Life in the oceans: exploring our blue planet
On this page
|
|
|
|
|
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Life in the oceans: exploring our blue planet is one of a series of short, flexible 10-point courses introducing fascinating topics in science. Using a course book and material from the spectacular Blue Planet BBC TV series, this course answers many questions about our marine environment. It also enables you to try out an area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses. It has a choice of start dates, and you decide how long to take over your studies: eight to ten weeks, or up to five months.
Course content
This course asks:
- What are the challenges of living in the oceanic environment, and how have marine organisms adapted to cope with them?
- Why do some parts of the ocean constantly teem with life, while others have seasonal bursts of activity?
- How have our ideas about the deep ocean environment evolved? And why do discoveries in the abyssal depths continue to amaze us?
- Is it too late to tackle global overfishing? How can we reverse its disastrous effects on life in the oceans?
In working towards answers to these questions, you will see that to understand life in the oceans we need to consider not just marine biology, but also geology, chemistry and physics; the shape of the ocean basins, the chemistry of seawater, and ocean tides and currents all play crucial roles in shaping the marine environment.
The course assumes that you are new to science and introduces new scientific ideas as you need them, though if you have already done some science at school, college or elsewhere you will find opportunities to explore some topics further. The course should help you to develop a variety of skills, which become more sophisticated as the course progresses, and there are questions to help you to check your understanding as you go along.
Entry
You need an interest in life in the oceans, and the motivation to discover more about this exciting and important topic.
To cope with the printed material, you need to be able to understand in outline the sort of articles printed in the ‘quality’ newspapers. You should also be able to write your thoughts down comprehensibly. Mathematically, you need to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide simple numbers and calculate percentages. A maths skills ebook is provided to help you with, for example, fractions, percentages, reading graphs and tables, and scientific units as required by the course.
You can check that you have the appropriate background by trying out the interactive quiz Are you ready for science study?. In the course you will meet a wide range of scientific subjects; if you think you may find this too demanding you may prefer to try a short course in a narrower area first, such as one of those particularly recommended for new students; see the Where to start in Science section of our website.
If you would like more information about the range of science short courses available you can visit the science short courses website. This site includes a frequently asked questions section and throughout the year details of special regional events are posted here.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
This is an optional course in our:
- BSc (Honours) Geosciences (B25)
- BSc (Honours) Life Sciences (B28)
- Certificate in Contemporary Science (C70)
It can also count as 10 points towards an Open University bachelors degree, and would be particularly suitable for inclusion in one of the BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences degrees alongside other 10-point science courses. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
If you have severely impaired sight you may find the course challenging as it depends heavily on video material, although the programme narrations and course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course material can be provided on request. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting your needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
DVDs containing some complete programmes and compilations from the Blue Planet BBC TV series; a specially written course book; study guide and glossary; maths skills ebook; website.
You will need
DVD player (which need not be part of a PC); basic scientific calculator.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Study support
You can telephone or email a study adviser, who will be able to help you with any aspect of the course. There will also be an online discussion forum that you can use to get help with the course, contact study advisers and other students, and obtain access to further resources. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online eTMA system to submit your end-of-course assessment (ECA).
For each course presentation there is a choice of two alternative dates by which you have to submit the single piece of written work for assessment: February course start completes end of April or end of July; May start completes end of July or end of October; September start completes end of October or end of January; November start completes end of January or end of April.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February, May, September and November each year. We expect the last presentation to be in May 2010. A replacement course is not planned.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Science.
Study explained
- Course
- - a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
Nice course although a little disappointed as thought it would be largely based around animals/sea-life. Found it went a lot ...
Read more
The DVD material is fantastic and the course book is excellent. This is a very interesting course but I found ...
Read more
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service
Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90
Browse the prospectus
Request a print prospectus
Share
This PageThe University wishes to emphasise that, while every effort is made to regularly update this site, the material on it is subject to alteration or amendment in the light of changes in regulations or in policy or of financial or other necessity.