Using a Participatory Design Approach to Create and Sustain an Innovative Technology-rich STEM Classroom - One School's Story

This paper describes the design and implementation of a technology-rich STEM classroom in a secondary school associated with a comprehensive U.S. Midwestern university. Built to address a waning interest in STEM and STEM careers, this classroom offers multiple technologies and an engaging, flexible physical space that together create an innovative learning environment. A participatory design approach was utilized in order to maximize the use and sustainability of the classroom. Students, teachers, and administrators from the secondary school worked in collaboration with university faculty and staff and with Herman Miller®, an international design company that conducts learning-space research. In addition to the design process, this paper outlines successes and challenges encountered in implementation, as well as strategies used in addressing the challenges, providing guidance for other educational organizations seeking to infuse advanced technologies into classroom design and instruction.