IDEAZ A – COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES

CONTEXT
As a by-product of the industrial revolution – and Henry Ford’s assembly line model –
specialization in occupation and processes became progressively common; each task was
broken down into several smaller ones, executed by workers trained specifically for these tasks.
This marked a move away from simple economies, where a skilled person looked after
production from start to finish, to economies of scale, where mass production could take place
and the yield per head was drastically better.

Processes of production continue to adhere to the above model. However, this is not an
isolated incident anymore; the assembly line model has affected a great deal more than
industrial processes.

The organisation and roles of occupations reflect the same degree of specificity involved in
production. For example, tending to the sick has now become a layered process where the
doctor first diagnoses and prescribes medicine, the pharmacist administers and nurses keep a
watch over the recovery of the patient; it does not conform to the earlier model in which one
person was largely responsible for all of these processes.

It has – in a similar fashion – affected our education system. The degree of specialization
increases progressively as one moves from kindergarten to high school, onto university,
post-graduation and their doctorates. This has facilitated the divergence of interests before
being officially acknowledged by the education system. Students within the same
undergraduate class tend to have diverse specific interests which are mostly inter-related. Over
the course of 3-5 years, collaboration between these students occurs frequently. How
equipped, though, is the typical classroom to support such ventures?

There emerges a need, therefore, for a classroom which facilitates collaboration, but which also
serves individual users when the need presents itself. Indian universities, especially, are
severely lacking in this aspect. This is a chance to reimagine classroom spaces in order to make
them better suited for the inevitable demands of the future.
CHALLENGE
Participants are to investigate related phenomenon – their nature and consequences – and
condense them into a solution that embodies the collaborative spirit without infringing or
damaging the individuality of each spirit. The proposal is to be accompanied by adequate
illustrations showing its physical manifestations on the spatial organisation within the room
and/or within the building (arrangement/orientation of rooms with respect to each other).

CONTACTS
● Anshul Rathore (9917026076)
● Lanka Adarsh (9410577752)

GUIDELINES :
1. ELIGIBILITY: Student pursuing Undergraduate/Master’s Degree in any discipline.
2. TEAM SIZE: Maximum size up to 4 members.
3. NO DOUBLE TROUBLES: Only one entry would be acceptable. In case of multiple entries,
by default the first one would be taken for granted.
4. ZERO PLAGIARISM: The documents would be tested via special software for plagiarism.
If some duplication would be found, the entire work would be rejected from the
competition.
5. MULTISTAGE RULES: The event is comprised of 2 stages.

STAGE – 1 (ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS)

1. Abstract of the idea needs to be uploaded on the Cognizance website before the given
date.
2. Abstract should not exceed 500 words and the covering page of the abstract must have:
Name(s) of the Institution of study, Email address(s) of the members, their (members)
contact number(s) & Topic of paper presentation.
3. Deadline for Abstract Submissions is 28th February 2017.
4. The confirmation of acceptance of the abstract will be informed via e-mail to the
participant.
5. For any particular queries regarding paper presentations, please contact the Event
Coordinator.
STAGE-2 (FULL PAPER SUBMISSIONS)
1. The second round will be conducted at IIT Roorkee during COGNIZANCE 2017 (March 24
- March 26).
2. Selected Candidates should email their full paper in “.pdf” format by March 20, 2017.
3. Formatting rules should be strictly followed. A font type of Bookman Old Style with a
font size of 12 should be kept.
4. Do remember to include all relevant figures, tables and bibliography.
5. Submissions, in any case, should not exceed 12 pages in length, double-columned.

FINAL PRESENTATIONS
1. The teams will be presenting their respective papers through a power-point
presentation (10 minutes long) in front of a panel of judges during Cognizance, 2017.
2. The decision of the judges would be final and binding.