Assiniboine opens active learning classroom thanks to $100,000 partnership with Westoba

Students at Assiniboine Community College will benefit from a new learning space on campus, thanks to a five-year partnership with Westoba Credit Union Ltd.

The space is the first classroom of its kind at Assiniboine, bringing together both design and smart technology to facilitate active learning. Traditional classroom environments are built with lecture-based teaching and learning in mind, but this facility flips that convention on its head.

“Our new active learning classroom is a high-tech, team-based classroom that will deepen learning and strengthen student collaboration, while supporting innovative teaching,” said Bobbie Robertson, Dean of Business at Assiniboine. “The idea is for the instructor to be able to be at the centre of the space, but not be the centre of learning.”

“Partnering with Assiniboine to provide students and our community with an interactive classroom aligns perfectly with what a cooperative stands for,” said Jim Rediger, Westoba Credit Union President and CEO. “Our values are centred around innovative thinking and learning; the technology and collaboration in this classroom reflects what is happening in business and will help prepare students and our community for the future.”

The space, which is now complete at the college’s Victoria Avenue East campus, will accommodate up to 25 students. It is modelled after state-of-practice facilities elsewhere, which are designed to maximize effective learning. For example, smartboards are put into the hands of students instead of instructors to facilitate the ‘learn by doing’ philosophy that underscores much of Assiniboine’s approach to program curriculum.

“Students at Assiniboine will benefit from enriched learning experiences directly as a result of this gift from Westoba,” said Derrick Turner, Director of Advancement at Assiniboine. “We are exceptionally grateful to them, both for their long history of support towards our college and for this particular occasion of generosity.”

The space will be used by programs across the college, including Business Administration and Interactive Media Arts.