In order to make GBIF training accessible worldwide, the GBIF Secretariat plans to launch an internet-based virtual classroom. GBIF Participants, publishers, users and the biodiversity informatics community at large will thus benefit from online training in topics that are important to them.

The Virtual Classroom will be based on an open-source learning platform (Moodle) so GBIF Participants interested in replicating the system to implement their own e-learning activities can do it at a low cost. Other open-source software that will allow users to develop training contents and materials for their own use – and for sharing (image capture and editing, multimedia production, etc) will also be promoted.

The contents of the Virtual Classroom will be produced as a community effort by the GBIF Participant Nodes, worldwide experts and the GBIF Secretariat. These efforts will be coordinated through the experts networks and interest groups.

A first pilot course about 'georeferencing biological databases' is being built in collaboration with worldwide experts through the 'Biodiversity data quality interest group'. Please join the group if you are interested in knowing more at this early stage. A first prototype of this course was discussed with a small group of nodes in the 19th meeting of the GBIF Governing Board in September 2012.

In February 2010, a 'Task group on electronic learning' was stablished with the mandate of exploring the needs of the GBIF Community on this topic and make recommendations on the technical platform to use for the GBIF Virtual Classroom. Please follow this link if you are interested in knowing more about the outcomes of this group's work,