CEUs

At National, we like to create environments where people can grow and learn and ultimately do things smarter and better every day. For a design professional, we have a variety of industry topics that are designed to increase your knowledge. Check out the information below to take advantage of one of these learning opportunities. Contact Design@NationalOfficeFurniture.com for more information.

What's Your Equation

The course provides insight into four equations to consider when designing a successful healthcare solution:

DIGNITY + RESPECT = HUMANITY
Illustrating the components that support humanistic, inclusive, and progressive designs for healthcare settings. Whether spaces are for children, young adults, middle age folks, or older adults, every design has an opportunity to be supportive to a patient, which results in positive outcomes.

CONVENIENCE + INTERACTION = RELATIONSHIP
Diving into the changes within the U.S. healthcare system and technology that are influencing a shift in the design of hospitals, outpatient, and long-term care settings. We will reference the Facility Guidelines Institute’s publications on these settings.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN + SERVICE ACCESS = ALL-INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY
Addressing design for all people. This is defined as a “process” that addresses physical space as well as access to socialization, services, and amenities.

WISDOM + YOUTH = COLLABORATION
Bringing about the best solution for healthcare design projects by addressing the need for collaboration of all ages. We will challenge the audience to define their own additional equations and be a leader to support person-centered care.

When designing, there are many equations that can be used, and focusing on one is not enough. Successfully identifying the appropriate equations will leverage thought leadership, foster collaboration, and lead design to provide a patient-centric environment that is supportive of all physical, social, and emotional preferences.

COURSE DETAILS

Home-ing from Work

As the face of workplace shifts to meet the changing demands of today’s workforce, the influence of residential and hospitality design attributes are coming onto the scene like never before. We see the kitchen island inspiring new ways of creating more communal cafés, and the comforts of the living room making their way into the places people meet. Even the idea that someone could take a nap in the office to recharge gives a nod to the bedroom back home. In this CEU we will explore how home-ing from work is evolving the look and feel of the office, discuss what’s driving this design trend, and share measurable results of how companies are using these spaces to attract and retain top talent, both now and in the generations to come.

COURSE DETAILS

Demystifying Furniture's Role in Sustainability

A mind-boggling number of environmental standards exist. It seems each day something is greener, better, and calling louder than the standards of years past. This CEU seeks to define and compare leading sustainability programs in the market and explain the key role furniture plays within each. We will compare level® and BIFMA’s rating systems and explain their applications and relevance to help demystify furniture’s role in sustainability.

COURSE DETAILS

Designing for High Impact Learning Spaces

Education is being disrupted by a number of factors, including shifting expectations and the impact of new technologies. Schools are looking at their roles through a new lens. Leaders are rethinking the environments of the past, which were somewhat controlling and placed students in the role of passive learner. They now have a vision of education that is freeing, and encourages active participation. New teaching approaches demand new kinds of learning spaces to prepare today’s students for the future. As content becomes more dynamic, schools and universities are looking at how that content is delivered and what types of changes need to be made in learning spaces.

We invite you to join in on the journey, as we share insight into these evolving learning spaces. Our CEU was developed in partnership with Nancy Sturm, a Principal Consultant at the Sextant Group. Nancy is a nationally-recognized thought leader in creating transformative learning environments and is a former Science Teacher of the Year, as well as past Executive Director of NASA’s Challenger Learning Center.

COURSE DETAILS

True Colors

Just as no two snowflakes match, there are many variations between fabrics—and those differences are important. The fabrics around us, those that we’re seeing and feeling against our skin, influence our thoughts and behaviors. This course will include the scientific research linking particular elements of fabrics to certain responses in humans. We’ll cover the psychological effects of seeing particular colors and patterns as well as feeling textures against our skin. We’ll talk about how fabrics can help achieve desired outcomes in a variety of different spaces.

The True Colors course was developed in partnership with Sally Augustin, PhD, a practicing design psychologist, specializing in person-centered design, and a principal at Design With Science. 

COURSE DETAILS

Performance Fabrics 101

This course is an overview of the use of Performance Fabrics on commercial furniture. It includes information on 6 key attributes of Performance Fabrics, how the attributes can be achieved, and why they are important in real life applications. Content includes common brands of fabric or treatments which contribute to meeting the key attributes. Fabric samples will be utilized during the presentation to help support key points. 

COURSE DETAILS