Without in-person, in-nature learning (due to the presence of Covid-19), how have environmental education programs adapted to these changes virtually, and are they as effective as they would be in person?

Public project summary

Every year millions of people interact with environmental education programs by taking specific courses, visiting museums and aquariums, learning in school, or visiting other institutions. COVID-19 safety measures greatly impacted many of these institutions, limiting or completely closing their in-person, physical learning. This research project will investigate how institutions have adapted to the changes caused by COVID-19 from January 2019 to March 2023. The research will compare the efficacy of virtual learning versus traditional, in-person learning. Interviews with employees and project designers from Environmental Education institutions will provide quantitative and qualitative data that will demonstrate changes made to programs or the introduction of programs and analyze the success of virtual learning environments. This research project aims to produce a baseline virtual program using the collected data that institutions can use to create their own successful virtual learning environments.