Flexible Seating Options in Higher Education To Promote Active Learning

Flexible seating has slowly started to become more popular in K-12 grade classrooms, and teachers, parents, and students are noticing the positive impact of it. Numerous studies have shown that flexible seating increases movement opportunity, reduces back pain, increases comfort, reduces anxiety, restlessness, and increases focus and engagement in students. Flexible seating is great for all students, but more specifically, it helps students with learning disabilities such as Autism and ADHD feel more comfortable and engaged in the classroom setting. While flexible seating has had a huge impact on K-12 grade students, there are limited options in the university settings that do not address these same issues for adult students. When looking at the research for flexible seating, most information surrounds grades K-12 with a focus on elementary education. The main goal of this project is to design an alternative seating option that acts as subtle tool for people that have ADHD or autism that need a way to release built up energy. After researching, ideating, and prototyping I was able to design a chair that features a 360 degree tilting motion.The final design looks like a standard chair however, it includes the tilting joint that allows the user to move around without drawing additional attention to themselves. Overall, this project was about providing additional support that improves the classroom experience of students with ADHD or autism.