CONAHEC News and Information

As educators, we craft learning experiences based on the pedagogical foundations set by those who came before us. In higher education, the student persistence and retention strategies used by institutions all over the world are built on the seminal works of great theorists such as John H. McNeely (1937), John Summerskill (1962), William G. Spady (1971), Vincent Tinto (1975), Alexander Astin (1977), and others.

In recent years, higher education leaders have known that achievement gaps between races persist, student debt keeps rising, more jobs will be automated and many students have adapted to online learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating these trends, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors learned during Sunday’s retreat.

The board heard a data-packed presentation and brainstormed goals as masked members and administrators gathered underneath the pavilion at Smithfield Plantation on the eve of the board’s two-day regular meeting.

Less than a month ago, thousands of out-of-state Cornell students were planning early returns to campus so that they could ride out New York state’s mandatory two-week quarantine in university-provided housing before starting the fall semester.

But on July 30, after New York added 10 more states to its growing travel advisory list, the school said it could no longer offer quarantine accommodations.

When it comes to conducting classes this fall, most colleges seem to be stuck between holding in-person or remote classes, or some combination of the two. As a researcher who focuses on the design of educational spaces, I believe there’s a fourth option that’s not being given its due: outdoor spaces, such as open-air tents.

From a learning space design perspective, this could be an effective way of maintaining in-person instruction, even when temperatures drop later in the fall.