Outdoor Learning in 2020

It’s no secret that higher education is a tricky topic in 2020. There’s the question of in-person classes, hybrid classes, or fully online classes? One type I haven’t seen talked about very often is outdoor classes. There are a few universities in the US that I found out through this article that are conducting outdoor, in-person classes. No surprise, it appears it is mostly in Southern states, where the climate is better suited. However, these universities are also working to figure out was to continue outdoor learned through inclement weather.

If this proves to be a viable (and safe!) way to conduct in-person learning, I’d expect more institutions, possibly including K-12, will be working towards this model in the Spring semester.

I’m a fairly recent graduate, so I really feel for students who are upset they aren’t able to have a ‘normal’ semester. I feel particularly bad for incoming freshmen students. Safety is obviously paramount, but it’s such an exciting time in their lives and a time of growth. It’s going to be hard to replicate that with hybrid or online learning. Homecomings, ‘welcome weeks’, and most events have been cancelled, so maybe an option for outdoor classes will provide some sense of normalcy for students.

-Jess