Engaging new Antarctic learners and ambassadors through flexible learning, open education and immersive video lectures

Abstract

In April 2017, Victoria University of Wellington launched ICE101X—Antarctica: From Geology to Human History—on the global edX platform. This Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, attracted 5735 learners from around the world, who engaged with content about Antarctic science, history, geology, and culture, primarily through video lectures filmed in Antarctica. Analysis of feedback from learners in three iterations of the course, offered between 2015 and 2017 and culminating in ICE101X, revealed that learners enjoyed the immersive Antarctic field lectures and learning through a diverse set of disciplinary lenses, had some preconceptions about Antarctica that were challenged by the course content, and completed the course with a new sense of interest in and protection of Antarctica.

Editorial: Geoscience communication – Planning to make it publishable

“…Reaching out to professional science communicators or social scientists is a good way to engage in high-quality geoscience communication (Illingworth, 2017). As an example, Priestley et al (2019) analysed the content of reflective blogs and a series of surveys completed by learners engaged in an online course about Antarctic geology and history. The main engagement activity (the online course) was led by a science historian and a geologist, but co-authors with expertise in geoscience education and psychology were invited to do the thematic analysis and contribute to the publication.…”

Editorial: Geoscience communication – planning to make it publishable

“…Reaching out to science communication researchers or social scientists is a good way to engage in high-quality and publishable geoscience communication (Illingworth, 2017). As an example, Priestley et al (2019) analysed the content of reflective blogs and a series of surveys completed by learners engaged in an online course about Antarctic geology and history. The main engagement activity (the online course) was led by a science historian and a geologist, but co-authors with expertise in geoscience education and psychology were invited to do the thematic analysis and contribute to the publication.…”

The changing views of Antarctica

“…Education is experiencing its own digital disruption, and this provides new opportunities. During my last visit in January 2018, my job was to present and produce online lectures about Antarctic biology (Priestley 2018). Of course, I included stories from the earliest explorers and relied on the narrative of extreme survival in one of the harshest environments on earth.…”