Adam Finkelstein is currently Associate Director, Learning Environments (Physical and Digital) at Teaching and Learning Services at McGill University. He develops university-wide initiatives to improve teaching and learning environments. In his tenure at McGill, he has managed a team of instructional designers and multimedia programmers. He has developed many different types of award winning technology-enhanced teaching and learning projects for McGill including multimedia CD-ROMs, learning objects, simulations, and other on-line environments - including multiple previous implementations of McGill's learning management systems. His area of research interest includes the interrelationship of teaching and learning in physical (classroom, teaching and simulation labs) and digital (online learning) environments. He has also been very much involved in the implementation of technology in education and instructional/learning design for on-line and face-to-face learning. Over the last few years he has been focused on designing innovative physical and virtual learning spaces. He is currently the Chair of two groups responsible for the selection, design and renovation of classrooms and teaching labs at McGill, including numerous new Active Learning Classrooms and Labs. He is also Team Lead for the design and delivery of McGill's first four Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). He is currently Co-Lead of the Learning Spaces Design Constituent Group for EDUCAUSE and is a member of core team for the development of the Learning Spaces Rating System (LSRS).
Emerging technologies show great promise for engaging students in more active and personalized learning and deeper participation in collaboration. By facilitating deeper engagement in learning on the part of students, emerging technologies can support current trends in learning design, including improving the way we assess how students learn and what they are learning.
Research into active learning classrooms (ALCs)—spaces explicitly designed to support and promote this kind of learning and pedagogy—is expanding. This research provides educators with insights about how best to implement active learning pedagogies and support learners in ALCs.
Instead of designing and implementing a complicated next generation digital learning environment, consider using a simpler learning ecosystem that supports teaching and learning in the <em>now</em> generation digital learning environment, LearningOS.
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