve tomorrow's problems. This workshop offers state-of-the-art information based on practical and proven design innovations.

The packed agenda will address various aspects of LearningSpace design and use. The participants will:

• Examine the varied approaches to distance learning and teaching
• Translate modern distance education methodology into effective design components
• Understand the implications of information technology on the learning environment
• Learn proven techniques for successful distance education

Participants will leave the workshop with practical solutions to LearningSpace planning, design, construction and management problems. They will benefit from class discussion and learn from the experience of others. Portions of the workshop will be presented via live teleconferencing to Australia, Europe and the US. This will enable the demonstration of new telecommunication technologies firsthand, and provide the opportunity to gain new ideas and insights from designers and managers from other countries.

The workshop will be located in the NEW Pyle Center. The Pyle Center has the state-of-the-art distance teaching and learning elements discussed in the workshop. Not only is the workshop held in this working environment for distance learning, but a complete behind the scenes guided tour is part of the workshop. An extensive notebook of materials will be provided, and includes a selected set of background readings, a bibliography, speakers' notes, and presentation summaries. Case studies of successful projects are also included.

The intensive program will assist practitioners and decision-makers - people who need practical and reliable information to evaluate, specify, design and build distance-learning environments. The workshop will meet the professional development needs of architects, builders, developers, engineers, interior designers, educators and facility managers. Those who attend will learn new ideas and practical approaches that can be applied immediately.

For more information, a brochure on the 3 workshops, with registration information, go to the EPD website: http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/brochures/9370.html or call toll free: 800-462--876 and ask for the Program Director: Don Schramm or the Program Assistant: Diane Lang.