We all depend on the ocean, yet Ocean Literacy needs to be further enhanced worldwide. Ocean Literacy (OL) is ‘the understanding of human influence on the ocean and the ocean’s influence on people’. It is not only about increasing awareness on the state of the ocean, but it is also about providing tools and approaches to transform ocean knowledge into actions that promote ocean sustainability.

This course provides a general overview of the importance of the ocean, the challenges it faces, and ways forward for sustainability. It will introduce the concept of Ocean Literacy, describe its basic principles, tools and approaches, and give a basic understanding of how a wide spectrum of stakeholders and social actors can support Ocean Literacy. It ultimately expects to encourage participants to incorporate Ocean Literacy in their work and everyday lives. 

Aims and Objectives

This course provides a general understanding of the concept of Ocean Literacy and the importance of the ocean. It aims to support participants to incorporate Ocean Literacy into their work and their day to day lives.

Expected learning outcomes

Participants will:

• Understand the concept of Ocean Literacy, the importance of the ocean and the relation between the ocean and people.
• Learn about the Ocean Literacy Principles and the possibility to adapt them to multiple contexts.
• Be introduced to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the role of Ocean Literacy in the Decade.

Target audience and prerequisites

This course is open to the general public and does not require any pre-requisite knowledge. Government officials, educators and representatives of the private sector, media, civil society, academia, as well as students and early career professionals, are encouraged to participate.

Course Contents

• Introduction to Ocean Literacy
• The Ocean Literacy Essential Principles
• Adapting Ocean Literacy to different contexts
• Ocean Literacy and the UN Decade of Ocean Science

Language of instruction

English

Instructors

• Francesca Santoro
• Kerstin Forsberg
• guest speakers

Course Format and Duration

This ~10-hour long self-paced course consists of a series of (online) lectures, case-studies, video messages from guest speakers and quizzes. No feedback is provided, neither a Certificate.

This self-paced course will be available for self-enrolment between 10 May - 31 December 2021 on the OceanTeacher e-Learning Platform.

Contacts:

• Ocean Literacy: oceanliteracy@unesco.org
• OTGA Secretariat: ioc.training@unesco.org

Costs

No tuition fee.

The UNESCO/IOC Project Office for IODE is certified as a Learning Services Provider (ISO 29990:2010). The OceanTeacher Global Academy is a Project of IOC/IODE supported by the Flanders-UNESCO Trust Fund (FUST) of the Government of Flanders, Belgium.