Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/220800
medical education – chicago by Ed Finkel Revamped Center for A yearlong renovation project will modernize the College T he future is now at the College of Medicine. To match its updated curricular strategies (see story, page 10) the COM is undertaking a transformation of its learning space that will further enhance the student experience. And so the College of Medicine's West Tower, familiar to generations of Chicago students and alumni, will undergo a significant internal renovation during the next year that will bring it into the 21st century with infrastructure upgrades, more flexible classrooms and a vast increase in the amount of natural light streaming into the building. "This project will dramatically improve our students' educational experience and facilitate future educational expansion and innovation within the COM," said Dean Dimitri T. Azar, MD, MBA. "In turn, the university's academic standing will be strengthened for years to come." The major pieces of the Chicago Learning Center renovation, which will facilitate active learning methods like team-based learning, 16 | Fa l l 2 013 peer-to-peer instruction, case-based instruction and independent study, will include: b An auditorium with a seating capacity of at least 220 that will provide enhanced audiovisual capabilities as well as upgraded power and data infrastructure, including wireless network access and audience response systems. b Two large "learning centers" that will provide team-based learning spaces for 16 groups of six to eight students apiece, equipped with modern technology that allows for lecture capture and engagement of class discussion, while functioning as a space to conduct computer-based testing. b Eighteen small-group classrooms for 18 to 20 students created with a flexible design that allows for either a traditional classroom, or a clinical skills learning and practice classroom for small-group educational strategies and instructional methods. b Three student-focused lounge and study areas that will provide a