I attended a class held in a lecture hall at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington where I earned my associate’s degree. The area of study for the class was history and it was held in the only lecture hall on the campus, the Paccar Conference and Lecture Hall. The institution was very proud of the hall and along with holding lectures, would rent it out to local businesses and associations for use.
I remember the environment of the hall and my learning experience very well because the professor made a point to tell the class about the hall’s acoustic design and the overall service setting and that is a memory that is always stuck with me. Some elements of the hall had been designed by somebody famous in the …show more content…
For example, it was brighter in the front around the lectern where the professor lectured. This made it easier to focus on watching and listening to him. The lights that shone over the seating area where the students sat were soft and dimmer than the front, and were directed to shine on the tables to allow for easy visibility of one’s things. I liked the lighting design because it kept the focus on the front of the room and reduced the distractions from around the seating area, which is in the shape of a half-circle around the lectern. Had the lighting been the usual bright florescent lights used in many of the classrooms on campus I believe that it would have not been as easy to ignore any peripheral …show more content…
One of these elements were the interior colors chosen for the walls and décor. They were mostly browns and other neutral tones that made it feel drab and boring inside. However, this may have been a tactic to keep all eyes up front.
Another element I didn’t enjoy were the regular distractions from other students or faculty members entering the hall during class. The lecture hall was apparently in high demand because we were often interrupted by uninvited guests that came to use or see it, and ignored the signs outside the room that said ‘Class in progress, do not disturb.’
Lastly, I was never comfortable with the size of the lecture hall. It sat approximately 150 people and had standing room for more, but this was a small community college at the time that had an average class size of 20-30 students. This made the room seem to be too big for one class and it felt very empty inside. Had the class sizes been bigger I believe that the room would have felt more