About the course
"How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean” - Arthur C. Clark
The ocean encircles the globe, forming the largest interconnected ecosystem on earth. It provides a huge range of services on which we rely; food, energy, transportation, environmental resilience, but also immaterial benefits such as beauty, cultural identity, and recreation that enhance our sense of well-being. The pivotal role of the ocean in stabilizing climate, enabling a just distribution of economic prosperity and allowing for sustainable management and good governance of human activities is recognized in Goal 14 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that focuses on the Ocean.
Our course will provide you a knowledge base that brings to you to the science and fascination of the ocean. Marine scientists have teamed up with economists, lawyers and philosophers to bring you a holistic view of how the ocean functions, how human interactions with the ocean can be understood, and what solutions are available to support both sustainable use and stewardship of our blue planet.
We address you – learners around the world who want to share our nuggets of insight and include these in your knowledge space. Whether you are looking to upgrade your education, are professionally involved in ocean issues or seek to know more about your local coastline, the fish you eat or the climate that the ocean regulates; we invite you to join us on this voyage of discovery.
You can expect to learn:
- The physics, biology
and chemistry of the ocean - How human interactions with the ocean impact its resilience
- The rules and regulations governing ocean use and misuse, plus related economics of ocean ecosystems
- Sustainable solutions for coasts, fisheries
and other systems
Course Logistics & Requirements
The course launches September 24, 2018. Students can enroll at any time before or after that date and can complete the course materials at any time until November 18, 2018, at 23:30 UTC (use this time converter to match it to your local time).
Structure
New content is released every Monday. Once the content is released, it remains accessible for the duration of the course. All course components can be completed at any time that is convenient for the students.
You can pace yourself in this course; it is fine to browse and watch to the extent of your time and interests permit. We hope, of course, that you will engage a lot, but it is up to you how much you invest and participate.
- Estimated time commitment: 4-6 hours per week if you go through all lectures and engagement activities. Watching the video lectures and completing the quizzes is approx. 2 hours every week.
- Requirements: An internet connection
- Pre-requisites: None
- Core Course components include:
- Pre-recorded lectures (5-8 core lecture videos per week)
- Pre- and post-course surveys (worth 10% of your overall grade)
- End of Module Quizzes (worth 90% of your overall grade)
This course is especially keen on provoking discussion and gathering your engagement. Thus, every module is also accompanied by:
- Accessory Material and some activities relating to the video lectures
- Ocean Engagement in every module - a unit where every week you meet a different person who will lead the engagement efforts, share a "Blue Tip" and practitioner-led efforts (start-ups) that are dedicated towards ocean conservation
- Live Q&A sessions with experts and Ocean Engagers
Certificates
Students who successfully complete the course may choose to purchase a Verified Certificate signed by the course instructors. In order to successfully complete the course, students must score an average of 70% or higher on the graded components of the course. In order to be eligible to purchase a verified certificate, you must achieve a 70% overall average grade (details on the "Grading" page). You may decide to purchase a verified certificate
As a reminder, edX offers financial assistance to learners who need it.
Translations
All core course lectures have been recorded in English. You may view the transcript on the right side by clicking the " button at the far bottom right of the video or opt to view Closed Caption embedded within the video (click on CC).
Partial Transcripts are also available in Chinese, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Click on the " button of all core videos to view the transcript options available.
Contact Information
Questions? Concerns?
Please be sure to direct any technical questions about the course to edX using the "Help" button at the top of your page!
Questions about course content or the SDG Academy, in general, should be addressed to oceans@sdgacademy.org.