Each semester, the Jacobs Institute accepts applications from UC Berkeley faculty to teach their design and technological innovation courses in Jacobs Hall. Read on for more information about how you can teach in here in future semesters.
There is a two-phase application process for teaching in Jacobs Hall, with the deadline for priority consideration listed below. Room assignments should be available one month after the priority deadline. Applications submitted after the priority deadline will be considered on a rolling basis. We hope that this structure will help us accommodate both regularly-occurring courses and interesting Special Topics or other courses that are scheduled closer to the start of the semester. While many timeslots will already be taken by the priority deadline, we will actively work with you to accommodate your teaching space requests if you submit your application after the priority deadline date.
Priority Deadline for Fall 2024 Jacobs Hall Teaching Space Application:
Priority Deadline Date: February 26th, 2023 (apply here)
We recommend having a backup classroom location in case scheduling in Jacobs Hall does not work out (look at the second-to-last FAQ on this page for some suggestions). Please be aware that having taught a course in Jacobs Hall before does not guarantee that the course will be taught here in the future; in the spirit of learning through experimentation, some courses will rotate out to let new courses in.
We aim to support courses that focus on design and technological innovation. Additionally, Jacobs Hall studios have been intentionally designed to support innovative teaching styles and course formats. Courses that use these studios should reflect that. The flat, flexible layout allows students to easily work in teams and supports a “guide by the side” approach to teaching, in a way lecture halls cannot. Most classrooms on campus are designed with lecture-based courses in mind – such courses are better accommodated in those spaces and are not a great fit for Jacobs Hall. However, lecture-based courses with hands-on labs or sections are also welcome to apply to hold labs and sections only in Jacobs Hall.
Yes! The Jacobs Institute is dedicated to interdisciplinary courses and projects. We welcome applications from departments across campus. Faculty members who teach courses open to students from diverse disciplines are particularly encouraged to apply.
Read more about Jacobs Hall teaching facilities and resources. We encourage faculty to visit Jacobs Hall in person before applying. Contact Janrey Javier, student engagement manager, if you would like a building tour.
We do not require classes to have a hands-on component to be taught in Jacobs Hall. No two courses taught here look the same and we look forward to supporting a wide range of courses that experiment with, test, or prototype new teaching methodologies.
We know instructors already have a lot on their plates and will try not to add too much more! We do expect Jacobs Hall instructors to do a few things, though; read the Instructor Guide for the overview.
The Center for Teaching & Learning has a useful page about Active Learning at Berkeley; it includes information about the several Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) available for general assignment and instructions about how to request one for your class.
Please feel free to reach out to Tyshon Rogers, Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, if you have other questions.