Are "New Building" Learning Gains Sustainable? Revisiting Our Goals After Five Years

New science facilities have become a reality on many college campuses in the last few decades. Large time investments in creating shared programmatic vision and designing flexible spaces, partnered with large fiscal investments, have created a new generation of science building. Unfortunately, few studies provide evidence about whether the articulated goals were achieved. In this study, we revisit assessment of our science facilities after 5 years of occupancy, looking specifically for sustained gains in (a) student perceptions of interdisciplinarity, (b) the ability to stay focused despite high levels of visual connectedness, and (c) overall appreciation for the learning environment. In general, we find that the increased level of satisfaction observed after 1 year is sustained after 5 years of occupancy. In two areas, students have a less favorable response than they did at one year, suggesting a "new building" effect that has began to wear off. Interestingly, student perception of interdisciplinarity has increased over time, which we attribute to the combination of arranging faculty by interest rather than department and intentional growth of interdisciplinary programs.