Buying Time With Outdoor Classrooms

With the fall semester upon us, many professors who are at higher risk for serious COVID complications or who have children ineligible for vaccination are concerned with in-person classroom teaching. The Delta variant has filled pediatric hospitals, reduced the Pfizer vaccine’s effectiveness against breakthrough infections and enabled contagious transmission from vaccinated individuals to others. Higher education institutions, such as Duke University, are experiencing hundreds of breakthrough infections even with vaccine mandates in place.

In response, numerous institutions have reminded faculty that they are allowed to teach their classes outside if they choose to do so. Yet they should go a few steps further.

For example, administrators, or professors on their own initiative, could draw up on-campus and off-campus maps that clearly designate outdoor spaces appropriate for teaching. Then online sign-up sheets could be linked to all such outdoor classrooms. Many colleges and universities, such as California Lutheran University, have already implemented such plans. Eckerd College’s plan even included taking into account "shade and wind conditions for each location."

More institutions should follow suit. Doing so would not only help faculty with logistics but also assure them of their university’s commitment to teaching outdoors. Organized sign-ups would also prevent double-booking spots and provide stability to schedules.

In addition, administrators could create an online suggestion box for appropriate areas for outdoor instruction. Beyond countless quads that could be put to use, unusual ideas could be explored. For example, given their ability to seat up to 100,000 fans, some Big Ten football stadiums could host a dozen classes at the same time while providing ample space. Any area with relative quiet and space could be feasible, such as college and university botanical gardens, golf courses and rooftops.

If possible, chairs used for outdoor receptions or graduation ceremonies could be repurposed for such outdoor classrooms. Alternatively, the college or university could buy new chairs or faculty, staff, students and local community members could donate them.

Technology could also be deployed in existing and novel manners to help the effort. As they do for indoor classes, professors who use PowerPoint slides or similar teaching aids could email them to students or print them out to distribute beforehand. Wi-Fi could be strengthened in weak spots. Technologically savvy professors could assist others with ideas for how to put smartphones to use. Institutions could share ideas. For example, Wichita State University allows professors to check out portable amplification technology. The same could be done with portable whiteboards.

Careful consideration would allow for the selection of appropriate spots for those who are differently abled. Beyond ensuring physical accessibility, outdoor cameras and microphones, even those that cancel wind, could be potentially set up to facilitate student learning.

Outdoor teaching is not necessarily possible for all classrooms, such as science labs. Nor will all professors want to teach outdoors. Rain will fall. Some locations might be too hot for part of the semester. Depending on the college or university’s location, cold weather could arrive toward the end of this term.

Yet the idea is to minimize transmission, which will not only help professors and their families but also staff members and students. While such outdoor classroom maps and sign-up sheets may be most critical for colleges and universities that have not adopted vaccine mandates, all higher education institutions could benefit.

An Ancient Practice

So why haven’t more institutions implemented such plans? They might be worried about optics or liability. Yet they would not be admitting anything about the safety of teaching indoors if they pursued an outdoor option. The idea of outdoor classes is ancient. Having institutions draw up such maps and sign-up sheets would demonstrate that administrators genuinely support their faculty by offering flexibility for those who desire it.

Such actions would also help encourage a healthy post-pandemic trend of getting outside more. It could even reduce costs of building new classrooms and maintenance of existing buildings in at least some locations.

The Biden administration is planning for booster shots this fall. Emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 to 11 may arrive before the end of the year. Finally, Pfizer has already developed a Delta-specific booster that is currently being tested. If proven safe and effective, those three actions would be a powerful boost in the fight against the Delta variant and ease the transition of some faculty back into classrooms later this semester.

No teaching environment is perfect. Outdoor teaching is no exception. Even though the semester has started for many colleges and universities, creating online maps and sign-up sheets would be quick and inexpensive. Plus, it could protect more individuals and build trust among people both on the campus and off it.