In May 2020, the Université de Sherbrooke set up a committee to reflect on the development of outdoor classrooms in the context of pandemic and social distancing. Professor Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, a specialist in outdoor education at the primary and secondary levels, was mandated to apply his expertise to higher education with the help of collaborators. He has produced two guides and developed data sheets for 12 outdoor classroom models at the Université de Sherbrooke.

In order to inspire other colleges and universities to adopt this practice in the urgent context of the pandemic, Professor Ayotte-Beaudet has made available the tools developed under the terms of a Creative Commons License, in collaboration with the Fabrique REL. The first guide is intended for school administrators wishing to create outdoor classes. The second is oriented toward the practical issues of outdoor classroom education. The documents are available in PDF and Word versions to allow other institutions to adapt the content to their own needs. The usage parameters are specified on the second page of the documents. To obtain the documents in English, please contact: [email protected]

Available documents

Outdoor teaching in higher education in the context of COVID-19 in Canada

• Guide to support management in the early stages of implementation
• Pedagogical guide to support teachers
• Webinar to learn about outdoor education
• Webinar – Classes extérieures: S’initier à la pédagogie en plein air en période de pandémie

Additional resources on teaching in outdoor classrooms at the elementary and secondary levels can be found on the following websites: Des sciences dehors and Enseigner dehors.