Digital learning arena for Arctic biology
Fjelltettegras, Alpine butterwort, Pinguicula alpina L. Photo: Anna Vader/UNIS
Top image: Now you can learn more about Svalbard’s flora, such as the Alpine butterwort (Pinguicula alpina L.). Photo: Anna Vader/UNIS.
UNIS has built a knowledge arena through a collection of websites called “Learning Arctic Biology”. Here you will find information related to Arctic terrestrial biology, with examples from Svalbard’s nature.
23 June 2021
Press release from The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund
The Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund has provided support for the development of this digital learning arena for Arctic biology
The goal has been to use a stranded book project to present knowledge in other ways than in a book. Among other things, a set of virtual field guides (VFGs) has been created so you can digitally visit different locations, move around in the terrain, and get short descriptions of characteristic plants and animals from the area (https://360.learningarcticbiology.info/).
Combine communication ways
“We want people – and our students in particular – to learn about Arctic biology. But people learn in different ways. A digital portal gives us the possibility to reach a wider audience, to update information and combine different ways of communication”, says UNIS professor and project leader Pernille Bronken Eidesen.
“This is a place you can read about Arctic biology, but also listen to lectures, watch small videos and so on. And we have also tried to make the transition between theory and practice more smoothly through a set of virtual field guides. This enables preparation before field work, and recap afterwards. This part of the portal is also a part of our FieldPass project”, says Eidesen.
UNIS has also linked practice experiences from the students to “Learning Arctic Biology”, where they share thoughts about what they learn by working as biologists, and the relevance of biology in a social setting (https://blog.learningarcticbiology.info/).
“Learning Arctic Biology” has been built up so that this digital learning arena can be expanded step by step, and they are now continuously working to publish more material. The goal is for “Learning Arctic Biology” to become a comprehensive professional digital source of knowledge and learning arena for general Arctic biology.