In the frame of the USELab project, a distant learning system (the E-learning module) for zooplankton taxonomic identification  will be developed for training and qualification of students and young scientists in qualitative and quantitative analyses of brackish water zooplankton. The module will consist of a theoretical and a practical unit.

Adapted from the zooplankton atlas of the Baltic Sea (Telesh and Heerkloss 2002, 2004, Telesh et al. 2009) and lead-managed by the Russian partners (Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences), teaching materials will be compiled imparting knowledge about the zooplankton species identification, sampling techniques, methods of laboratory analyses as well as data analyses (theoretical unit of the E-learning module). An electronic system based on an imaging method for zooplankton samples and a web browser for counting the zooplankton species (ARIVIS Browser und WebView) will be the key tool for the practical unit of the E-learning module. The hard- and software components of the system were successfully developed during the pilot phase of the project in cooperation with  ARIVIS AG and Fraunhofer IGD. The system will now be adapted as a didactical tool. For training purposes, samples containing all main zooplankton taxa of the brackish water environment will be scanned and annotated with the taxonomically important morphological characteristics of organisms. Students can use the tool, distributed by the web browser, from their own PC to gain taxonomic knowledge and annotate field samples themselves  to check their learning success. The electronic learning system aims to allow independent, distant learning by minimizing the laboratory microscopical training.