Over the past few years, Florida International University has been on a mission to create team-based learning environments. Some of these spaces exceed 6000 square feet and seat nearly 300 students.
The original project we installed was on their Maidique campus. FIU contacted Computer Comforts looking for a furniture solution that would accommodate a large capacity collaborative style classroom. The space was approximately 4300 square feet. The goal was to have seating for 170-180 students. The table needed to handle team seating for groups of 6. Faculty lectern was to be positioned in the center of the classroom.
CCI’s Collaborative Table proved to be the perfect fit. FIU wanted to install a PC and large display at each table. Many colleges also include a switching solution for BYOD (Mersive, Extron, Crestron, etc.). This allows students with laptops to share one central display. Since the CCI table includes an electronics bay and excellent cable management, this was not an issue. Table top power and USB charging were also included. An 84” collaborative table with electronics bay, power and LCD mount sells for about $1700. Many colleges assume they cannot afford good technical furniture because they have sticker shock from some of our competitors. For example, the Steelcase Media Scape products sells for about $10,000+ per table. Ouch!
The second project we installed for FIU was a large capacity (288 seat) active learning classroom. The space was 6289 square feet. The college was very specific about the need for students to work in groups of three. CCI’s nine seat Active Learning Cluster was the perfect fit. Each group of three included table top power and a microphone for interaction with faculty. Again, faculty podium was installed near the center of the classroom.
These clusters include a center core for housing electronics and cable management. Power and data can be routed from the floor or ceiling. A typical 84” diameter cluster with power core and charging for 9 sells for about $2700. As you can see, CCI furniture is a great value.