Pandemic shift: Meeting the challenges of moving post-secondary environmental education online

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic surged and resurged across the world, members of a higher education professional group associated with the North American Association of Environmental Education met regularly online to discuss challenges and strategies to cope with the sudden shifts to remote learning. Six environmental education (EE) instructors, from public universities across the USA, compiled and analyzed their teaching experiences, carefully considering impacts on pedagogical strategies common to EE. The analysis revealed positive, negative, and mixed impacts on content mastery, skills development, group work, place-based learning, teaching observations, student teaching experiences, and professional development. The group then considered implications for instructors, students, and the field of EE, particularly amid ongoing pressure to offer online options and the possibility of future pandemics or other major disruptions to traditional higher education.

Keywords:

• Higher education
• COVID-19
• sustainability education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bryan H. Nichols

Bryan Nichols, PhD is an assistant professor of science and environmental education at Florida Atlantic University. He studies interspecies compassion, the affective and moral implications of science and environmental education, and uses construct analyses to develop practical frameworks for complex educational concepts. To complement his doctorate in science education, he has master’s degrees in marine science and science journalism, and has taught and done wildlife research from British Columbia to Belize.

Susan Caplow

Dr. Susan Caplow is an associate professor of Environmental Studies at University of Montevallo. She coordinates the Environmental Studies program and sustainability initiatives at UM. She received her Ph.D. in Environment and Ecology from UNC-Chapel Hill, her M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Central European University, and her B.A. in Public Policy Analysis/Biology from Pomona College. Dr. Caplow teaches courses that explore the interface between humans and the environment, and she incorporates field-based activities and service learning into her courses as much as possible. She teaches the introductory environmental studies course as well as courses focusing on environmental sustainability, policy, education, and ethics. Dr. Caplow’s research focuses on how people interact with conservation interventions (including policies, projects, or education) and how those interactions can lead to environmental/social change that supports conservation efforts.

Rebecca L. Franzen

Becca Franzen is a passionate environmental educator, aiming to connect people to each other and to their place. After earning her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Becca worked in varied roles at environmental education centers and camps for people with disabilities. Seeing a need to better connect with local communities, Becca went back to UWSP for a Masters degree in Human and Community Resources. She then completed her doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Science Social Studies and Environmental Education Integration from Northern Illinois University. Becca teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in foundations of environmental education, environmental education methods, environmental issues and investigations, place-based education, and more. Becca provides professional development experiences for faculty members with the aim of improving environmental education offerings in higher education settings. Her research focuses on pre-service teacher education in environmental education and environmental literacy.

Lucy R. McClain

Lucy R. McClain, Ph.D. is an Assistant Teaching Professor and the Graduate Assistant Program Director at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center (Penn State University). She teaches environmental education and sustainability courses in both Penn State’s Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management (RPTM) department and Curriculum and Instruction (Science Education) department. Trained in the learning sciences, McClain studies how families learn in non-formal educational settings–including outdoor spaces and nature centers–using both non-mobile and mobile devices as learning tools.

Lisa Pennisi

Lisa Pennisi is an Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lisa works in human dimensions of natural resource conservation, including STEM outreach, environmental education, zoo conservation, recreation, and conservation behavior.

Jennifer L. Tarlton

Jenn Tarlton is a Lecturer at Humboldt State University. She is the lead instructor of the Environmental Education and Interpretation Program housed within the Department of Environmental Science and Management. Jenn joined the Department in 2008 and has since created partnerships with Humboldt County Office of Education, California State Parks, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as many additional non-profit organizations. Her teaching focus is on environmental communication, environmental education, natural resource interpretation and graphic interpretation.