The STEM Response

The group interviewed members of the Bridge 21 team to guide their research of effective 21st-century learning spaces. They then partnered with CFES, College for Every Student to conduct extensive surveys with a network of ten schools. This research helped the team see what features of physical spaces supported them to learn best.

The team had a vision – to create a learning space at Mercy College which would act as a prototype for other schools in the area. They worked closely with industry experts to design such a space, and during the course of their project discovered an opportunity to help other schools to create similar 21st-century learning spaces with minimal budgets. Businesses could donate high-end furniture to be repurposed in these school learning environments, without a cost to the school. With the cost of furniture disposal estimated at 40,000 euro by one company, this idea made business sense to everybody involved. However, the idea had never before been implemented.

While developing a state of the art learning space within their own school, which served as a prototype for other educational institutions, the team also created the Flexi 21 app which facilitated the provision of furniture to schools in need, leading to the development of collaborative quality learning spaces for thousands of students.

The Impact

Mercy Secondary School’s new 21st-century learning space was unveiled in May 2015 for use by its teachers and students, local universities, and schools. So impressed with the project team’s ideas, Steelcase sponsored the design and fitting of the space, with the aim to use it as a prototype for other schools in Europe.

The Flexi21 app was launched, enabling other schools to rethink their spaces and create 21st-century learning environments. By encouraging furniture donation from businesses, the project team has offered an amazing opportunity to a great many schools. The team has contributed to an improvement in physical learning environments for thousands of students.