Challenges posed by the pandemic have provided an opportunity for an educational program coordinator at the museum in Oil Springs to enhance learning methods and gain some recognition.
The Ontario Museum Association (OMA) recently awarded Christina Sydorko of the Oil Museum of Canada with the Award of Excellence in Programs. The award highlights programs that engage new audiences in a creative way.
In a video posted to the OMA's website, Sydorko said she was "tremendously honoured" to receive the award.
Sydorko started a new learning approach in March 2020, offering synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities to educators.
"The major thing that we were hearing is that teachers were stressed and overworked and they needed complete digital packages," said Sydorko in the video. "These digital packages should include slide decks, lesson plans, worksheets, videos, and live museum educators to facilitate discussions with their students."
Since then, Oil Museum has noticed a "tremendous" amount of engagement through educational programs, YouTube videos, and 360 tours.
The online programming allowed the museum to connect with students outside of Lambton County.
"Over 5,000 students throughout Ontario, Alberta, and beyond have accessed our programs between the months of March and June of 2021," said Sydorko. "We hope to build on these experiences and extend it to seniors and general public programming."
During the video, Sydorko thanked her colleagues, family, and the County of Lambton for support.
“Christina developed a suite of virtual program offerings which ensured the museum stayed relevant while closed and has expanded the reach of in-person school programs available in a COVID safe and accessible way," said Curator and Supervisor Erin Dee-Richard in a media release. "She has invested much time and effort to achieve these goals and it’s wonderful to see her acknowledged on this provincial scale.”
The Oil Museum of Canada is currently closed for renovations but virtual programs are still available to the public.