OceanTraining.eu : toolbox for digital ocean education

"""OceanTraining.eu : a toolbox for digital ocean education"" will develop a set of digital resources aimed for international education programmes in the field of Ocean Sciences. International programmes do face several challenges when it comes to switching from non-digital to digital education. The geographical spread and diverse student communities, and the lack of possibilities to train students in practical and field related skills are just some of the elements that illustrate the complex situation when switching to digital education forms.With a consortium of 4 universities we plan to develop existing and new ideas which should support the targetted international education programmes. In addition we foresee that the outcomes of this project will also be usable on a broader scale (for example in the context of Life Long Learning initiatives or global capacity develop in the area of Ocean Science).The OceanTraining.eu toolbox will entail four categories of digital education instruments:1. A fully online set of fundamental Ocean science courses (BASE) valid for 30 ECTS will support graduate programmes seeking for good online alternatives for local programmes. The online setup allows geographically spread students to participate from a distance, but still offers opportunities, thanks to the activating and engaging learning methodologies, to exchange and connect with peers and teachers.2. The format of Short Online Courses (SUPPORT) will be used in second package to provide supporting learning content answering very specific learning needs. A diverse student community with a diversified background does need many additional resources in order to be able to follow regular courses. SOCS will be developed using a wide range of formats in order to provide clear answers to these needs. 3. The Virtual Ocean Lab (EXPLORE) will bring together digital learning techniques and tools which may serve as alternatives for the regular field and practical experiences available in most Ocean Graduate programmes. 4. Lastly a supporting publication tool (UNITE) for teachers investing time and energy in the development of digital learning will be initiated. This tool, in the format of a digital journal, will allow teachers to post their resources in a citable and peer-reviewed format. This tool should increase visibility of digital learning resources and should also make them retrievable.The presented toolbox for Digital Ocean Education will be launched and presented during a closing multiplier event. This event will be organized as a symposium in which Ocean Educators can showcase innovative learning tools and methodologies. This unique event should also create connections between European Universities active in the field of Ocean Science Education and could hopefully lead to increased collaborations.OceanTraining.eu hopes to be a starting point for new developments and joint initiatives in the broad field of Ocean Education."