Imagine learning about mountains from the summit of the Matterhorn in Switzerland or studying the effects of global warming while standing on the Athabasca Glacier.
Well, imagine no more.
Starting in January, anyone can learn about the mountain world thanks to a free online course called Mountains 101 offered by the University of Alberta.
The 12-lesson course provides a comprehensive overview of mountain studies focusing on the physical, biological and human dimension of mountain places in Alberta and around the world.
The course is the brainchild of Zac Robinson, an associate professor with the faculty of physical education and recreation and David Hik, an ecologist with the department of biological sciences.
鈥淔ive or six years ago we wanted to develop a course for undergraduate students that was interdisciplinary,鈥� said Robinson.
The course was such a success that the university asked if they would be interested in developing it into an online course open to the public.
Seizing the opportunity, both men wanted to make a course that was decidedly different than a typical online course and enlisted experts to deliver lessons on location.聽
鈥淓ach lesson is sort of like a high-end documentary-style production, but unlike a passive documentary where a viewer simply just watches and receives information, the lessons are highly interactive,鈥� explained Robinson.
鈥淎 lot of it was filmed in front of a green screen, but then it cuts to visiting with a different expert in a particular place.鈥澛�
For example, during one of the lessons students visit Waterton Lakes National Park to learn about the whitebark pine tree, an endangered species.
During the lesson, students are taken to a tree stand and learn first hand from an ecological resource manager about why the whitepark tree is important in alpine landscapes.
鈥淭hroughout each lesson there are four or five different cameos from experts, but it鈥檚 all filmed on site in situ,鈥� said Robinson, 鈥淚t changes it up a little bit and adds a nice flavour to it, but also allows students to be in that environment and see, albeit virtually, as opposed to just showing a photograph or explaining it.鈥�
To make the course a reality, he said they got a lot of assistance from Parks Canada, the Alpine Club of Canada and Mountain Equipment Co-op.
鈥淟ike us, all of these different organizations are really keen and excited about the educational outreach potential for a course like this,鈥� said Robinson, describing the collaboration as a community effort.
Each course is an hour long and is free of charge.
Robinson said he expects thousands of people to sign up for the course, which begins on Jan. 9. Similar courses offered by the University of Alberta have seen more than 50,000 people sign up in the past.
Once people sign up they will have access to all 12 lessons at once and could theoretically binge watch all 12 lessons.
鈥淥nce you have access you can take it as fast or as slow as you like,鈥� said Robinson.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not passive like you鈥檙e watching a documentary. Every four or five minutes there will be a little interactive question or something that you will have to do.鈥�
Although there鈥檚 no homework or exams, at the end of each lesson students will have to complete a quiz before they can watch the next lesson. There is also a short segment about useful backcountry travel tips at the end of each lesson.
For those who miss the first class, the course will be offered again in May and again in the fall.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a free course that doesn鈥檛 cost you anything and anyone can take it as long as they have a connection to the Internet.鈥�
Paul Clarke [email protected]
