The evolving landscape of higher education has changed the way students learn. New technology, more accessible resources and meeting the needs of a new generation of students have expanded learning spaces beyond the classroom.

The School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University, North Carolina’s first new medical school in 35 years, offers flexible and collaborative spaces that integrate technology to allow uninterrupted access to information and a dynamic learning experience.

Completed in August 2013, the 96,500 square foot facility is the first of several buildings that will create Campbell’s new medical learning community. In addition to one of the top patient care simulation centers in the region, the School of Osteopathic Medicine features debriefing rooms, clinical examination rooms and an anatomy laboratory.

To support a team-based problem solving approach, the traditional auditorium style lecture room is designed with multiple tiered platforms that allow students to work in teams of eight. Student groups can face their teammates at the desktop level, fostering a more collaborative problem solving process in a space that is far more flexible and “learner-centered”. There is also an open plan library that allows for group or individual study, while flexible furniture layouts in common corridors and open study spaces provide work zones throughout the building that foster learning, socialization and collaboration. These spaces are fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, allowing uninterrupted access to information and creating dynamic learning experiences. Technology also allows for every room – the classrooms, labs, etc. – to be recorded so lectures and labs can be studied and used again and again.

Transparency, a powerful organizing design principal, is symbolic of the connectivity that exists between medical education and the community that lies outside of the building walls. Light spills into every part of the building from public spaces to the typically dark anatomy and simulation laboratories.

In addition, the building draws upon many successful design components seen in the heart of Campbell’s main campus, yet possesses its own unique identity. In keeping with basic principles of osteopathic medical practice, the campus uses many sustainable design concepts, including north-south solar orientation for daylighting; bioswales; long-lasting, easily maintainable materials; and a high-performance energy system yielding long-term environmental benefits. Some of these trends in today’s healthcare learning environments are sure to be seen in tomorrow’s healthcare practices.