With the 2017 opening of the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies introduced a new paradigm in higher education — a Giant Leap forward in university libraries.
For more information about, and resources in, the Library of Engineering & Science, visit www.lib.purdue.edu/libraries/engsci. For hours of the libraries and facilities in the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies, see www.lib.purdue.edu/hoursList. For WALC classroom information, visit the WALC Active Learning Classrooms website.
Located in the heart of campus, the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) serves as a central location for classroom and library space.
The 170,390-square-foot facility houses the Library of Engineering and Science (LoES) and 27 classrooms designed for active learning. Throughout the building, study and collaborative spaces are interspersed with classrooms, creating a highly efficient use of space.
Active Learning
Purdue University Libraries faculty and staff drew from their own expertise and consulted other leaders in learning design to create state-of-the-art active learning classrooms.
Library of Engineering and Science
Alongside its focus on providing unparalled access to digital resources, the Library of Engineering and Science holds approximately 30,000 thoughtfully curated print volumes, consolidating the holdings and services of six formerly separate libraries all into one easily accessible location.
Unique Places
The Mullins Reading Room features a spectacular view of Purdue University’s iconic Bell Tower. On the first floor, Au Bon Pain Café and Bakery provides expertly crafted baked goods and breads, along with coffee, tea, soups, and salads.
Versatile Spaces
The WALC is a student-centered facility with a variety of resources, study areas, and versatile spaces open to all students on campus. The LoES includes the Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue (D-VELoP). In D-VELoP, students can use the visualization lab, “Viz” Wall, 3-D printers, and/or receive assistance to help them turn their data into knowledge through visualization technologies.
Showcasing History
The walls of the WALC are rich with reproductions of historic photographs of the Purdue University campus. Artifacts and photographs from the working 1924 Power and Heating Plant can be found throughout the building, memorializing the rich legacy of this central site on the Purdue campus. A smartphone tour enhances the exhibits, by providing information and interactive activities designed to make a visitor’s experience an extension of the WALC active-learning philosophy.
Boiler Bytes: The Wilmeth Active Learning Center
What is active learning?
Active Learning is a new teaching and learning pedagogy that flips the way institutions view the classroom.
Collaboration
Students and instructors are mutually responsible for knowledge and academic success as an outcome of learning activities.
Engagement
Teaching and learning activities give students greater responsibility for the knowledge they gain.
Environment
The learning experience is enriched by the close proximity between teaching and study spaces and is further enhanced via the Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) program, recognized as a “2018 Innovator” by the Chronicle of Higher Education.