Simon Williams Undergraduate Centre

The Simon Williams Undergraduate Centre (SWUC) opened in September 2007. It is an innovative social learning space based on Wheatley Campus for the use of Business School undergraduates, and provides a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere in which students can socialise, study, work collaboratively, and grab a drink and something to eat.

Construction of SWUC was made possible by a £2 million capital award from HEFCE (part of the total £4.5 million award granted by HEFCE to set up ASKe), plus £500,000 funding from the Business School. The ASKe Directorate was central to the planning of the building, right from initial design (working direct with the concept architect) through to choosing the furniture and colour scheme and forwards with involvement in the running of the building.

SWUC is set over two floors. The ground floor comprises a café serving drinks, snacks and light meals using fresh and locally sourced seasonal produce; soft seating areas; areas for collaborative working; and workstations. Upstairs there are more workstations, a scanner, copyboards, a smartboard, plus facilities for practising, recording and reviewing group presentations. In addition, there is a Business School teaching room on the first floor, which is equipped with state-of-the-art presentation technology, as well as the Undergraduate Office, the Placements Office and other student-facing staff offices.

One of ASKe’s aims is to foster a true community of practice in which both students and staff can interact, collaborate and share ideas plus, we hope, build a stronger, shared understanding of assessment standards and practices. This aim underpins the Simon Williams Undergraduate Centre, with the building providing a space in which these interactions can take place.  Furthermore, from a purely practical point of view, such a building is particularly beneficial on the Wheatley campus, where there are no pre-existing social learning spaces.

In addition to involvement with the construction of SWUC, ASKe ran several initiatives centring on the building:

• ASKe previously funded casual technical advisers who gave advice to students on how to use the IT and AV equipment in the building;
• ASKe funded a colonisation study of the building, which explored how it is used and its relation to other spaces on Wheatley campus. The final report is now available.
• ASKe (in conjunction with the Reinvention Centre (CETL) ran the annual Symposium on Social Learning Space, a day-long event which explored social learning space through a mixture of keynote speeches, interactive workshops and panel sessions. The Third Symposium on Social Learning Space (2008) was held at Wheatley and delegates were able to take a tour of the building and see the facilities that it offers.

There has been a good deal of interest in the Simon Williams Undergraduate Centre since it opened, particularly from people who are planning similar facilities in their own institutions, and ASKe is pleased to welcome visitors from both the UK and beyond.