About
General Course Information
In the Viel-Falter Butterfly Monitoring project, volunteers work alongside researchers from the Institute of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck to observe, identify and count butterflies. Butterflies, which are loved by almost everyone, react quickly and sensitively to changes in their habitat. This makes them excellent indicators for biodiversity monitoring.
If you want to discover the diversity of native butterflies and support science and nature conservation, register for this MOOC right away and get started!
Content
Course Content
- What is biodiversity monitoring and why is it necessary?
- What is butterfly monitoring and how does it work?
- Introduction to butterfly identification and the Viel-Falter survey method.
Course Goals
Participants will be able to independently conduct simple butterfly surveys as part of the Viel-Falter butterfly monitoring programme.
Previous Knowledge
No
previous knowledge is required.
Course Procedure
This MOOC consists of a total of 3 units, which were first published in March 2021.
In the first two units, MOOC participants are introduced to the topic and methodology. In addition to videos and interviews, there will also be short quizzes for self-assessment. Identification games will help participants familiarise themselves with the most important butterfly groups. Those who are particularly interested can also explore the topic in greater depth.
The third unit leads to a personal interview to complete the training as a butterfly surveyor.
Certificate
Upon completion of all three parts of the course, participants who have actively participated will receive a certificate of participation containing their username, the course name and the duration of the course. The course certificate is required for active participation in the Viel-Falter butterfly monitoring programme.
Licence
All course materials are made available under the open Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (excluding external links and individual documents marked separately). This allows free use, modification and republication of all components of the videos, working materials, exercises and test questions (unless these are external, i.e. linked materials, in which case the respective conditions apply). Sustainable usability and use is therefore possible, even beyond the course and project duration of iMooX.
When using the materials, please indicate: CC-BY 4.0 Viel-Falter-UIBK-Innsbruck CC BY 4.0
Course Instructor
Dr. Johannes Rüdisser, Mag. Petra Schattanek, MSc und Dr. Peter Huemer
Dr. Johannes Rüdisser 
Rüdisser is a landscape ecologist, GIS specialist and nature and environmental educator at the Institute of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck, initiator and head of the Viel-Falter butterfly monitoring programme and a founding member of the Austrian Biodiversity Council.
Mag. Petra Schattanek, MSc 
Schattanek is a biologist and expert on butterflies, bats and small mammals. At Viel-Falter Butterfly Monitoring, she supervises volunteer butterfly observers, leads training courses and conducts butterfly surveys herself.
Dr. Peter Huemer
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Free for all € 0.00
Partners
University of Innsbruck
Innsbruck