Scots launch free seaweed cultivation course
A new online course released today by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS UHI), in partnership with The Open University in Scotland, makes cutting edge research on seaweed cultivation freely available for the first time to learners, industry and academics alike.
Seaweed has often been hailed as a solution to a number of global issues, whether it is the next ‘superfood’ or the answer to food and fuel shortages. Now the budding UK seaweed cultivation industry has been boosted by the production of a new, free openly licensed online course with The Open University.
Called ‘My Seaweed Looks Weird’, it has been devised by scientists at SAMS UHI and developed in partnership with Opening Educational Practices in Scotland (OEPS), hosted at The Open University in Scotland.
The course is aimed at students with a scientific background and employees within the industry. It aims to build their knowledge and understanding of seaweed parasitology, enhancing employability and skills within the industry and leading to badged recognition for learners.
The content is based on a Natural Environment Research Council-funded project, GlobalSeaweed, which aims to establish a worldwide network of partners tackling emerging issues in seaweed cultivation, such as pests, invasive species and pathogens.
Project leader Dr Claire Gachon is excited about opening her research to the wider population. She said: “Seaweed has promised a lot but, as in any new industry, there are pros and cons to consider. We need a clear picture of where the industry is going and how we can make it sustainable.
“The UK has immense potential as a producer of seaweed, but currently lags behind most coastal Asian countries. However, this delayed development gives scientists and businesses the chance to apply the most advanced levels of research and understanding to the industry from the start.
“Running this course through the Open University will allow the GlobalSeaweed project to communicate with lots of audiences and will help us achieve our goal of creating a network of seaweed industry partners.”
Ronald Macintyre from OEPS added: “We are seeing a great deal of interest in free and openly licensed courses from specialist research institutes. They are an effective way to reach academic and industry audiences with relevant knowledge and data in a timely way.
“Openly licensed resources are a useful way to achieve this as they also allow the content to be retained, reused, revised, remixed and/or redistributed provided that the original resource author is attributed. This extensively increases the potential reach and impact of data and knowledge shared in this way.”
The UK has a tradition of seaweed harvesting; it has been part of the country’s diet for around 4,000 years and was traditionally used as a cheap fertiliser. Today, countries like China harvest seaweed on a huge scale as part of a multi-billion dollar industry globally.
