230,253All five academic leads of the Thematic Network on Global Change; Alf Håkon Hoel (University of Tromsø, Norway), Svein Mathiesen (International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry & Sámi University College Norway), John Moore (Arctic Centre, Finland), Joan Nymand Larsen (Stefansson Arctic Institute, Iceland), Arja Rautio (Centre of Arctic Medicine, Finland) were present for the joint meeting held from October 3rd-4th, 2007 at the University of Tromsø, Norway. TN on Global Change Steering Committee vice-chair Pierre-André Forest from University of Lapland and Professor Gorm Winther (Aalborg University, Denmark) gave valuable input to the meeting. The meeting was hosted by the TN Global Change coordinator Kirsi Latola from Thule Institute at University of Oulu, Finland. 
 
The meeting focused on the content of the courses, practical issues and pedagogy in developing and delivering of on-line courses. The outlines written at the workshop held in May 2006 in Rovaniemi, form the basis for these new multidisciplinary Master’s level courses that are being developed by experts in the circumpolar region. The curriculum development teams have held their own team workshops during the past late summer and fall. The next joint Academic Leads meeting will be held in early February 2008, and by then the first drafts of the courses will have been reviewed by all leads, TN Global Change Steering committee and UArctic Indigenous Issues Committee.
 
The courses will be based on the most recent research reports such as Arctic Human Development Report and latest databases such as recently launched ArcticStat Circumpolar Database. One of the largest research projects utilized in the course development is IPY and Arctic Council endorsed research project EALAT  led by Professor Svein Mathiesen, the developer of the course “Adaptation to Global Change in the Arctic”.
 
Four of these courses will be delivered on-line, and the course “Global Change Technology, methodology, and analysis” will be offered as a field course. The first delivery of the courses will be in fall 2008 and spring 2009.
 
 
More information:
Coordinator Kirsi Latola, Thule Institute, University of Oulu
Email: kirsi.latola(at)uarctic.org,
Tel: +358-8-5533565 / +358-40-0274 056