Plymouth University and Fugro introduce sea-change to distance learning programmes

An innovative partnership between the world’s largest geosciences company and an award-winning university has paved the way for the launch of a global distance-learning programme tailored to offshore industries. The Hydrographic Academy will provide vital scientific and technical education to students working on oil rigs and survey vessels hundreds and thousands of miles away from the nearest college or university. The Academy – launched by Plymouth University and Fugro, with support from Flag Officer Sea Training – Hydrography, Meteorology (FOST-HM) and the Centre of Excellence in Naval Oceanographic Research and Education (CENORE) – will offer undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas, as well as Masters-level programmes, and follows repeated calls from the geosciences industry for improved levels of training and education in fields such as hydrography, oceanography and meteorology. It will even take account of the lack of online access that most off-shore students will face, by storing all of the learning resources and assignments on a single 8-gigabyte memory stick. The stick will house an HTML ‘portal’ through which the modules can be accessed. Then, once students have internet connection, they can upload assignments, download new materials, and even conduct tutorials over Skype. They are also encouraged to upload videos to a secure area of Youtube to share their reflections and experiences with academics.