#MYPIECEOFOCEAN WORKSHOP AND COURSE RECOMMENDATIONS
Our mission at Ocean Impact Organisation is to create an abundant, sustainable ocean through inspiration, innovation, leadership, and good business. We believe ‘ocean impact’ encompasses all activities that have the potential to have a significant positive impact on the ocean and the people that depend on it. With this idea in mind, for this week’s #MyPieceOfOcean we compiled a list of impactful free workshops and courses that are currently available online.
Many institutions and learning centres are currently increasing their offering of free courses to meet the demands of those stuck indoors, but who want to use their time for self-development, career development, or to learn a new skill.
There’s a diverse range of subjects, models and lengths here, all of which could translate into positive ocean impact.
1. Statement of Attainment in Team Leadership - TAFE
This short course is designed to develop your skills as a team leader so that you will communicate effectively, ensure team performance, develop effective relationships in the workplace, and implement operational plans.
Start date: Flexible
Course length: 26 weeks, 7 hours per week
2. Spring Into Scavenge - Seaside Scavenge
The Spring Into Scavenge program invites anyone over the age of 18 in any corner of the world (not only seaside!) to develop your personal leadership skills in project management, volunteer organisation and many more elements to catalyse change locally.
This is an awesome opportunity to learn the ins and outs of event organisation and community activation through hosting your own Scavenge event in September, October or November 2020 - dates may change.
September - November 2020
3. Massive Open Online Course - One Planet, One Ocean: From Science to Solutions
This Massive Open Online Course provides you a knowledge base that brings to you to the science and fascination of the ocean. Marine scientists team 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.
The course was broadcast in 2016, 2017 and 2018, attracting over 9000 participants from 62 countries. Between September 16th 2019 and September 15th 2020, the course will be open as part of the SDG Academy online education series through which learners can obtain a certificate.
Start date: Flexible
Course length: 6 Modules
4. The Science of Wellbeing - Yale University
In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.
Start date: Flexible
Course length: 19 hours
5. Discover Best Practice Farming for a Sustainable 2050 - The University of Western Australia
The Discover Best Practice Farming for a Sustainable 2050 Course is based on a clear vision: imagine best practice farming for 2050, start to implement these strategies now, all the while making sure it will still be profitable. At UWA we're doing just that with the Future Farm 2050 Project, set on a mixed-enterprise farm in Western Australia and we want you to learn how it can be done in your part of the world.
Although this course is based on agriculture, it's not only about farming. It is a multi-disciplinary course that addresses a wide range of issues confronting the industry, including rural communities, rural infrastructure and conservation of biodiversity in agriculture.
Start date: April 27, 2020
Course length: 4 weeks, 7 hours
6. Design Thinking for Innovation - University of Virginia
Whether you are a manager in a global corporation, an entrepreneur starting up, in a government role, or a teacher in an elementary school, everyone is expected to get lean – to do better with less. And that is why we all need design thinking. At every level in every kind of organization, design thinking provides the tools you need to become an innovative thinker and uncover creative opportunities that are there – you're just not seeing them yet.
In this course, we provide an overview of design thinking and work with a model containing four key questions and several tools to help you understand design thinking as a problem solving approach. We also look at several stories from different organizations that used design thinking to uncover compelling solutions.
Course length: 6 hours
7. Rise Up Program - Reuniversity
RiseUp↑ is part self-transformation course, part think tank/action tank and part community builder. It will also be a journey of deep enquiry. It has been designed to help us help each other be the leadership we so desperately need.
We’ll be taking a deep look inside at who we are, we’ll lift up the astroturf to reveal how we’re being informed, we’ll explore theories and frameworks of change, and we’ll discuss how we can best show up as we rise together in 2020.
Course Dates: 20th May - 10th June
When: Wednesday 7:00pm - 8:30pm AEDT (video dial- in via Zoom)
8. The Age of Sustainable Development - Columbia University
The Age of Sustainable Development" gives students an understanding of the key challenges and pathways to sustainable development - that is, economic development that is also socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
Course length: 14 weeks, 5-7 hours per week
9. Resilience Skills in a time of Uncertainty - University of Pennsylvania
We are all facing different and difficult challenges as we confront the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to support you in this time of uncertainty, the University of Pennsylvania is sharing this free and unique version of Dr. Karen Reivich’s “Resilience Skills” course from the Specialization Foundations of Positive Psychology.
Learn how to incorporate resilience interventions into your personal and professional life with Dr. Karen Reivich. In this course, you are exposed to the foundational research in resilience, including protective factors such as mental agility and optimism. Several types of resilience interventions are explored including cognitive strategies; strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude; and a critical relationship enhancement skill. Throughout the course, you will hear examples of individuals using resilience skills in their personal and professional lives.
Start date: 4th May, 2020
Course length: 4 weeks
10. Seaweed Farming - Agricultural Training Institute
Seaweed farming is presently the most productive form of livelihood among the coastal communities in the southwestern part of the Philippines. Throughout the world, seaweed is harvested as a food source as well as an export commodity for the production of agar and carrageenan products.This course focuses on the Eucheuma sp. and the Kappaphycus sp. These are essential sources of carrageen.
Seaweed export is the country’s third dollar earner after tuna and shrimp. At present, the Philippines ranks third next to China and Korea in the world market in seaweed export.
Seaweed farming only requires low capital investment and short culture period, and yet the profit is high. Also, the size of individual farms are small - even less than 0.25ha to 1.0ha. Because of these favorable conditions, seaweed farming is continually expanding and attracting coastal communities to invest in it. As a complimentary source of livelihood for coastal communities, it can reduce pressure in the fishing grounds as well as reduce the illegal use of toxic chemicals such as cyanide in fishing.
Start date: Self-paced, 5 modules
11. Sustainable Innovations in Enterprises - The Open University
This free online course, Sustainable innovations in enterprises, introduces you to the importance of sustainable innovations, the role it plays in commercial and social enterprises and the importance to society. It explores cases of sustainable innovations in specialist areas – arts and humanities; science, technology and engineering; health & social care. The course also evaluates three methods for measuring the societal impacts of sustainable innovations. Learners are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences of cases where sustainable innovations drive success or failures in enterprises and how the positive impacts on society can be evaluated and sustained.
Course length: Self paced, 9 hours study
12. Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art - Oxford University
Lecture series on Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. The first part of the series focuses on some of the most important writings on art and beauty in the Western philosophical tradition, covering Plato, Aristotle, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. The second part of the series focuses on questions about understanding works of art and about the nature of art. This part examines the interpretation of literature, the expression of emotion in music, and the definition of art.
Course length: self paced, 8 lectures