This River Water Monitoring Course Pathway is made up of 6 short self-guided Units that explore the citizen science tools that can be used to monitor water systems; and outlines the process of getting other people involved in monitoring a water ecosystem with you. Each unit is made up of videos, printable notes, and a self-assessment quiz. It should take about an hour (max. 2 hours) to complete a full Unit, with about another hour for each of the bigger assignments. Please note that that there are a few bigger assignments that need to be completed as part of the course:

• A Pre-course task – to be done BEFORE you start the course
• Assignment 1 – Mind map, completed as part of Unit 1
• Assignment 2 – Monitoring plan, to be completed after you have worked through Units2-5
• Assignment 3 – the Change Project, which is completed at the end of Unit 6
• A Post-course task – the same as the pre-course task but to be done once you have finished all of the Units.

It is important that you keep a reflective journal and make time to try out what you have learnt to gain the full experience. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and light-bulb moments with us (you can use the social media pages, details below). Each unit builds on the one before it so they must be completed in the correct numbered order. In order to receive proper accreditation, all the assignments must be submitted, and graded as “competent”.

Part of this course is about setting up a community of practice (a group of people with a common goal, that work together using similar tools and methods). We are hoping that you join the community; and to help this along we have set up two social media pages on Facebook and Instagram called: “citizenscienceforwater_sa”.

Please load up photos of your assignments onto either of these pages; and use the following tags on your post: #citizenscienceforwater, #biomonitoring and #waterquality. That way we will be able to pick up your posts and share them for others to comment on and assist you in your learning journey. Please like the pages, and feel free to comment (kindly) on what others are doing. You are also welcome to use the tags on pictures of yourself doing water monitoring. Please note that any Spam, inappropriate language, or unkindness on these pages will not be allowed.

Please do use the social media pages to reach out to your course facilitators and to others in the community – you have now joined an exciting group of environmental champions that are creating positive change in their communities, in Southern Africa, and around the whole world! Well done!

Enjoy the journey! We are looking forward to seeing what you achieve!