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.