syllabus Barkley canyon

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  • Curriculum Title: Living in the Barkley Canyon Cold Seeps 
    Target Audience: 12–16-year-old students 
    Duration: 4 Lessons (each 45–60 minutes) 
    • 15–20 minutes e-learning content + online assessment 
    • 30–45 minutes optional classroom/offline activity (Lessons 1–3) 
    • 30–45 minutes BIIGLE Party Image Tagging Challenge (Lesson 4) 
    Cooperating Marine Researcher: Ocean Networks Canada Barkley Canyon Team 
    Location: Northeast Pacific, Barkley Canyon (Virtual fieldwork experience) 

  • Explore the extreme deep sea like never before! 'Living in the Barkley Canyon Cold Seeps' introduces students aged 12–16 to one of Earth's most fascinating underwater environments.

    Through immersive videos, interactive assessments, and real scientific tools like BIIGLE and live footage from robotic explorers, students will uncover how life thrives in this hostile deep-sea ecosystem, how humans impact it, and how we can help preserve it.

    This four‑lesson course blends oceanography, biology, and environmental conservation in a compelling educational adventure. 

  • Lesson 1: Introduction to Cold Seeps

    • Explain what a cold‑seep ecosystem is and how it functions 

    • Identify animals in the Barkley Canyon cold seeps and understand their adaptations 

    • Understand the local and global importance of cold seeps 

    Lesson 2: Human Impacts

    • Recognize threats to cold‑seep ecosystems (e.g. trawling, industry, climate change) 

    • Understand how fishing, fossil fuel extraction, and warming seas disrupt these habitats 

    • Identify how conservation actions can reduce these impacts 

    Lesson 3: Monitoring Technology 

    • Describe how deep‑sea monitoring is conducted (ROVs, Landers, Cabled Observatories, Crawlers) 

    • Know what types of data are collected and how they are used 

    • Appreciate the role of long‑term monitoring in marine science 

    Lesson 4: BIIGLE Party – Animal Identification 

    • Learn to identify key species from Barkley Canyon (e.g., sablefish, hagfish, crabs) 

    • Use the BIIGLE annotation tool effectively 

    • Understand how data annotation supports AI and marine research 

  • Lesson 1: How Can a Hostile Environment Support Life? 

    • Overview of cold seeps and Barkley Canyon geography 

    • Key terms: methane hydrates, hydrate mounds, benthic biodiversity 

    • True/False, MCQ, Matching & Gap‑Fill assessments 

    Lesson 2: Human Activities & Climate Impacts 

    • Impacts of trawling and fossil fuel exploration 

    • Effects of climate change on methane hydrates 

    • Conservation actions for the future 

    • Interactive questions covering all key threats and responses 

    Lesson 3: Monitoring Ecosystems with Deep‑Sea Robots 

    • ROVs, Landers, Cabled Observatories & Wally the Crawler 

    • Data types: temperature, salinity, methane, turbidity 

    • Graph and image interpretation 

    • Quiz on data interpretation and tool selection 

    Lesson 4: BIIGLE Party – How to Tag Animals Like a Scientist 

    • Introduction to image annotation & marine animals 

    • Hands‑on BIIGLE activity with real images 

    • Species matching, behavior identification & AI training support 

  • Lesson 1 

    • Cold‑seep ecosystem model building 

    • Discussion: how does life survive in extreme environments? 

    • Habitat mapping from Barkley Canyon topography

    Lesson 2 

    • Student interview project with family on perceptions of climate/weather changes 

    • Creative writing: 'A day in the life of a sablefish near a cold seep' 

    • Debate: Should cold seeps be protected like coral reefs? 

    Lesson 3 

    • Data comparison from Oceans 3.0 Portal 

    • Design your own underwater research robot 

    • Video analysis of Wally’s crawler movement 

    Lesson 4 

    • BIIGLE Challenge: species tagging competition 

    • Group discussion on species recognition strategies 

    • AI & Ethics discussion: should we rely on automated data processing?

  • Students reflect on what they have learned and consider actions to protect deep‑sea ecosystems. 


    • Reflection prompt: 'What surprised you most about life in the deep ocean?' 
    • Creative campaign: marine conservation posters or videos 
    • Class brainstorm: 'How can we protect deep‑sea ecosystems from afar?' 

  • • Final Quiz: covering terms, concepts, and species across all lessons 

    • Creative Project: Campaign or infographic about cold‑seep ecosystems 

    • Oral Presentation: Describe a cold‑seep animal and its role in the ecosystem 

    • Science Communication Task: Write a blog or short article explaining deep‑sea tech 

  • • Formative quizzes (e-learning platform) 
    • Participation in class activities and discussions 
    • Reflective writing and creative projects 
    • BIIGLE tagging accuracy and engagement 

  • The course is designed to be inclusive and accessible: 
    • Subtitled videos and text transcripts available 
    • Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning pathways 
    • Flexible assessment options: oral, visual, or written 
    • Adaptive tech support for students with mobility or processing needs