COVID-19 forced a unique set of content delivery challenges onto a traditionally hands-on subject, forcing everyone to address the question of “how” we deliver content with minimal contact. With a need to adapt our delivery methods came an additional chance to reconsider “what” our intended learning outcomes were. Here I document a real-time curriculum revision that was initiated due to the realities created by the pandemic, but grew to acknowledge the important societal events that simultaneously occurred during this time. First, greater access was created through the development of new asynchronous online courses. Next, we identified four contemporary topics which were either highlighted, or reinforced, during 2020: the importance of biological systems and systems thinking, insect biodiversity declines, ethics, and the need for social justice. Course content and student programs were then created to reflect the importance of these topics as part of our entomology curriculum. Systems thinking approaches were added to illustrate the direct and indirect effects of insects on the environment and society, introductory student insect collections were eliminated and replaced with inventory and monitoring approaches, content that explores the ethical decisions created through our interactions with insects were created, and scholarship and mentoring programs were developed to increase diversity and inclusion within the Department. By focusing on both the “how” and “what”, our goal was to establish long-term impact through a curriculum that focuses on whole-student development.
