By Eilea Knotts
The world has been following the reports of COVID-19's spread and has been considering ways in which science education can continue. There has been a massive movement for online educational resources and virtual instruction for students of all ages. The response for sharing these resources with each other has been heartwarming. Scientists from around the globe have gathered on social media sites to communicate where these resources are, whether they are free, and what subject matters are covered.
If you are a faculty member, instructor, or teaching assistant preparing for an online course in oceanography, limnology, or general science, ASLO may be able to help. We have begun to compile all the online educational resources that have come across our twitter feeds (see below). This list is not exhaustive and we are hoping that you all will help provide more sources that we have not seen. If you have resources that are not listed here, please feel free to email the ASLO communications intern (communications@aslo.org). Don’t forget to check back in because this blog post’s list will continue to be updated.
Online Sheets
These public sheets include online lectures, online labs/field trips, and a list of available guest lecturers that you can email. The listings usually include a short description of the educational activity, lecture, worksheet, etc. that are listed. These lists are constantly updating too.
- Geoscience Online Teaching Resources – Subjects include earth sciences and aquatic sciences (limnology and oceanography). See the link here.
- Ecology and Environmental Science Materials – Subjects include general science, earth science, aquatic science, and ecology. See the link here.
- Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN) – These sources are mainly focused on earth, environmental, and aquatic sciences. See the link here.
- Online Resources for Remote Teaching Science Laboratories – a list of both free and not-free virtual labs and simulations. There is a column where the subject matter is specified (e.g. many life sciences and physical sciences). See the link here.
- Amazing Educational Resources – provides a list of free subscriptions to access platforms, activities, and worksheets for all subjects. This is a broad source. See the link here.
E-Lectures
- Limnology video lectures - Created by Dr. Jim Elser @DrLimnology. See the link here.
- ASLO’s E-Lectures - These 19 lectures are all completely annotated and cover topics such as Limnology, Oceanography, Ocean Acidification, Plankton Ecology, Marine Benthos, Radioactivity in the Marine Environment. See the link here.
Other Resource Lists
- EDUCAUSE – A resource page was created to help higher education institutions plan for possible campus disruption by COVID-19. See the link here.
- Article in the Chronicle of Higher Education - Preparing for Emergency Online Teaching. Resources are provided in the article. See the link here.
- USA Science & Engineering Festival - Library of free videos featuring engaging presentations with their XSTEM Speakers and Science Festival performers. See the link here.
Good luck!
