Online Course – Taking Care of our Coral Reef

Coral reefs are home to 25 percent of all marine species and are a vital part to the health of our planet. Unbeknownst to many, the coral reef is a living organism that requires specific conditions in order to grow and thrive. Coral reefs provide a rich educational opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience viewing, interacting with and learning about sea life. Coral reefs are being seriously threatened by issues like climate change, overfishing and pollution. The goal of this course is to educate and inform elementary school students about coral reefs and the animals that reside in and around reefs. The knowledge that students gain will promote a vested interest in them to care for the coral reef, helping to ensure that coral reefs and the sea life within them continue to grow and thrive.

Based on the course designers prior knowledge, students generally do not have very much knowledge on the coral reef, how we should care for it or how our lives impact the reef. At the completion of this course their view will be very positive and create awareness for students to care for the reefs.

Creating a course that is web-based is much more deployable and allows for a much larger audience. Utilizing Edmodo for this course makes it easy to add classes or groups of students at any time. While this course is intended for students in Hawaii, having a web-based course also allows for use globally.