VCE Programs

Area of Study 2: How do plant and animal systems function?

Area of Study 3: How do scientific investigations develop understanding of how organisms regulate their functions?

Adaptations – an act of survival

Fish Dissection

Investigating a Rocky Shore

Investigating a Community: Tube worms

Marine Biology Cruise

Dynamic Dunes - Sand dune investigation

Area of Study 2: How do inherited adaptations impact on diversity?

Area of Study 3: How do humans use science to explore and communicate contemporary bioethical issues?

Sex in the Sea

Investigating a Community: Tube worms

Adaptations – an act of survival

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay Mudflats

Marine Biology Cruise

Area of Study 1: Investigating outdoor environments

Area of Study 2: Impacts on outdoor environments

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay Mudflats

Swan Bay Canoe Explorers

Sustainable fishing

Rockpool Ramble: adaptations and human impacts

Marine Biology Cruise

Biodiversity of the Sea: shore snorkel

Dynamic Dunes - Sand dune investigation

Area of Study 1: Historical relationships with outdoor environments

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay Mudflats

Swan Bay Canoe Explorers

Sustainable fishing

Biodiversity of the Sea: shore snorkel

Dynamic Dunes - Sand dune investigation

Area of Study 1: Healthy outdoor environments

Area of Study 2: Sustainable outdoor environments

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay Mudflats

Swan Bay Canoe Explorers

Sustainable fishing

Biodiversity of the Sea: shore snorkel

Dynamic Dunes - Sand dune investigation

Area of Study 1: How are earth’s systems organised and connected?

Area of Study 3: How do scientific investigations develop understanding of how Earth’s systems support life?

Investigating a Rocky Shore

Investigating a Community: Tube worms

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay Mudflats

Dynamic Dunes - Sand dune investigation

Area of Study 1: How can we manage pollution to sustain Earth’s systems?

Plastic Planet

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay Mudflats

Area of Study 1: How can we respond to climate change?

Environmental Change: This Island Earth

Area of Study 1:  Characteristics of hazards

Area of Study 2: Response to hazards and disasters

Environmental Change: This Island Earth

Plastic Planet

VCE

Activity

Activity Time

Price
(includes GST)

Cost per additional student

LABORATORY

Adaptations: An act of survival

Students will investigate a variety of structure-function relationships in living marine animals and plants. Students will identify different organisms’ structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations for survival and have the opportunity to view and handle a diversity of living and preserved animals and plants in the aquarium and laboratory.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the laboratory; 30 mins in the aquarium)

$400.00

(for up to & including
20 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Environmental Change: This Island Earth

Changes to ocean temperatures, currents, winds, rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events are being observed across South East Australia. The impacts of these changes on world fisheries are presenting significant risks and new opportunities, particularly in "hot spot" areas across the globe. Students will investigate various scenarios in our aquarium and laboratory including climate change, introduced species, ocean acidification human impacts and management plans.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the laboratory; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$40.00

(for up to & including
20 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of 30 students total)

Sex in the Sea

Students will investigate the reproductive methods of a diverse range of marine animals and plants, including some bizarre reproductive methods that allow organisms to cope with their living conditions. There will be opportunities for students to collect gametes from some organisms and to investigate both sexual and asexual reproductive methods.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the laboratory; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$500.00

(for up to & including
25 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Fish Dissection

Students will compare the body structure, gut contents, internal organs and specialised structures of a number of different fish species. The information collected by students throughout their dissection will provide insights into fish habitat, food chains, adaptations and reproductive strategies.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the laboratory; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$500.00

(for up to & including
25 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Investigating a Community: tube worms

This community is investigated in the laboratory to "test" the ecological concept of pyramids of numbers and provides students with the opportunity to strengthen their understanding of food webs and energy transfer.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the laboratory; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$500.00

(for up to & including
25 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

FIELD

Plastic Planet

Until recently plastic pollution presented scientists with a crisis that was invisible to the human eye. Students will collect qualitative data utilizing transect and quadrat techniques on micro and macro plastics across the Queenscliff Foreshore.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the field; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2.0 hours

$400.00

(for up to & including
20 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Investigating an Ecosystem - Swan Bay mudflats

This field exploration will provide students with opportunities to investigate the mudflat ecosystem of Swan Bay - a marine reserve of international significance. The animals and plants found in the microhabitats associated with Swan Bay will be studied.

Variations to this session can include investigation of animal adaptations or human impact studies.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the field; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$400.00

(for up to & including
20 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Rock Pool ramble: adaptations and human impacts

Students will discover the fascinating animal and plant life of the rocky shore and will develop an understanding of the adaptations which allow these organisms to cope with such extreme conditions. Human impacts and their effect on rocky shore organisms will also be examined and discussed.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the field; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$400.00

(for up to & including
20 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Dynamic dunes : sand dunes investigation

During this field excursion, students will investigate sand dune succession and the coastal processes responsible for shaping sand dunes. The focus of the session for biology students will be classification and adaptations of dune plants, and for geography and environmental science students, erosion and human impacts.

(Session is 1.5 hrs in the field; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2 hours

$400.00

(for up to & including
20 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20

(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)

Investigating a Rocky Shore

Students will investigate the patterns of distribution of animals and plants on the Barwon Heads rock platform using transect lines and quadrats. There will also be an opportunity to compare the marine life found on the Barwon Heads sandstone rock platform to that found on the basalt boulder rock platform.

(Session is 2 hrs in the field; 30 mins in the aquarium)

2.5 hours

$500.00
(for up to & including
25 students.
One MFDC educator)

$20
(for each additional student up to a maximum of
30 students total)