Margaret Janz

Term

Summer 2021

Capstone

Thesis

Degree Name

MAED: NSEE

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

Andreas Schramm

Secondary Advisor/Reader One

Roberta Hunter

Peer-Reviewer/Reader Two

Katherine Ahnberg

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the United States in March 2020 quickly caused the entire nation to rethink how we work and how we approach education. Informal environmental education in particular faced unique challenges during this time yet found ways to adapt their educational programming. This thesis will explore the questions: How did organizations alter and adapt their programming to meet public health guidelines during the pandemic? and What successes and challenges did organizations face in offering these programs? To answer these questions, a survey was distributed to organizations that offer environmental education programs. Results echo and expand on the existing literature on pandemic education. Organizations offered many virtual programs both synchronously and asyncrounously and also found new ways to offer in person events. Programs that involved some interaction with other people and those that took place in person or outdoors were most successful, while asyncrounous virtual materials were considered less so. Organizations faced many challenges in offering programming including financial barriers, technology troubles, and difficulty staying current on public health recommendations. Despite the difficulties and learning losses, respondents felt there may have been some benefits to the changes in their programming and many will continue to offer their adapted programs in the future.

Research Methodology

Grounded Theory, Survey (attitude scale, opinion, questionnaire), Text Analysis

Keywords

environmental education, online learning, pandemic, COVID-19

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text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

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