Open Educational Resources (OERs) for Teaching Insect Morphology and Taxonomy: A Review
Dwarka
Department of Entomology, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, College of Agriculture, Panna, Madhya Pradesh- 488001, India.
Nisha Chadar *
Department of Botany, MCBU, Government Post Graduate Excellence College, Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh- 472001, India.
Anand Kumar Panday
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Lakhimpur Kheri Campus, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, College of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh- 262701, India.
Shobharam Thakur
AICRP on Oilseeds (Sesame & Niger), College of Agriculture, JNKVV, Tikamgarh,Madhya Pradesh-472001, India.
Manoj Kumar Ahirwar
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh-470661, India.
Aditya Kumar Sharma
Department of Agricultural Entomology, B.R.D. PG. College Deoria, DDU GKP University Gorakhpur, U.P.-274001, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Open Educational Resources (OERs) have emerged as transformative tools in the landscape of science education, especially in fields like entomology, where high-quality imagery, interactive modules and taxonomic keys are vital. Insect morphology and taxonomy, a cornerstone in understanding insect biodiversity, ecology and pest management, requires robust pedagogical tools. This review explores the global scenario of OERs available for teaching insect morphology and taxonomy, analyzes their effectiveness, accessibility and pedagogical integration and identifies gaps and future directions. The review synthesizes literature from educational repositories, scientific journals and government databases, and provides a comprehensive critique of available platforms such as BugGuide, Morphbank, iNaturalist, Lucid Keys and others. The study also highlights the need for localized, multilingual and curriculum-aligned OERs to enhance teaching outcomes in entomology.
Keywords: Digital pedagogy, entomology education, visual learning, interactive tools, iNaturalist, BugGuide and Morphbank