Discovering Fungi – Online

This is a 4-week online course covering 4 topics, for which you will complete a variety of online resources and activities. Each topic is then concluded with an interactive Zoom workshop to complement the content.
More details of dates and time commitments can be found below.

Who Should Attend? – Budding writers, Nature enthusiasts, Students, Rangers, Early career ecologists.

Knowledge Level – Introductory. Level descriptors can be found on the following webpage: Framework and Course Level Descriptors

Prior Knowledge – No existing knowledge or experience is needed for this course. Just a willingness to contribute and learn.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Explain the position of fungi in the tree of life, diversity of forms, basic morphology and lifecycle.
• Describe the ways that fungi interact with the environment and be able to give examples across the fungi kingdom.
• Distinguish between different habitat types and how to search for fungi within them.
• Identify some of the key ecological services that fungi provide
  Share this knowledge with friends, family and fellow volunteers.

Understand how our online courses are delivered

Live Webinar Information

There are 4 webinars for this course, taking place at the end of each week. Please see the date listing below for the day and time.

Please note – webinars will be recorded and uploaded to the virtual learning platform for learners unable to attend.

Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is a mycologist, researcher, and a member of the British Mycological Society. Nathan has a PhD in Fungal Biology and History of Mycology, with a particular interest in geographic and taxonomic distributions and discrepancies of herbaria fungal collections.

Week 1: Fungi Biology
Self-study material available from the start date.
Week 1 Live Webinar at the end of week 1

Week 2: Fungi Ecology
Self-study material available after week 1 webinar
Week 2 Live Webinar: at the end of week 2

Week 3: Where to Find Fungi
Self-study material available after week 2 webinar
Week 3 Live webinar at the end of week 3

Week 4: The Importance of Fungi
Self-study material available after week 3 webinar
Week 4 Live webinar at the end of week 4

The final deadline to complete any outstanding assignments and self-study components 2 weeks after the final webinar

Time commitment: This course will require approximately 2-3 hours of your time each week. This includes covering course materials on our Moodle learning platform and the Zoom session.

• 
  Expert Tuition

The course has been carefully created to help you continue to build and develop your knowledge as the course progresses. With content crafted to the online Moodle Platform and bespoke to the Field Studies Council.

The course includes:

• 45-minute interactive weekly Zoom workshops to connect with the tutor and other participants
• Expert tuition for which the Field Studies Council is renowned
• Activities to work on independently in advance of each Zoom workshop
• Tailored course completion certificate

Once registered, you will follow well-illustrated, user-friendly ’books’ to pick up knowledge. Quizzes and skill checks will give you instant feedback on your learning. Forums give students the chance to interact with each other as well as a place to share work.

• ★★★★☆

  I really enjoyed the tutor's enthusiasm and engagement. He was keen to get everyone involved and encouraged a lot of interaction. I also liked the blended learning approach with lots of videos embedded into the written info.

• ★★★★☆

  I really enjoyed the tutor's enthusiasm and engagement. He was keen to get everyone involved and encouraged a lot of interaction. I also liked the blended learning approach with lots of videos embedded into the written info.

• ★★★★☆

  Really great course -and the structure on moodle worked well (coming from a teacher who has been using one note, teams etc.). Tutor v engaging and inclusive - no-one made to feel stupid with questions or comments. Expanded on some of the self-learning which was interesting.

• ★★★★★

  All learning materials were accompanied with diagrams, photos and videos that were all extremely interesting and made the overall experience of learning easier and more enjoyable.
  I also liked the course leader Nathan, although I was unable to attend the zoom workshops in person due to the time difference in Thailand, I really enjoyed the way he answered everyone's questions and engaged all students.

• ★★★★★

  Every week, course work was excellent. So well written. Topics were very practical for my field work.

Student Discount

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off all Biodiversity courses.

Accessing Your Course

• Once you sign up you’ll receive an email at least 24 hours in advance of the course opening with details of how to access our easy-to-use platform, Moodle.
• Moodle can be accessed through a browser or an app.
• Webinars are via Zoom so you won’t need any new software to attend

Recommended Devices

It is recommended that you access your course through a PC or laptop. Please be aware that there will be reduced functionality if you decide to access the course through a tablet or smartphone. The Field Studies Council is unable to email content directly to you.