Ascentae | Solutions | Collaboration in the classroom

The Challenge

Collaboration plays an important role in many of today’s educational environments, however as the latest statistics suggest – could the sector be doing more to better prepare students for the workplace? There is a strong belief in the education industry that a collaborative approach in the classroom will develop the necessary ‘soft skills’ in preparation for employment and deliver better learning outcomes for students. For this digitally-savvy generation, introducing familiar technology could be an ideal solution to engage and encourage them on their collaborative journey.

The solution should:

Prepare school and higher education leavers for the working world

Improve collaboration in the classroom

Deliver a focus on developing ‘soft skills’ alongside traditional academic subjects

Create a greater focus on project-based and student-led learning

Harness students' existing digital skills

Collaboration in the classroom

Pedagogical practices have evolved significantly during the last decade, with technology and teaching methods bringing greater interactivity into lessons. As we move further into a collaborative world generally, the principles and personality traits gained from peer-to-peer education and engagement are more important than ever to prepare students for the workplace.

A recent study by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) showed that nearly half of employers said graduates generally don’t have the workplace skills they need when they are first hired. On average, one in four graduates (25%) do not possess the skills required when they enter the job market. The lack of ‘soft skills’ include self-awareness, problem-solving, interpersonal skills and teamwork, all of which could be gained during education.

For students to learn these soft skills, the focus lies on improving collaboration. Current collaborative learning activities vary widely across the educational landscape, however most centre on the student’s exploration or application of the curriculum, not solely on the teacher’s presentation of it. Technological solutions can complement teachers’ evolving methods and help educators to take students’ creativity, critical thinking and collaboration to the next level.

Classroom collaboration with Nureva Span

Student-led learning

The Nureva Span collaboration system combines cloud-hosted software with unique ultra-wide projection based hardware providing a different approach to how technology can be utilised in education. The Nureva solution promotes the collaborative style of learning that is essential to develop the soft skills needed to thrive in the workplace. Rather than the traditional set up of a screen or whiteboard being the main display at the front of the room, teachers and students can work together on Span’s huge interactive canvas, sharing ideas from their devices and engaging in meaningful communication.

Creative Working

Visualising information on a large surface and seeing it all at one time is an intuitive way for people to work together and can assist in many learning situations. The system’s fully interactive SSI projectors (choose either the ultrawide 16:6 or full-HD 16:9) can be linked together to create a panoramic workspace that makes it easy to organise content. This rich combination of visualisation and interaction fuels creativity and collaboration in the classroom.

Collaborative classrooms

Span software makes it easy for students to collaborate on a scale that nurtures deeper engagement with content and with each other. It takes the paper tools they’re used to – sticky notes, pencil sketches, flip charts – and transforms them into flexible digital versions that enhance the creative process. An expansive virtual canvas can be opened to share ideas, with no barriers or distractions to hold back progress and everyone can create, edit and organise their contributions in real time, at any time.

Why the Nureva Span System?

Nureva Span can help every student develop the skills they need for future success. Rather than passively consuming information, learners can capture their thoughts on personal devices, share them on an expansive canvas and then work with their classmates to deepen understanding. Whether you want to amplify the student's voice or build more collaboration into PBL, Span is a technological solution that could provide the extra resource needed to improve collaboration for the next generation of employees.

Contribute to the digital canvas from any device at any time
Transforms walls in classrooms into a panorama of digital workspace
Enables students to work independently or in small groups
Creates opportunities to develop soft skills and prepare them for the world of work