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Empowering Weather and Climate Understanding Rolls Out Online Course 

Jan. 14, 2025
A group of people sitting in chairs and talking around a table.

Course enrollment opens January 27 

Improving Weather and Climate Understanding took the state by storm – offering workshops across Ohio to empower teaching and dissemination of climate and weather education – and now, the program is set to launch a self-paced online course to broaden access to educators, environmental professionals and students. 

"Offering an online option is great for those who have been interested in our in-person workshops but unable to attend due to travel, work, or other obstacles," said Geddy Davis, project lead and program coordinator for weather and climate services with the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) at The Ohio State University. 

Support for Improving Weather and Climate Understanding is provided by Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP) funding with project partners from Byrd Polar Climate Research Center; the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Program (OCVN); and Ohio State University Extension

“We know there is demand for this content and by offering
an online option, we are hoping to further meet this demand.” – Geddy Davis  

"This fall we offered the workshop in partnership with our colleagues in OSU Extension in both Summit and Franklin county, with Edge of Appalachia – Cincinnati Museum Center and at the Green Teachers Conference in Athens county and have reached 74 professionals and volunteers with these 4 offerings," said Anne Baird, director of the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Program and part of the project team awarded OSEP funding. 

K-12 educators, Extension Educators, Master Gardeners, MetroParks volunteers, Soil and Water Conservation staff, and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) participants have all shown interest in this programming along with members of the public. 

A group of people sitting around tables discussing and learning about climate and weather at a workshop.
One of the workshops held this fall to empower weather and climate understanding.

"The workshop met the moment for many of the region’s Master Gardeners who attended," said Maggie Rivera, Ohio State University Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Summit County. “I heard plans to include Climate in meetings that typically are just about plants and plant issues; also talks of book clubs and discussion groups being formed. This workshop provided data, resources, and connections to speakers and has given life to new efforts and continued learning!"

Plans are underway to offer one more in-person workshop at the University of Toledo Lake Erie Center. Stay tuned to https://byrd.osu.edu/improving-weather-and-climate-understanding-ohio-workshop-series for more information and updates. 

Online course to build understanding and confidence in an accessible way  

The new online course, Weather, Climate, and Climate Change for Ohio’s Environmental and Natural Resources Professionals and Volunteers is an adaptation of the popular in-person workshops. Enrollment for the self-paced course goes live on Jan. 27 here and the course will run from February 18—March 28,2025, offering 4 modules of content, programming, and activities adapted directly from our in-person workshops, including check-ins over the course of 1 month. 

"With this project, we set out hoping to address barriers that educators and volunteers have reported about integrating weather, climate, and climate change into their work, and now we are also addressing barriers to accessing this content by offering an online course," Davis said. 

"Feedback on our workshops so far shows gains in understanding how climate systems work, why climate is changing, and more interest in incorporating climate and weather outreach and education into their volunteer and professional responsibilities, as well as increased confidence to incorporate and discuss, and access to additional resources," Baird said. "We hope our online course shows similar gains in understanding and confidence."

by Molly Bean
CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources
bean.21@osu.edu