Open University -Department of Environment Earth and Ecosystems
iSpot’ – your place to share nature (www.ispot.org.uk ) is The Open University’s (OU) award-winning social networking website about engagement with nature developed as part of the Biodiversity Observatory in the Department of Environment Earth and Ecosystems, Faculty of Science. It is an easily accessible resource designed to help remedy the gap in the general public’s wildlife identification skills and is pioneering in its approach to supporting learning across the boundary between the informal and formal, using a combination of social networking, informal access to expertise, and accredited learning opportunities. The site was launched in June 2009 and up to May 2013 had almost 25,000 registered users. iSpot is supported by a range of inter-related projects and a multidisciplinary team across the university.
Mentors have proved to be a vital component of the OU’s delivery team. We are seeking an iSpot Biodiversity Mentor for Scotland as we continue Phase II of iSpot’s development funded through the Garfield Weston Foundation, British Ecological Society and as part of The OpenScience Laboratory, an initiative of The Open University and The Wolfson Foundation, which is a global centre at the cutting edge of practical science teaching – operated entirely online.
We are seeking a Biodiversity Mentor for Scotland who will support groups, organisations, schemes and societies and the public more generally in the use of iSpot so that the largest number of people in Scotland can get the greatest benefit from the website.
If you are interested in this consultancy as the Biodiversity Mentor for Scotland it is essential that you are based in Scotland, have a degree, or equivalent, in a science, environmental or related area, have experience in informal learning, public outreach and communications, using social networking and have experience of engaging the general public in some branch of natural history.
All expressions of interest must be received by 12 noon Wednesday 29 May, 2013 following the procedures outlined.
Closing date: Wednesday 29 May 2013.
Informal enquiries may be addressed to Janice Ansine, Biodiversity Observatory Project Manager via email:janice.ansine@open.ac.uk .
