Our student:instructor ratio is about 1:1.5. You review our instructors' bios here and their tracker credentials at the "Find A Tracker" tab here.

The course is designed for beginning and intermediate trackers. Applicants involved in some aspect of wildlife conservation are given precedence in admission.

Not necessarily. In-person classes offered by top-notch tracking schools provide a much more well-rounded experience. Our classs are primarily intended for persons who have yet to have the opportunity to attend such classes. We suggest interested persons look at the list of tracking schools at NatureTracking.

No. Most of our questions are based on photographs of partial and obscure tracks and require short essay answers. The weekly workload is about what you would expect for a 3-unit college class (6-9 hours of work per week). Students are expected to answer about ten exercise questions per week. The instructor for that question will pose followup questions until the student's responses meet the instructor's satisfaction. Well-prepared students typically receive, at most, one follow-up question. Poorly prepared students experience several cycles of responses and follow-up questions that take more than a week to resolve.

There multiple tests throughout the class.

No. We focus on species found in San Diego County because we have thousands of photographic examples of tracks and signs from that area. The approach we use to track & sign identification applies to species from any region. Our students have come from as far away as Mexico, Canada, and Europe.

Class size is determined by the number of available instructors. The student-to-instructor ratio is typically about 1.5 to 1.

The course schedule for 2026-2027 is here.

We give precedence to applicants currently contributing to wildlife conservation or who intend to apply track & sign identification to some aspect of wildlife conservation. This can be as simple as being a member of iNaturalist, volunteering at an animal shelter, or helping with beach cleanups. A wide range of activities qualify. We have found that people involved in wildlife conservation make the most serious and dedicated students.

These classes emphasizes detailed observation and objective comparison of the track features of multiple species to come to a conclusion in track & sign identification. It is highly analytical.

The quality of T&S identification skills cannot be predicted. Students who complete the course sequence will have acquired skill in using multi-factor analysis in track & sign identification. However, students must supplement their learning with time in the field. Students with the strongest interest and who consistently take the initiative to track in the field become the best trackers. This is true whether or not they take our classes. Our class accelerates a particular learning phase for such individuals. At the time of this writing, all alumni of the course sequence participated in Cybertracker evaluations have received Cybertracker Track & Sign Certificates.

Students who complete all of the assigned exercises and score at least 70 on at least one of the tests in TS7 receive a completion certificate. Students who recieve a completion certificate are granted observer accounts which entitle them to view future class operation and course materials for the duration of SWOTT.

Southwest Wildlife Online Tracking Training hosts Cybertracker evaluations on a regular basis. At the time of this writing, all alumni who have participated in Cybertracker evaluations have received a Track & Sign certificate from Cybertracker.

Class tuition will be $280 through June30, 2025. Tuition will be raised to $400 on July 1, 2025.Tuition is used to cover operating costs, to subsidize class tuition for disadvantaged students, and to subsidize Cybertracker evaluations and tracking workshops for our graduates. Instructors donate their time and expertise and receive no financial compensation.

Qualified applicants may enroll in individual blocks of the course at a cost of $100 per block.

Southwest Wildlife Online Tracking Training will cover the cost of tuition for any deserving student for whom the cost would be burdensome.

Instructors receive no monetary remuneration. We currently have a faculty of eleven instructors. Each instructor has volunteered to donate an average of one hour per week of their time. In that hour, an instructor handles an average of 1.4 questions for an average of 7.5 students. We are able to attract such highly skilled instructors because of their commitment to wildlife conservation and by limiting the amount of time they donate to one hour per week. The amount of tuition income in excess of operational costs is used to subsidize Cybertracker evaluations for recent graduates and tuition for financially disadvantaged students.

The course schedule for 2026-2027 is here.

Apply by email to

Please include the following information:

• Your name
• Email address
• A description of your experience and/or intentions related to tracking and wildlife conservation.

There is a tuition refund deadline for each class. See the course schedule for 2026-2027 here.