We all depend on the ocean, yet Ocean Literacy needs to be further enhanced worldwide. Formal and non-formal educators are key to advance ocean sustainability. 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 will provide 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 provide understanding on how educators can incorporate OL in their work.

Aims and Objectives

This course will provide 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 provide understanding on how educators can incorporate Ocean Literacy in their wor.

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 strategies and approaches to incorporate Ocean Literacy in formal and non-formal educational settings.

Target audience and prerequisites

This course is especially targeted for formal and non-formal educators. This course does not require any pre-requisite knowledge. Prior participation in the Ocean Literacy General Course is encouraged but not compulsory.

Course Contents

• Introduction to Ocean Literacy
• The importance of the Ocean
• Sustainability Challenges and Solutions
• Ocean Literacy for formal education
• Ocean Literacy and citizen engagement in non-formal contexts

Language of instruction

English

Instructors

• Francesca Santoro
• Kerstin Forsberg
• guest speakers

Course Format and Duration

This ~ 11-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.

The course is 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.