Benefits of participation in a community of practice focused on evaluation and programmatic improvement for environmental educators.

One of the biggest challenges environmental education (EE) practitioners face is having timely and systematically-collected evaluation data to inform the design and improvement of existing programs. One potential way to provide systematic evaluations of programs and build evaluation capacity for practitioners is through a facilitated community of practice (CoP). We developed a CoP involving 37 organizations who were pivoting to online EE programs within the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goals were to build organizational capacity in evaluation and adaptive management to improve these organizations' online EE programs. We describe our CoP design, challenges associated with its implementation, and the benefits reported by participants in the CoP. Participants reported that they improved their evaluation skills and attitudes towards evaluation and developed social capital with a new network of colleagues. They also reported positive changes in practice, both individually and organizationally; considered new outcomes for their programs; and learned about using evaluation data to systematically improve programs. Educators shared their learning both within and outside of their organizations. Those who were more regularly involved in this community reported more positive benefits than others who were less involved. We share our reflections on the process and make suggestions for other evaluators to consider in similar CoP designs.

Walking the Walk toward Increasing Access and Reducing Emissions: The Promise and Challenges of Virtual Climate Adaptation Convenings

Joint professional and stakeholder meetings to share local, regional and national responses to the current and projected effects of climate change have become regular, recurring events over the past decade. These 'climate adaptation convenings';generally include presentations, discussions, and social learning about how to effectively respond to climate-related impacts. Many of these convenings shifted to virtual formats during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a study to understand how four virtual convenings in the United States compare with otherwise similar in-person events. Through surveys with attendees of four virtual climate adaptation convenings, we explored how attendees' outcomes differed between conference formats and captured their perceptions of virtual vs. in-person events. Overall, 71% of attendees indicated that they were more likely or equally likely to attend future convenings online, and 62% reported that knowledge gain was about the same or better online than in-person. Many respondents appreciated the accessibility and more inclusive participation at virtual convenings, as well as the environmental benefits and reduced costs. However, interpersonal interactions were inferior in virtual formats, and some attendees experienced difficulties with technology and screen fatigue. Respondents shared suggestions for addressing these challenges. Altogether, findings suggest that virtual convenings have high potential if greater attention is paid to these elements.