Florida Museum of Natural History
Key points
- The COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate effect on how educators at museums and science centers interacted with their audiences. Many began offering online programming for the first time while simultaneously grappling with budget shortfalls, staff layoffs and low morale.
- Two inquiry-based studies had previously tracked the application of distance learning in museums. In a third study , recently published in the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, researchers assess the state of online museum programming three years after the pandemic's onset to find out what worked and what didn't.
- The results are mixed. Digital programming was a success for most museums, to the extent that they were still being offered two years after businesses re-opened. Others reverted to in-person education only. Everyone agreed there were several challenges associated with the transition and that further training and professional development are needed to improve content and delivery.
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