Syllabus For Online Geology
Spring 2004
Dr. Suzie Alwash

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Note that weeks begin on Monday, all assignments are due by midnight the following Sunday.

What Will I Be Learning?

I know this may be your last science class and I want it to be your best. This class has been carefully designed to improve your critical thinking and communication skills. My personal goals are to boost your curiosity about the world around you and create amateur-scientists-for-life who are capable of making good scientific decisions in their personal and civic lives. As a bonus, my online students learn more about computers & the internet. Specifically, we will begin by studying the internal forces at work within the earth (heat, gravity, magnetism, plate tectonics, rock deformation, and earthquakes) then we'll study earth materials (minerals, rocks, and the processes that form them), and end up looking at the major surface processes that form our landscapes (glaciers, streams, wind, waves, groundwater).

How Will I Be Graded?

Your grade is based on exams and homework assignments.

Extra credit will be offered throughout the semester. Total extra credit is limited to 4 points added to the total grade.

What Are the Weekly Assignments Like?

Each week you'll need to log onto the website, click onto the weekly topic as shown on the schedule, and complete the assigned tasks. The required work will generally include reading the textbook, taking an online quiz and E-mailing me the results. In addition, extra credit assignments are offered each week, including virtual field trips, and difficult questions to answer.

There will also be a few additional assignments designed to ensure that you have the necessary computer and skills, that you understand the definition of a good test answer, and a few assignments to enhance your geologic experience.

What Are the Exams Like?

Four exams will be administered; the fourth exam will be held during the final exam period. None of the exams, including the final, will be cumulative. Each exam will cover assigned topics since the previous exam.

Exams will consist of short- to medium-length essay questions. All exam questions will be based upon the itemized listing in the competency matrix. Each competency has been assigned an alphanumeric designation, cross-referenced on the syllabus so you know where you stand. The competency matrix also provides a cross-reference with the textbook (text, tables, figures referenced), and computer aids. Keep up with the competencies. I highly recommend that you treat each item as an exam question, and each week answer all of the competencies for the assigned topic.

How Do I Take the Exams?

Most exams will be administered at the El Camino Assessment Office; I am also available to proctor exams during my scheduled office hours. At the beginning of the semester, you will sign up for test dates & times for the whole semester. It is your responsibility to remember those times & dates.

Alternatively, you could arrange for a qualified proctor to administer the exam. El Camino has strict limits on whom that person can be (another college testing office, school official, military base etc..). Arrangements for an alternate proctor must be finalized with me (and the proctor) by the end of the second week of classes.

Make-up exams are given with a verifiable excuse and will include different questions from the scheduled exam. Make-up exams must be taken during my office hours and within one week of the scheduled exam.

What Do I Have To Do To Do Well In This Class?

Most of your grade is based on the five exams and a significant portion on the weekly assignments. To do well on the exams, you have to read the textbook, visit the website to complete your weekly and special assignments, and answer the competency questions. Also, you need to make sure that you communicate any difficulties to me, initiate study sessions with your classmates, and be organized. In an online class, I don't have the opportunity to spoon-feed the material to you. It will take hard work. You cannot wait until the last minute to learn this material. I have provided to you all of the potential exam questions that you will see this semester. There will be no surprises. Keep up with your weekly work and you should do well on the exam. Please let me know if there still remain difficulties --I need to hear from you.

What Book & Materials Do I Need to Buy?

Our textbook is: Tarbuck & Lutgens, Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (6th Edition). You must have this book to prepare for the exams. New (and some used) copies have a CD entitled GEODE. This CD is useful in learning the material, but is not necessary to purchase.

What Kind of Computer & Software Do I Need?

You need access to a computer with Internet and Email capabilities. To access the Internet, you need a computer with a modem, a telephone line, an Internet Service Provider, and appropriate software. A more detailed discussion of the hardware and software requirements is provided in the student manual.

How Do I Contact the Professor?

Online: You can communicate with me via the classroom bulletin board, but remember that that is a public forum. You access the bulletin board via the website or directly at http://webboard.elcamino.cc.ca.us/~geology. The bulletin board is powered by WebBoard. The student manual provides more detailed instructions on how to use the WebBoard.

You may also communicate privately with me via my Email, salwash@elcamino.edu Please include your full name!

Voice: More old-fashioned means are also still available; leaving a voice mail message at my office (310) 660-3368 works; if you need me immediately, the best bet is my mobile phone (714) 606-2955 (don't call this number after 8pm or you'll meet my evil twin sister).

In-Person: If you're really old-fashioned, you could find me during my office hour (in NS 307B) as indicated on the webboard.

How Can I Interact With Other Students?

You can interact with students via the classroom bulletin board. You can also Email other students once information is posted on the Class Album.

A Note About Etiquette: If you have not communicated before using bulletin boards and Email, you will find that you need to think more carefully about what you say and how you say it than you would during a normal conversation. There are no facial, tone, or body language clues for your audience to use in interpreting your words. Try to distance yourself from your message. Could it be misinterpreted? Is it really something that you would want the world to read? Be extra-considerate of people's feelings; don't abuse the relative anonymity of the internet.

How Will the Professor Contact Me?

I will contact you individually usually by Email. That means you should try to check your Email daily. I will also communicate messages to the whole class through a WebBoard feature known as the mailing list. When you first register on the WebBoard, you must subscribe to the mailing lists so that you can keep up with what's happening without having to check multiple places daily.

What About Cyber-Security?

I do request some personal information to be provided on the internet. This makes some people nervous. There are ways to protect your identity, however.

Let me know if there are any other concerns.

Unfortunately, there are opportunities for people to abuse the personal information provided during class - for commercial or personal purposes. Any type of harassment for any purposes or any misuse of personal information by students will be treated similarly to cheating - and I reserve the right to drop the abusing student from the class or assign a failing grade or pursue additional penalties.

What Are Your Attendance Policies?

There are no attendance requirements. You do your assignments, you take your exams, you get a grade.

What If I Decide This Class Is Not for Me?

I am not responsible for dropping you from this class. It is the student's responsibility to complete the withdrawal procedures if desired. Consult the Academic Calendar and make a note of the last day to drop with a "W".

What is Your Policy With Respect to Cheating?

If the instructor determines that a student has cheated on an exam the student will receive a failing grade in the course. Additional disciplinary action may be taken in the form of probation, suspension, or expulsion, per the administrative regulations and procedures on student discipline.