About Us

The Collaboratory

We live in an increasingly complex world with problems that require creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and innovative, transdisciplinary approaches. To help educators—both future and current—teach hands-on concepts in a highly adaptable space, the College of Education created the Collaboratory for Innovation in Education, a space that brings together aspects of design thinking, arts-based inquiry, career and technical education, teaching best practices, and creativity.

The Collaboratory’s mission is to inspire the next generation of educators and learners to design and discover sustainable and equitable solutions to the big challenges of the future. Opening in January 2020, the Collaboratory will provide both teachers and PK-12 students access to current and emerging technologies, supporting the enhancement of interdisciplinary teaching practices in classroom settings. The Collaboratory is a community space that will support creative problem-solving, maker-centered learning, the development of cutting-edge teacher education, research projects, programs, and experiences within the College of Education.

The Collaboratory is a space for faculty, students, and community stakeholders to collaborate on the latest educational research and practice. Grounded in commitments to equity, diversity, and global impact, the Collaboratory provides access to and training in a broad range of expertise and interests within the College of Education.

By design, the technology available within the Collaboratory will develop and change over time. The technologies available at opening includes 3D printers, robotics, laptops, and Raspberry Pi mini-computers. In addition to serving the needs of the College of Education in preparing the next generation of world-class educators, the Collaboratory will also support programs and activities for our partner school districts and the Tampa Bay area as a whole, such as professional development workshops, summer camps, and after-school clubs and programs.

For more information about The Collaboratory, please contact edu-collaboratory@usf.edu.  


Host Your Event in the Collaboratory

The purpose of the Collaboratory is to promote innovation in education at all levels, to foster interdisciplinary connections, to engage communities, and to support teaching, learning, and research in the USF College of Education.

The Collaboratory is available for use by groups both inside and outside of the university, and priority is given to projects that support the mission of the Collaboratory and the College of Education. If you are interested in using the Collaboratory for your next event or workshop, please contact us using the link below. 


Thank You to Our Sponsors 

We are incredibly grateful to our donors and supporters who helped make the creation of the Collaboratory possible:

  • Fishman Family Foundation

For more information about giving opportunities to the USF College of Education, please contact Lisa Riley at lisariley@usf.edu