Connecting hands-on-PRactice and Innovative MArine ecological sampling methods and analysis tools for enhancing student LEARNING

PRIMA Learning has been built on the Centre for Excellence in Teaching (SFU) at the University of Bergen (bioCEED, UiB), the Thon Foundation funded teaching project “Ecosystem, climate and variation in a “mini-ocean-ecosystem”: a west Norwegian fjord” (Ocean Science course BIO325), strong research environments in South-Africa, and two Centers for Research-based Innovation (SFI) at the Institute of marine Research (IMR, first CRISP, then CRIMAC) and the FAO’s flagship for developing sustainable fisheries considering climate and pollution impacts (EAF-Nansen program). Our main partner in South Africa is the University of the Western Cape (UWC), which houses the hub for Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD). The PRIMA Learning project has renewed and expanded previous strong collaboration funded by the Norwegian and South African Research Councils (2003-2010) for studies of the Benguela Upwelling Ecosystem off Namibia and South Africa. The main objective of PRIMA Learning was to build new knowledge through basic research and educate highly qualified marine scientists with international experience and networks linked to collaborations between researchers in Norway and South Africa. Innovative teaching and learning methods that integrate hands-on-learning of practical skills required for marine ecological field studies for academia, research institutes and the industry were adopted. Student-active research has been a priority. These have focused on i) hands-on learning of marine ecological field methods and world-leading technology onboard research vessels in the Benguela Upwelling Ecosystem and in west Norwegian fjords; ii) analyzing acoustic and optical data; iii) analyzing biological data. PRIMA Learning has organized intensive writing- workshops, seminars, intensive university courses, and field courses onboard research vessels. PRIMA Learning has financed mobility and travel grants between Norway and South Africa for MSc students, PhD students and researchers. Three PhD-students and two MSc students have already completed their work, and two more PhD defenses and two more MSc exams are planned in 2024.

PRIMA Learning has provided an added value by top-up funding mobility for students with bursaries from the South African NRF projects (PI MJ Gibbons), and by funding MSc students from Norway and South Africa to participate in intensive expert courses in South Africa. The funding has also allowed participation in international conferences, writing workshops for intensive work on scientific papers on jellyfish, mesopelagic fishes and the ecology of the bearded goby in Benguela. Moreover, it has funded numerous short exchange visits for researchers to continue working on joint scientific papers started on previous projects and has allowed for future collaboration. PRIMA Learning has built new knowledge through basic research and educated highly qualified marine scientists with international experience and networks. Our teaching and learning methods integrate hands-on-learning of practical skills for marine ecology and fisheries science, with outcomes that are useful for academia, research institutes and industry. PRIMA Learning funding has contributed to three PhD degrees, two MSc degrees, and two BSc Hon degrees, at the University of Western Cape. Two more PhD degrees and two MSc degrees are planned for completion in 2024. Sixteen MSc students from Norway participated on PRIMA Learning’s intensive courses on stable isotope analysis (2 ECTS) and jellyfish taxonomy and ecology (2.5 ECTS) together with students from UWC in Cape Town February 2023, and some participated in the fisheries acoustics course at BIO, UiB. Project participants have already published eleven peer-review papers in academic journals and two book chapters, but the group has still ten papers in progress on mesopelagic fish planned for a special issue in African Journal of Marine Science (Guest editors PIs of PRIMA Learning; MJ Gibbons and AGV Salvanes). Tentative title: “Studies on mesopelagic fishes in the Benguela and other regions”. Submission by May/June 2024; published in Issue 3 or 4. Work in progress has been presented at international conferences and project seminars/workshops. There are numerous papers in preparation that are based on MSc, PhD and BSc Honours theses.

The PRIMA LEARNING is a project on active student learning in marine science. We will build new knowledge through basic research, and educate highly qualified marine scientists with international experience and networks. The approach is to adopt innovative teaching and learning methods and to integrate hands-on-learning of practical skills required for marine ecological field studies for academia, research institutes and the industry. PRIMA LEARNING involves access to world-class ocean going research vessels in one of the four most productive ecosystems of the world (the Benguela Upwelling Ecosystem) and in Norwegian areas. Students will learn from sampling using the most innovative sampling methodologies including, for example DeepVision, multi-frequency acoustics, and optics. The students will learn about sampling methodologies and the processes from planning to conduct field studies and to quality assure, analyse, and interpret the collected data using modern analysis tools. PRIMA LEARNING is unique through the connections of two Centre for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Bergen (bioCEED & ActLearnMar), strong research environments in South-Africa, and a Centre for Research-based Innovation at the Institute of marine Research (CRISP), and the FAOs flagship for developing sustainable fisheries considering climate and pollution impacts (EAF-Nansen program). These collaborations will allow students and young researchers in marine sciences obtaining training and education in advanced methods for marine science. We will provide scientific and educational meeting places in the form of workshops and intensive training courses, exchange opportunities and travel grants to facilitate capacity building, as well as collaborative networks. Through these meeting places cross-fertilization of ideas, collaboration on capacity building through research and joint research projects will ensure sustained long-lasting structures.