Active Learning Classrooms

Classrooms shape the way teaching and learning unfold. The arrangement of seating, the availability of instructional technology, and the ability for instructors and students to see, hear, and interact with one another all influence possibilities in student learning outcomes. 

UC Berkeley’s Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) were designed to support forms of teaching that emphasize discussion, collaboration, problem-solving, and student participation. These classrooms feature flexible seating, shared display technologies, and room configurations that allow instructors and students to move, interact, and respond to one another more easily.

General assignment classrooms designated as Active Learning Classrooms include:

• Social Sciences, Room 110, capacity- 54

• Social Sciences, Room 118, capacity- 30

• Social Sciences, Room 122, capacity- 36

• Mulford Hall, Room 230, capacity- 30

• Wheeler Hall, Room 100, capacity- 20

• Wheeler Hall, Room 212, capacity- 120

ALCs can help instructors raise new teaching possibilities and raise pressing pedagogical questions. These questions might include: 

• How does a collaborative classroom space impact decision-making when it comes to course designs, in-class activities, and assessments? 

• What opportunities and challenges emerge when students are asked to work together more actively? 

• How can instructors adapt their teaching practices in ways that support student learning while remaining responsive to the realities of a particular course, discipline, or group of students?

Rather than treating these questions as barriers to teaching in an ALC, we view them as opportunities for reflection, experimentation, and professional growth. We therefore approach ALCs not simply as specialized classrooms, but as teaching laboratories: spaces where instructors can explore, refine, and expand their teaching practices in partnership with colleagues and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).

As part of this approach, instructors teaching in an Active Learning Classroom will be invited to participate in a series of ALC-focused professional development opportunities offered through CTL, including:

• An Active Learning Classroom orientation

• A consultation on adapting a course for an ALC environment

• An ALC-focused classroom observation using a protocol designed specifically for active learning spaces

• A monthly cohort for ALC instructors to discuss teaching strategies, challenges, and innovations emerging from their experiences in these classrooms

Adapting the ALC Request Process

The ALC application process was originally developed during the early implementation of these classrooms in order to prioritize courses that were prepared to make use of the spaces. Instructors were required to complete an application form, attesting to their commitment to use active learning in their course.

Our focus is shifting away from approving “ALC-ready” courses and toward supporting instructors as they explore active learning practices both within ALCs and beyond them. This includes instructors adapting existing courses, designing new learning experiences, and reflecting on how classroom environments shape teaching and learning.

What does this mean in practice?

1. Those who have previously submitted an ALC application will continue to receive priority from the Office of the Registrar. Please note that this priority status for your course does not guarantee classroom assignment in an ALC. ALC assignments are determined by the Office of the Registrar.

2. Going forward, instructors interested in teaching in an ALC should connect with their Department Scheduler to request an ALC for their course. Please use the following Google form for scheduling. As general assignment classrooms, the Office of the Registrar manages scheduling requests and assigns courses for the ALCs. For questions about scheduling, please reach out to scheduling@berkeley.edu

3. If you're new to teaching in an Active Learning Classroom (ALC), it helps to know how to initiate the request process with your departmental scheduler. Schedulers may not always be familiar with ALCs — including their flexible seating, instructional technology, and capacity constraints — so a little context in your outreach can go a long way.

Note that ALC requests for Spring 2027 must be submitted by June 19, 2026, and requests for Fall 2027 must be submitted between October 21 and December 18, 2026. We recommend reaching out to your scheduler as early as possible. We will update this information for future semesters when the Academic Scheduling Calendar is updated.

Here's a sample message you can adapt:

Subject: Request for an Active Learning Classroom – Fall 2027

Hi [Scheduler's Name],

I'm planning to teach a section of [Course Name/Number] for [approximately X number of students) in Fall 2027, and I'd like to request anActive Learning Classroom for the course.

I understand that ALC requests for Fall 2027 need to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by December 18, and I'd love to get this in as soon as possible. Could you help me initiate that request? 

Thank you so much!