We are all familiar with the need to social distance, something that has become part of daily life for most of us, but what does this mean for daily life in an education setting? How can we help staff and students work together whilst staying apart?
Much of the advice being given is about managing people and behaviour, but what of our environments? The classroom, the library, the staff-room?
In fact, making better use of the spaces we already have available can be the most economical way of maximising social distancing. The practical and most straight forward ways of working are often the most manageable.
How to make space work for you
Firstly, take stock of the spaces you have available and monitor how it is used.
Really think about the areas that you have available to you, not just classrooms but lecture theatres, canteens, study areas. Every available space will need to be considered, even corridors and cafeterias. How are they currently used? Where are the bottle necks? Where do people like to study? What about introducing one-way systems?
Re-consider areas you had previously written off
Even that small space that seems of no use, the one under the stairs or at the back of the library. Think about how this can be used. Moving storage from a classroom to the end of the corridor might help make more room to separate desks. The wasted space behind the bookshelf could become a quiet study area.
Repurpose existing spaces
By removing traditional PCs and offering students or staff the ability to borrow a device from self-service laptop or tablet loan lockers can really help to maximise space. This is where LapSafe® can help.
The Diplomat™ is a sophisticated and intelligent self-service locker system which loans devices or lockers 24 x 7. Fully charged devices such as laptops, Chromebooks and tablets can be automatically loaned to borrowers without staff interaction.
Removing traditional PC desks and installing self-service loan lockers allows you to create flexible and agile space. Think about creating collaborative working areas as well as individual study areas. Alternatively, the self-service lockers can compliment your PCs offering students the ability to use both.
SPONSORED: This is a sponsored article published on behalf of LapSafe. For more information on LapSafe please click here. For editorial questions or comments please contact the EdExec team at [email protected]
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