Begin with Registration (if you have not already done so).
Select "Create new account".
Now you are ready for sharing your observations and here is what you can do:
NAVIGATE PAGE
Create a VIRTUE report
A report is the result of your observations on VIRTUE discs, and other data like depth, salinity etc.
Instructional videos (4 parts, ca 3 minutes each)
You can choose to add subtitles to these videos.
Use YouTube´s subtitle tools:
Create a VIRTUE report, Part 1
Create a VIRTUE report, Part 2
Create a VIRTUE report, Part 3
Edit and change a VIRTUE report
Text instructions
Select "Add Report".
Start by typing a short name for the report and an "ID number," so that you can easily distinguish between different reports. (Example: “Gothenburg_Pier6_Rack5_Disc2”)
If the report is part of a VIRTUE project (read more about VIRTUE projects below) that has already been defined in the database, select that project. (Example: “Spring-Project_2018_St.MarthasCollege_Oxford”).
Otherwise create a proper project and choose that for the actual report. It is not mandatory to create projects or link a report to a project.
It is possible to link your reports to a project later.
Choose the Start date (i.e. the date of deployment of the discs)
Enter an estimated retrieval date for the rack/discs.
Note: All reports older than 300 days without any observations will be deleted automatically, unless the owner updates the estimated retrieval date.
Specify the number of discs in this report.
“Depth” (= the distance in centimeter from the surface to the uppermost disc) should be measured at deployment, “Salinity” and “Temperature” can ideally be measured several times during the growing season and entered as an average value and “Wet weight” (of the biomass) should be determined after retrieval.
Then select a Place for the VIRTUE rack (choose from a list or create a new place).
Note: The place should be created at the same time as the report is created.
Later update the report with observations of species groups/species, images, comments, etc. - and an End date (i.e. when the observations were made).
Note: A VIRTUE disc has an area of 111 square centimeters (diameter 120 mm). In the US, some projects use 100 mm discs = 77 square centimeter. If your discs have a different area (or a different shape), specify this in the comments field.
Students can (if registered) report their findings themselves.
You can also record your findings on a downloaded Paper form (pdf) and later add the information into VIRTUE’s database. VIRTUE has also created a Simplified Paper form (pdf).
Create a VIRTUE project
In VIRTUE´s database, a project is a "box" where you collect and retrieve all your reports. A project may include reports by different members of a whole school class, by a smaller group or by an individual student or teacher. It is not mandatory to create a project and you can always create a project whenever you like and add earlier and new reports to your project.
You can also add other VIRTUE members to join your project. Find their user name by the search functions for observations, reports, projects.
In the menu choose Add project. Specify a unique title for the project
(Example: “Spring-Project_2018_St.MarthasCollege_Oxford”).
In the “Comment” field, specify which school or institution you come from, and give a brief description of the project and its participants.
You just need to create a project once (if you only want to use one project for all your reports), but you are free to create several projects.
You can also create a Project blog within a project where you can inform on anything from the weather to what conclusions you drew from the results. In a blog post, you can also upload images. Make sure you only post images if you own the copyright.
Note: Permission may be required from the parent or guardian if you post photos of students below 18 years of age. VIRTUE is not responsible for violating regional or national photo rules and regulations.