The ground-breaking underwater
marine biology lectures were the first of their kind, adding to the teaching,
educational and learning experience during dives on tropical coral reef
systems. The lectures were held during the annual field trip to the Wakatobi
Marine National Park in Indonesia, organised by the University's School of
Biological Sciences for its students. The serious challenges threatening the
future of the world's coral reefs are the backbone of major research being
carried out by the University's internationally-recognised Coral Reef Research
Unit (CRRU). It looks at the impact of climate change on coral reefs and how to
work with nature to find a solution. For the underwater lectures, researchers
used specialised audio equipment so he could talk to students underwater,
explaining exactly what they were seeing as they were seeing it.
Using a University of Essex
special teaching grant, researchers were able to buy an audio system which, to
date, has never been used for formal lecturing and is only used by TV
presenters and some professional divers. They wore a full face mask which
included a microphone and the students wore headsets so they could hear him
talk. A hydrophone -- an underwater microphone − was then positioned in the water
which was linked to a control box and recorder on a boat. With over 1,000
videos taken during the underwater lectures, adding up to 15 hours of footage,
these will prove to be a valuable virtual field course resource for students
who are not able to travel to Indonesia but can still get an insight into the
experience whilst also providing a great ‘listen again’ opportunity for
participating students.
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