Look alive college students because that boring, drab college classroom may soon go from shab to chic! A new proposal set forth by an associate professor at Texas Wesleyan University suggests a “radically flexible” new classroom environment, and it could be making its way to you soon.

The winning proposal for said “classroom NEXT” was initiated by Professor Elizabeth Alexander and five of her students. That innovative design then became a 3-D reality at the Fort Washington Institution. Don’t worry; special glasses are not required to view this eye popping display.

The space concentrates on four themes: flexibility, sensory stimulation, technology support and decenteredness.  These themes are realized in a variety of ways including furniture equipped with wheels which will incorporate interchangeable learning setups, for those of us (most of us) who get bored with a routine or landscape that never changes. There is also a mobile instructor podium, which allows the professor to connect with technology anywhere in the room, and a lounge area with an ottoman. That’s right; I said an ottoman… in a classroom. Laptops and I-pods are also included in  the mix.

So what’s the goal of this project? Well, Amy Collier, director of The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, explains that NEXT “blurs the line between ‘computer lab classroom’ and ‘traditional classroom’…” The purpose is to offer a fusion of the two elements, one that incorporates the technology utilized in computer lab environments, as well as the flexibility present in traditional classroom setups. It’s the best of both worlds really.  It sounds complex, but some of the principal technology can be applied by you or me. Look below at an example of how the mere rearrangement of classroom furniture can keep things fresh and lively.

This kind of elaborate setup could surely cause students to revolt against traditional classrooms. After all, who wants to deal with florescent lighting when you can have lounge areas and I-pods to boot!  People have even nicknamed the space “the wow classroom”, the most common reaction from students and faculty alike being the word “wow!”  This is because a clear investment has been made by the university to show students how serious they are about creating the optimal learning environment. That trickles down to the students themselves, who will likely excel more because of the update.

That said, there are still some kinks to work out before this design goes mainstream.  Although the classroom will in fact cut cost in some manner due to the fact that it is combining two concepts, the price tag for such a renovation is still in the ballpark of $10,000 more than both aforementioned classrooms combined.  So until that day comes, the antiquated classroom setup will just have to do. Still, it’s nice to dream of a world where a classroom can be deemed a place of style as well as a hub for learning.