ERIC Number: EJ1311218
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2576-6767
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Remote and Hands-On: Informal Environmental Health Science Education in a Socially Distant World
Fallone, Caitlin M.; Korfmacher, Katrina S.; Brosnick, Lisa; Markowitz, Dina G.
Journal of STEM Outreach, v4 n2 Jul 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for informal health science education, which traditionally involves face-to-face programming. We describe the adaptation of hands-on environmental health science kits for online and socially distanced informal education with diverse audiences. These hands-on science kits were traditionally used for in-person, whole group instruction. Because the kits include all the materials needed to complete the activities, they provide hands-on science experiences without the need for a science lab facility. We developed a logistics plan for online use of the kits, taking into account the use of technology, kit distribution, virtual instruction, and audience engagement. We also developed COVID-19-safe practices for in-person instruction that supported social distancing while engaging learners in hands-on science. The strategic adaptation and creative implementation of these kits allowed us to engage our community's youth in environmental health learning during the isolated and uncertain times of the pandemic. Lessons learned from this experience may inform future efforts to provide remote, interactive informal science education to respond to diverse learners' needs.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Distance Education, Electronic Learning, Hands on Science, Science Education, Science Materials, Health Sciences, Environmental Education, Informal Education, Youth Programs, Secondary School Students, Outreach Programs, Public Health, Water Quality
Journal of STEM Outreach. PMB 0367, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203. e-mail: jstemoutreach@vanderbilt.edu; Web site: https://www.jstemoutreach.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (Rochester)
Grant or Contract Numbers: R41ES031406; R42ES023706; P30ES001247
Author Affiliations: N/A