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editorial
. 2020 Dec 31;19(1):E1–E2.

Virtual was the Reality in Neuroscience Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Raddy L Ramos 1,✉
PMCID: PMC8040838  PMID: 33880102

Despite efforts to bring students back onto campus this fall, most colleges and universities needed to move to virtual/remote/online instruction. So for another semester, neuroscience educators adapted their lecture and laboratory-based courses as best they could to meet course objectives. Unfortunately, it appears that this type of instruction will also be the reality for the Spring 2021 semester.

The Fall 2020 issue of JUNE contains manuscripts describing courses that were specifically adapted or can be adapted for online delivery (Kouh, 2020; Hanzlick-Burton et al., 2020; Juavinett, 2020; Linden et al., 2020; Seraphim and Stock, 2020). The current issue also features six “Amazing Papers” manuscripts which highlight papers that have been or can be used in remote seminar or journal-club type courses (McManus, 2020; Delgado-Sanchez, 2020; Ramos et al., 2020; Elliot, 2020; Housman, 2020; Reigel, 2020). Several other manuscripts in the current issue are ideally suited for when students can come back onto campus for in-person laboratory courses (Ambrosini and Gelperin, 2020; Booth et al., 2020; Himmel et al., 2020; Ryan et al., 2020; Sane et al., 2020; Stein et al., 2020) Finally, four manuscripts in the current issue describe best practices for incorporating research into undergraduate neuroscience curriculum (Buffalari et al., 2020; Morrison et al., 2020; Chase et al., 2020) as well as an alternative approach in student assessment of neuroscience conceptual organization (Stevenson et al., 2020).

With the cancellation of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) summer workshop at Davidson College, FUN quickly organized a virtual summer workshop with a focus on remote instruction and diversity, equity, and opportunity in neuroscience education. Six articles from presentations made at the virtual workshop are included in this issue (Booth et al., 2020; Hanzlick-Burton et al., 2020; Juavinett, 2020; Linden et al., 2020; Seraphim and Stock, 2020; Ryan et al., 2020). Additional articles from the FUN summer virtual workshop will be included in future JUNE issues.

On behalf of the entire editorial team at JUNE, I wish all of the neuroscience education community a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

REFERENCES

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