YIMBY—Yes, In My BackYard!—The successful transition to a local online ecology field course

Abstract

Field biology courses provide the ultimate experiential education as students discover the links between theory and practice in ecology and evolution directly in nature. During the spring and summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancelation of face-to-face classes in almost every university in Canada. Whereas traditional university courses were mostly transferred online, the online transition for field biology courses was not so common. Here, I provide an account of a successful transition from traditional field biology course to an online “backyard biology” field course with a small class size of 10 students. While the online field course may not provide the same level of interpersonal benefits of the traditional field course experience, the model outlined here demonstrates that an online field course that incorporates direct experience with the natural environment is possible and should no longer be considered an oxymoron.