This application proposes to develop a series of VR-based natural resources education learning modules aimed at increasing forest literacy and improving career pathways opportunities for grade 9-12…

Michigan State University received a $150,000 Project Grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SPECA) program (CFDA 10.226), awarded September 15, 2025, with a completion date of September 14, 2027. The project will develop a series of virtual reality (VR)-based natural resources education learning modules designed to increase forest literacy and improve career pathway opportunities for grades 9-12 students. The modules will address the growing disconnect between young people and outdoor environments while building a skilled forestry workforce to meet long-term industry needs.

The project encompasses three primary phases of deliverables. First, Michigan State University will establish partnerships with statewide secondary educators to assess potential product users and identify specific curriculum focus areas. Second, the institution will develop and distribute an initial set of VR learning modules for classroom implementation. Finally, a collaborative working group comprising field professionals and educators will gather, analyze, and interpret evidence regarding module performance against established expectations and standards, using findings to document lessons learned and improve future offerings. The ultimate goal is to provide secondary educators with educational tools that enable students to appreciate forest importance, understand forest-related concepts, communicate meaningfully about forests, and make informed decisions regarding forest resources.

This application proposes to develop a series of VR-based natural resources education learning modules aimed at increasing forest literacy and improving career pathways opportunities for grade 9-12 students. The impact of these modules, if successful, will address both short- and long-term issues facing the natural resource community. Initially, the project will help decrease the growing disconnect between young people and the outdoors. Long-term, the benefits of engaging students in immersive forestry education learning environments will improve forest literacy. The strengths of the application are the dramatically improved and more easily accessible virtual learning platforms in addition to the critical need to maintain a skilled forestry workforce in the coming years. The project will first develop partnerships with statewide secondary educators to determine the scale of potential product users as well as specific areas of curriculum focus. The project will then develop and distribute an initial set of learning modules for classroom implementation. Finally, a collaborative working group of field professionals and educators will gather, analyze, and interpret evidence to determine how well module performance matched expectations and standards; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve future offerings. Overall, the goal is to provide educational tools supporting secondary educators to engage students with forests more readily so that they can appreciate the importance of forests, understand concepts related to forests and communicate about forests in a meaningful way, and make informed and responsible decisions about forest resources