University Classroom Prototypes for Innovative Learning

The relationship between the university and the society is a continuous exchange that never stops to influence itself, bringing benefits to both realities. Nevertheless, it is necessary to focus on the changes that can be applied in the learning field and not only on the evolution of the university system itself. The desire to refine the educational approach is an extremely current topic in the field of education. This is why, to face a series of social changes, it is fundamental to reconsider the method used to disseminate knowledge and to understand its real needs. Moreover, another element that has to be recalibrated is the lack of effective tools that are provided to students to deal with sudden changes in the business world. As a result of these transformations, the Politecnico di Milano has decided to undertake a deep revision of its didactic spaces in order to better understand the needs of all the university users and to foreshadow new scenarios that can support the evolving teaching and pedagogic methods in all the disciplines involved. The paper presents the results of a research that aims to dissert on spatial needs, potentialities, new habits and uses, and to organise all the requirements in guidelines for new learning spaces that will be firstly applied to four classroom prototypes, and then finalised and revised for a large-scale dissemination.