* Dear Friends, Welcome to the E-world of Insects. Entomology- the study of insects is a fascinating subject. Once you are into it, you are never the same. CEC has started an online course for all the insect lovers. Given below are the details of the online course
* *BASIC COURSE IN ENTOMOLOGY* *(BCE 100-Online)* * What is BCE 100- Online ? * The Basic Course in Entomology (BCE 100) is a revised online version of the previous correspondence course- Distance Learning in Basic Entomology. 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 BCE 100 with appropriate grades. Also as the name suggests, the course will develop basic skills required for entomologist 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 insect fauna which results into a compilation of scientific publication. Lastly as a group, the students will develop expertise in insect studies which will be useful in taking up bigger challenges for studying insects with respect to their life history, behavior, ecology and also contribute to the ongoing entomological researches carried across the country e.g. One of the BCE alumni is working on the documentation of moths of Arunachal Pradesh. *Who should enroll?* Anyone with an interest to learn about insects and its conservation are eligible to apply. There are three types of learners; Academic, Professional and Lifelong, 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. To know if you could be a Distant Learner, take a test at http://webb.nmu.edu/Programs/OnlineLearning/SiteSections/Technology/OnlineCompatibility.shtml *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 25-30 pages. 1. Insect Introduction 2. Butterflies and Moths 3. Grasshoppers and crickets 4. Cockroaches and Praying Mantids 5. Stick Insects and Leaf Insects 6. Wasps, Bees, Ants 7. Bugs 8. Beetles 9. True flies 10. Dragonflies and Damselflies 11. Termites 12. Miscellaneous Insect Groups Besides the above, they may also refer following BNHS publications as additional readings. These books are available for sale as well as in the library: 1) Book of Indian Butterflies 2) Encyclopedia of Natural History 3) Indian Insect Life *What is the course schedule?* The course duration is one year (start date:1 August 2010, end date: 30 July 2011). The online weekly assignments start on Tuesday and end on Saturday. The monthly field activities are usually held on Sundays if it is day trip or Friday-Sunday 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- Google features will be used such as Google Groups, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Reader, Gmail and Picasa Web Albums. 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 7 day-trips planned throughout the year. Students are expected to attend 3 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. *Field Camps*: There are 8 outstation camps planned throughout the year. Students are expected to attend 3 camps on compulsorily basis to receive full grades. 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. *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 the images and everyone will have access to the image folders. *Favourite Entomological News*: In order to keep the group abreast of development on entomology across the globe, every month it is expected every student chooses his/her favourite e-news and share it with others. *SME Chats*: Every month as per the subject, a chat session with the SME is planned. There are 11 sessions of which only 5 sessions are compulsory for receiving full grades. The chats will be planned as per the availability of SMEs. *Final Project*: The outcome of the course experience is to study local insect diversity. Each student is expected to study their local insect 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 : 35 points § Chat Sessions : 5 points § Weekly E-News : 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.6,750/- (1 credit= Rs. 225/-). The fee includes course orientation & course wrap up camps at CEC and day trips in and around Mumbai. Transport and outstation camps are not included. We provide scholarships for needy and deserving undergraduates. *Who is managing this course?* The Conservation Education Center of BNHS is managing this course. Dr. V.Shubhalaxmi, Center Manager is the Course Co-ordinator, Ms. Priti Choghale, Senior Education Office is the Course Executive. The course will be run with help of the SMEs within and outside BNHS. *How to apply?* The course enrollment form is available at www.bnhs.org or could be requested fromcecb...@gmail.com. Send your completed electronic forms to Ms. Priti Choghale at basento...@gmail.com and send your payments either electronically or by mail. By mail: Mark you envelope with “BCE100” and send your payment cheque favouring “ BNHS” to following address: “Bombay Natural History Society, Conservation Education Center, Near Film City, Goregaon (East), Mumbai- 400065. Telephone:28402946/28421174” Through Online Banking: Transfer Rs.6750/- electronically to BNHS account (SB 10473844816 (State bank of India) ) and inform us immediately. It will be very kind of you if you can spread the words to all the nature lovers. Thanking you, Best Wishes, Priti Choghale Senior Education Officer -- BNHS Conservation Education Centre Near Film City, Goregaon (E), Mumbai - 400065,Maharashtra, India. Tel:91-22- 28402946/28421174 Mobile: 9223513425 / 9323738622 Website: https://cecbnhs.wetpaint.com/ Join the CEC community: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1222421918 http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Profile?rl=mp&uid=3965938760375980959 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To post to this group, send email to indiantree...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to indiantreepix+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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