Professors, students begin using new outdoor learning structures - The State Press

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To encourage face-to-face learning, the university has constructed various outdoor structures on its four campuses

On Wednesday, January 27, 2021, a student walks by the outdoor learning space in front of Tempe Interdisciplinary Building A. Since few students take lessons in person indoors, outdoor learning spaces have been constructed to provide a safer choice for teachers and students during the pandemic.

Since the beginning of the spring semester of 2021, ASU has encouraged professors and students to return to teaching in person, but many people have hesitated because of fear of contracting or spreading COVID-19. 

To alleviate the community’s concerns about attending in-person classes, the university has established seven outdoor learning structures on its four campuses. The Tempe campus has four structures, and the Phoenix City, West End and Polytechnic campuses each have one structure. 

Virtual learning environments can meet most academic requirements, while outdoor learning spaces provide hands-on experience for students who feel isolated from their peers on Zoom and in places where the spread of COVID-19 is less likely.

.

Although the number of formal professors using this structure for teaching has not yet been confirmed, the senior program coordinator of the institution, Professor Jingting Zhang

And Cynthia Lietz, Associate Dean and Professor

, Including known tools for personal instruction.

This semester, Cheung and Lietz will teach a course called "Relationship...complexity" on the Tempe outdoor structure at Palm Walk outside Building C of Physical Sciences. The structure they use is a covered patio area with tables and ceiling fans. 

Students who take the course are also part of the course

, The program provides support for students who have been in foster care.

Zhang wrote in an email that "Relationship...complex" aims to teach these students healthy relationships and help them connect with people with similar experiences. The official name of the subject course is "Successful Bridge".

"If you think of our "bridged success" students, some of them come to campus without a lot of social support, family or friends, but even more so than our typical ASU students, they are more likely to become isolated. "Except for sitting at Zoom in class, they didn't talk to anyone. At some point, this would affect all of us and affect our mental health."

In their evaluation

They will use ASU Sync for virtual, face-to-face or a combination of both. Cheung and Lietz decided that their students’ ability to establish these basic relationships will flourish in a face-to-face environment. 

Lietz said of virtual instructions: "We are making it work, but it is not the case."

About the connection between our students and the virtual connection is great, but when you try to build a sense of community, seeing the body and staying close to the body is a unique thing. "

On Thursday, January 21, 2021, Garrett Rand (left) and Bryce Bechtold (right) of Advanced Aeronautical Engineering study in an outdoor structure outside Building C of Physics on the Tempe campus.

Zhang and Liz and a few of their students should have met for the first time on Friday, but rain and wind prevented them from using outdoor structures. 

Due to the small number of classes, they can easily be transferred to indoor classrooms, and despite the weather disturbance, Cheung said it was their first meeting. 

Zhang said: "When we are together, you will feel its touch in the room." "A few of my students are like,'Oh my God, people!' They are happy to have this connection and energy. "

Zhang said the students seemed very excited because every campus student participated in the Friday class. 

Zhang said: "How valuable this class is to them." "They are willing to come from any campus where they are on a rainy Friday afternoon, take the shuttle bus and figure out the shuttle schedule, but they did so. Because they want it very much."

Although they have not had the opportunity to teach on the outdoor structure, Cheung and Lietz visited it and said they felt very safe to return there for personal guidance. 

Liz said: "I actually think we are safe in the classroom, but not all students feel that way." "Going out will increase safety and make it too late for some students."

Liz said that the booking process is simple and encourages other professors to use these seven structures for face-to-face courses, but warns them to check the weather beforehand.

This is a question about Mathias Clairis-Gauthier, a junior learner of sports, who is not part of the course of using outdoor space. He is very interested in these learning structures, but remains vigilant about potential problem areas pointed out by teachers.

"I think it depends on the semester, but on some days, I think most people don't want to melt outside in the 104-degree weather where Zoom can be performed," Clairis-Gauthier

Said. "The concept is good, but the implementation throughout the year may sometimes fail."

Although there may be problems with implementation, these spaces provide students and faculty with an alternative to virtual learning, allowing them to actually appear in the classroom without being indoors.

Liz said: "We need a large number of teachers to consider the specific groups of students who need this type of experience." "We start with the group most likely to need this service, but they are certainly not the only students who need this type of service."

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