Bird Watching Course
Have you ever found yourself going out of your way, to catch a glimpse of that bird that flew away,before you could completely grasp,how beautiful it was ! Enamored you followed its bird song to get another fleeting glimpse of that winged beauty. Don’t you wish you knew much more about it. The name? , is it migratory?, nest type , was it male/female and so on. Wait know more! This course which you can do from the comfort of your PC itself.It is tailored specifically for people like you and me ! See you in the online classroom buddy.Happy birding.
Note : The information below is sourced from http://bnhs.org/bnhs/index.php . Please visit their website to discover more.
Bombay Natural History Society , a pan-India wildlife research organization, has been promoting the cause of nature conservation for the past 131 years, since 1883.
Basic Course in Ornithology 100 (Online) 2014-15
What is BCO 100 – Online?
The Basic Course in Ornithology (BCO 100) is a revised online version of the previous correspondence course- Distance Learning in Basic Ornithology. It is a hybrid course with online (asynchronous) and face to face (synchronous) activities interwoven through the course work. The course content is developed by subject matter experts (SMEs). The synchronous activities include online chat sessions with SMEs and field trips. The asynchronous activities include online learning through range of weekly assignments.
What are the benefits?
On successful completion students will receive a certificate in BCO 100 with appropriate grades. Also as the name suggests, the course will develop basic skills required for Ornithologist among the students. The students will gain required knowledge through the chapters, online discussions and field activities. They will get opportunities to interact with SMEs and learn about their works. As an outcome of the course, each student will carry out documentation of local bird fauna which results into a compilation of scientific publication. Lastly as a group, the students will develop expertise in bird studies which will be useful in taking up bigger challenges for studying birds with respect to their life history, behavior, ecology and also contribute to the ongoing Ornithological researches carried across the country.
Who should enroll?
Anyone with an interest to learn about birds and its conservation are eligible to apply. There are three types of learners; Academic, Professional and Life-long, check out which category do you belong? The basic qualification is S.S.C. with or without science background. Other requirements include proficiency in computer operation and internet browsing, willing to dedicate minimum 2 hours every day for the course work. Take a test to know if you could be a Distant Learner:
What is the course syllabus?
The course includes 12 chapters on following topics. The chapters are illustrated and written in simple English. Each chapter is of 30-35 pages.
- Introduction
- Classification and Anatomy
- Bird Adaptation
- Food and Diet
- Woodland Birds
- Breeding Biology
- Grassland Birds
- Bird Migration
- Water Birds
10. Threatened Birds of India
11. Birds of Prey
12. Bird Conservation
What is the course schedule?
The course duration is one year (start date: 1 June 2014 end date: 31 May 2015). The monthly online assignments start on first working day of every month. The monthly field activities are usually held on Sundays if it is day trip or weekends in case of overnight camps. The calendar of events will be made available upon registration.
What is the course delivery?
As a course management system- Lore features will be used which is like Facebook and also Google apps. Student should have access to computer, internet with audio-video facilities and also own a digital camera. In order to orient the students, an overnight course orientation camp will be held at the beginning of the course and a wrap-up camp at the end of the course.
What are the course deliverables?
The details of the assignments are given below:
Text Reading: Every month one chapter will be made available online for students to read. If required, students can take a print out of the desired chapters.
Presentations: Every month subject specific PowerPoint presentations will be made available online. Students are expected to access it as and when possible during the specified period. These presentations could be downloaded by students.
Local Day Trips: There are 8 day-trips planned throughout the year. Students are expected to attend 5 trips on compulsorily basis to receive full grades. After each trip a brief report need to be submitted. The format of the report will be provided, if required. Outstation students have a facility to do the day trip at a forest patch nearby their place. However they need to submit the report for the same.
Field Camps: There are 5 camps organized throughout the year. Out of five camps students are expected to attend 3 camps on compulsorily basis to receive full grades. In these three camps students are expected to attend the Inaugural camp on compulsorily basis. In case of the other two camps students also have facility of attending BNHS membership camps as per their convenience and choice. For attending these camps, BNHS membership is required. A camp report must be submitted after each camp attended. The format of the report will be provided, if required.
Field Camp Destinations: Point Claimer, Keoladeo National Park, Bhigwan, Thattekad
Image Sharing: Students are encouraged to carry out photo documentation of their field trips and camps. We have sessions wherein students can share their images with other students. The SMEs will identify 10 images and everyone will have access to the image folders.
Favorite Ornithological News: In order to keep the group abreast of development on ornithology across the globe, every month it is expected every student chooses his/her favorite e-news and share it with others. There are 11 assignments of which only 10 are compulsory to receive full grades.
Online Activities: In order to keep yourself updated with research work in the field of ornithology, you are expected to refer to scientific papers online and submit your note. There are 10 written assignments of which only 5 are compulsory to receive full grades. Besides, there are several other online activities which are not graded.
SME Chats: As per the subject, 5 chat sessions with the SME are planned throughout the year. Attending all 5 sessions is compulsory for receiving full grades. The chats will be planned as per the availability of SMEs.
Celebration of Eco-Days: In order to be a part of conservation the students are encouraged to carry awareness within their localities, we have planned celebration of 6 eco-days. Students can choose any five days to celebrate and spread awareness about our endangered feathered friends.
Final Project: The outcome of the course experience is to study local bird diversity. Each student is expected to study their local bird fauna and contribute to a scientific publication. This is a yearlong project and there are deliverables every month.
What is the grading structure?
The course is of 25 credits (30 hours= 1 credit). The grading structure for the assignments is given below:
- Field Trips & Camps: 50 points
- Final Project: 25 points
- Chat Sessions: 5 points
- Online Activities: 5 points
- Weekly E-News: 5 points
- Eco Day Celebration: 10 points
Based on the aggregate points, students may receive grades ranging from ?A? to ?D?. There is no final exam at the end of the course. Students who are unable to fulfill the course requirements may not receive their certificates.
What is the course fee structure?
The tuition fee is Rs. 9,990/-. The fee includes course orientation camp at CEC and day trips in and around Mumbai. Transport, wrap-up and outstation camps are not included.
Who is managing this course?
Ms. Priti Choghale is the Course Co-ordinator. The course will be run with help of the SMEs within and outside BNHS.
How to Register?
The course enrollment form could be downloaded from the BNHS website or could be requested from cecbnhs@gmail.com. Send your completed electronic forms to Ms. Priti Choghale on baseornitho@gmail.com and send your payments either electronically or by mail.
*By mail: Mark your envelope with ?BCO 100? and send your payment cheque favoring ? Bombay Natural History Society? to following address: ?Bombay Natural History Society, Conservation Education Center, Near FilmCity, Goregaon (East), Mumbai – 400065. Telephone: 9594929107 / 9594929107.
*Through Online Banking: Transfer Rs. 9,990/- electronically to BNHS account (SB 10473844805) and inform us immediately.
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