Teaching entomology online: Challenges, benefits and examples of effective hands-on activities

Traditionally, teaching entomology to undergraduate students has relied upon conventional laboratory-style practical classes—where students are taught how to collect, identify and curate specimens, as well as understand the form and function of key insect groups using unsophisticated but specialised equipment. Entomology educators had to promptly adapt their methods of teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the online delivery of courses that often largely relied on face-to-face teaching. This imposed limitations on what could be effectively taught outside of a lab setting, although in many cases these were mitigated through online technology that introduced opportunities to support entomology students. Here, we assess the learning objectives of a range of current entomology courses taught namely in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, the United States and Europe. We found that practical hands-on skills, such as identification and curation, and understanding of insect morphology and diversity, often taught via lab activities, are common across many courses. Given the perceived tension between current moves to online educational delivery and these common practical learning objectives in entomology, we present a series of four activities that can be taught via online or distance approaches. These exercises can be used to effectively teach key concepts and skills such as identification, form and function and ecological research skills related to insects. We also discuss some challenges and benefits associated with the online delivery of entomology courses, emphasising a number of equity and accessibility benefits that online approaches might deliver.