We are now just about ready to press go on the next run of the shipwrecks course.  This will be the third time we have run the programme, and it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on what we’ve learnt, what we hope to achieve in this next run and … to get feedback on what people think might be good to do next.

First, some numbers. With the next run of the course we will have reached over 19,000 people worldwide through the Shipwrecks course, a number that goes up each day with additional sign-ups still occurring.  This is a monumental achievement if we consider what might have been thought of as the slightly niche nature of maritime archaeology.

One of the joys of running the Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds course has been engaging with those 19,000 people, and realising not only the breadth of interest out there, but also the depth of knowledge.  The comments sections for each of the steps that people complete have become a wealth of information, broadening out on what we could provide through the short videos and articles.

We have also learnt what people would like more of.  People have really engaged with the steps on the course that include activities, from looking at changing sea-levels around the world, through to identifying wrecks in bathymetric data.  This something that we think we could perhaps do more of, providing an entry point for people to access and understand freely available data – making heritage resources more accessible.  This is particularly important for us when thinking about submerged sites.  These are locations that the vast majority of the population will never visit (either because diving isn’t an option for them, or because access is restricted).  We can now help people to engage with these sites remotely.  As such, if there is an interest, this is something we could develop further.

19,000 people is not a huge number when compared to those who sign up to free language courses, or even the number of people who might visit a local museum.  However, it is a substantial number of people in terms of broadening access to maritime archaeology.  In the past our means of engagement have been more limited in terms of numbers of people who can attend (conferences) or require a financial investment perhaps only suitable for those with a distinct focus on the subject.  Being free, and globally available, the course has enabled us to see the demand that lies out there and help people gain access to resources for them to build their knowledge of our shared maritime heritage.

Behind the scenes putting on the course takes quite a bit of effort from a whole team of people.  As such, we’re interested to know what you think of our efforts, and, how you think we might continue to develop and open up resources for maritime archaeology.   If you are doing the course for the first time we would love to have your comments, and, if you’re returning to dig a little deeper, please do let us know about what the course has done for you (and what you think it could do in the future).

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The course team has been busy reading through all of the feedback from the last run of the course, so that we can make improvements before the course goes live again (hopefully at the end of March/beginning of April). Before then, we will include some updates on changes that we have made to the course.

You may remember that the course features two timelines:

• 1.15 The development of a discipline
• 2.26 The archaeology of seafaring through the ages

(N.B. You will need to log into FutureLearn and be registered on the 2014 version of Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds to be able to view these links)

The timelines now include all of the suggestions that learners made during the course AND we have changed the view, so it should be much easier for you to read the entries. Please feel free to go back and browse through the timelines.

It is now possible to register your interest in the next run of the course.

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Helen Farr

The Centre for Maritime Archaeology has been buzzing with activity.  There have been demonstrations of new methodologies and cutting edge technology, proposals for collaboration and the building of new relationships between faculties, disciplines and universities.  As I head up to the British Museum for the World University Network meeting to discuss Indian Ocean networks, the next couple of days will include more of the same.

This has led me to reflect on the importance of these relationships and whether in the current austerity of the United Kingdom, where chasing funding is becoming increasingly more difficult and student numbers are dropping, whether these international collaborations will provide a lifeline in the future? One example that comes to mind is that of the problem of practicing archaeology offshore, or, at great depths. The expense of such research is now prohibitive to the majority of UK academics working with national research grants.  The per diem of running a remote operated vehicle off shore would make most research bodies wince.

However, with budding International collaborative research projects, not only are we able to maximise our research, pool our resources and expand our research, but we have an avenue to disseminate our knowledge and results further. This is not only true within academia, but also across industry and it is for this reason that building and maintaining these international relationships on both a personal and University level is important for our future.

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