GLG101 INTRODUCTION TO GEOLOGY I 2017 A

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1 **Disclaimer** This syllabus is to be used as a guideline only. The information provided is a summary of topics to be covered in the class. Information contained in this document such as assignments, grading scales, due dates, office hours, required books and materials may be from a previous semester and are subject to change. Please refer to your instructor for the most recent version of the syllabus. GLG101 INTRODUCTION TO GEOLOGY I Spring 2017 A Session Online Syllabus and Schedule* Primary contact: geology101.asu@gmail.com. Use this for everyday questions about assignments, grades, course content, and issues with Blackboard. For other major issues, such as health emergencies, the faculty instructor. Faculty Instructor A-session: Julia Johnson (julia.johnson@asu.edu) **Neither the Instructor nor the TA will meet face-to-face with students in online classes.** Course Description: The Earth is diverse and dynamic, featuring volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, floods, and so on. As citizens, we want to understand what is going on in our natural world and which aspects directly affect us or are most interesting. Understanding past events helps us comprehend what has happened and begin to predict future events. With the Earth, we examine past events and current natural processes to understand how this past and these processes affect humans. Accordingly, this course examines the processes and materials composing Earth s physical environment, for example, its landscapes and interior. We will explore topics such as natural hazards and disasters, fossils, energy resources, and much more. To do so, we will learn some underlying principles of the natural world, from small things like the very building blocks of matter (atoms), to large things, like the cause and effect of regional forces that build mountains (e.g., the Himalaya) and make new oceans (e.g., the Red Sea). These processes are active today on Earth, and give rise to earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, all of which obviously affect humans. You are required to complete all assignments in a timely manner as detailed in the Assignment Schedule at the end of this syllabus. Textbook and Connect: The textbook for this course is Exploring Geology, by Reynolds, Johnson, Morin, and Carter, 4th Edition. We will be using this textbook in conjunction with Connect, the publisher s learning tools. The textbook is available as a SmartBook (essentially an interactive ebook), and can be registered for by simply clicking on a Connect assignment, such as LearnSmart, in Blackboard located under any of the chapter tabs. Please do not register for Connect via the publisher s website. If you do this your assignments will not sync properly with Blackboard (our classroom management system). For an additional $25, the publisher will send you a three-hole-punched paper version of the textbook that you can put in your own three-ring binder. It takes approximately one week for this textbook to reach you once you have purchased it is online. This is a unique textbook designed to help you learn geologic concepts and processes on your own. Nearly all the information in the book is built around illustrations and photographs, rather than being in long blocks of text. The entire book consists of a series of two-page spreads organized into chapters. Each two-page spread is a self-contained block of information about a specific topic and has a short list indicating what you should be able to do before you leave these pages. The items from these lists, for which you will be held responsible for knowing, are compiled into a What-To-Know List that is downloadable from this course s Blackboard website. The What-To-Know List is your guide to what is important, and all assignments are derived from this list. If, when studying from the book, you construct your own answer to each item on the What-To-Know List, then I predict you will receive an A in the class. Required reading is listed in each chapter s What-To-Know List. Each two-page spread in the book has a unique number (e.g., 12.4), and these numbers are referenced for quizzes and other course assignments. Each chapter ends with an investigation concerning a problem associated with a virtual place. 1 of 5

2 Course Philosophy and Teaching Method: The greater subject of Physical Geology is as vast and diverse as the natural world around us. You will explore and visualize this dynamic world by concentrating on understanding natural processes and how we explore and learn things about our planet, rather than terms and factual trivia. You will learn how to observe, think about, and understand our place in the natural environment. The critical inquiry and observational skills that you cultivate this semester should be useful in any profession, since they give you an appreciation of how geologic processes in our natural world impact our environment and society. It is your responsibility and obligation to complete the required readings prior to completing any of the assessment activities. Course Expectations: My role in this class is to provide a framework that includes assignments for you to utilize in the development of your knowledge, understanding, and skills. I care very much how and what you learn in this class, but I believe that you are ultimately responsible for what you learn. This class requires significant preparation and reading. You are to stay current with the class assignments. It is your responsibility to inform us ahead of a due date of emergencies that may impede your ability to complete materials on time. Lab: In order to receive a laboratory science credit, you must also take the laboratory, GLG103. The laboratory is independent of this class in terms of registration and grades. The lecture and lab complement each other by covering different aspects of the same material. You can take GLG103 subsequently to GLG101, but ideally, it should be taken the same semester. Grades: In this course, your grade is based on points that you earn. There are 975 possible points, which are listed below. Point Distribution Summary (no assignments will be dropped) Practice Exercises 5 points each) 75 LearnSmart 10 points each) 150 Investigations 10 points each) 150 Quizzes 20 points each) 300 Concept Sketches 20 points each) 300 Total Points Possible 975 (a) Practice Exercises: For all 15 chapters, you will complete a small set of interactive questions. Each Practice Exercise is worth 5 points, for a total of 75 points. You can use your textbook or your notes to complete these exercises, but not another person. These exercises are not timed. See the Assignment Schedule at the end of this syllabus for chapter due dates. (b) LearnSmart: LearnSmart is a very helpful study product. The goal of LearnSmart is to help you learn the topics presented in each assignment by asking you a series of questions that adapt to your strengths and weaknesses to guide you through the material you need to learn. Each of the 15 LearnSmart activities is worth 10 point, for a total of 150 points. See the Assignment Schedule at the end of this syllabus for chapter due dates. (c) Investigations: At the end of every chapter in your textbook is an investigation two-page spread, and you will complete 15 of these using Blackboard. Each investigation is worth 10 points, for a total of 150 points. You will need to read and refer to the investigation two- 2 of 5

3 page spread in your textbook while completing the investigation. You can use your textbook and notes when completing these investigations, and you can collaborate with other classmates, but please do your own work. Each investigation requires using most of the information you learned from the chapter to study the geology or the geologic problem of a virtual place, so we suggest doing the Investigation after completing most of the other assignments for that chapter. Investigations are challenging (but fun) because you must reason, based on what you learned from the chapter, how to solve a geologic problem; thus, the answers to Investigation questions are not found directly in the textbook word for word. There is no time limit for completing Investigations. See the Assignment Schedule at the end of this syllabus for chapter due dates. (d) Chapter Quizzes: For each chapter, you will complete a quiz that covers information from the textbook. Each of the 15 quizzes is worth 20 points, for a total of 300 points. You can use your textbook or your notes to answer these quizzes, but not another person. Each quiz has a time limit of 30 minutes, which will not be enough to look up every answer from scratch during a quiz. In other words, you will need to read the textbook before beginning the time-limited online quiz. Use the What-to-Know list as your guide of what to study in preparation for the online quizzes. See the Assignment Schedule at the end of this syllabus for chapter due dates. (e) Concept Sketches: Upon completing each chapter, you are to submit a concept sketch to show your understanding of important geologic topics. Each concept sketch is worth 20 points, for a semester total of 300 points. For each chapter, you are to choose one question to complete from a list of two or three questions. You will draw and annotate your sketch in your own words on one side of a full sheet of paper. You will turn in your sketches by uploading a digital image of your sketch, either as a scanned copy or a digital photograph (using a digital camera, smartphone, or tablet, etc.). Use the link provided within each chapter to upload digital copies of your sketches. We recommend that digital copies be a jpeg or pdf file; inspect your digital file before submitting it to make sure it is legible. If your submission is not legible you will receive a grade of one (1) for that concept sketch. Please check that your concept sketch uploads are in the proper orientation, i.e., it should not be upside down or sideways. Several scanning apps are available for free online for your smartphone, tablet, or PC. Additional Study Material: Although not assigned for grading, a series of movies are available for you to view in order to broaden your knowledge of a number of topics in the textbook. Some movies play by themselves; other movies require you to click forward to the next screen. Additionally, some movies are serious whereas others contain humor. Humor is sometimes hard to convey and preference for humor varies from person to person. If you find you do not appreciate the humor, just ignore it. Due Dates: All assignments will be open and available on the first day of class. However, due dates are assigned for groups of chapters to help keep you on schedule. You cannot submit assignments after a due date, so please note when those due dates are scheduled and plan accordingly (see the Assignment Schedule at the end of this syllabus). If you experience computer issues during an assignment, you are responsible for documenting the issue as it happens and ing this to the TA or the instructor ASAP. Grade Posting: All grades will be posted on Blackboard at myasucourses.asu.edu. You have seven (7) days after a grade has been posted to dispute an entry. After the seven-day period, the grade stands as entered. If you do not complete an assignment before the deadline you will see a dash 3 of 5

4 (-) for that item in the grade center. Blackboard will NOT add those missed points into its overall total, but those points still count against you. Keep this in mind when calculating your grade and remember that this course is worth 975 points. Do not wait until the end of the semester to check your grades. For your final grade, there is no predetermined percentage of A, B, and C. The exact division between letter grades will not be determined until all the points are totaled, but the grade breaks will not be raised above typical values (e.g., the A-B grade break will be 90% or lower, etc.). No items are weighted your grade is based solely on total points received. Dates for Withdrawals: There are no longer any restricted withdrawals. You no longer ask instructors for a signature on a form requesting a grade of W or E. Instead, you will just withdraw. HOWEVER, there is a course withdrawal deadline check the university calendar to find the course withdrawal deadline for this semester. The course withdrawal deadline is a notolerance policy. When the withdrawal period ends, you only have one option a grade of E for the course. Incomplete Grade: A mark of I is given only when a student who is otherwise doing acceptable work is unable to complete a course because of an illness or other situation beyond the student s control. The student is required to arrange for the completion of the course requirements with the instructor. The university does not allow instructors to assign a grade of I simply because a student has quit attending classes and/or completing assignments. Academic Conduct and Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is expected of all students in all examinations, papers, laboratory work, academic transactions and records. The possible sanctions include, but are not limited to, appropriate grade penalties, course failure (indicated on the transcript as a grade of E), course failure due to academic dishonesty (indicated on the transcript as a grade of XE), loss of registration privileges, disqualification and dismissal. For more information, see Help along the Way: Many students enter this class with a bit of anxiety. Other students may have various disabilities, including test anxiety, which may make the online course environment very difficult. Fear not, almost all such students before you have actually passed this course many with very high grades! The success of many of these students, though, was in part because they actively read the textbook using the what-to-know list, and asked specific questions when clarification was needed. If you are having difficulty understanding the course work, please contact the teaching assistant or the instructor immediately. Also, if you are near the ASU campus in Tempe, ASU has learning centers, disability resource centers, and counseling centers to address the various needs of students. The TA and I will not meet face-to-face with students in online classes. Many students enrolled in online classes do not live locally, so we opt to communicate solely via to be fair to all students. 4 of 5

5 Chapters are due February 28 Chapters 11, 12, 15 are due February 17 Chapters 7-9 are due February 7 Chapters 4-6 are due January 27 Chapters 1-3 are due January 18 GLG 101, Spring 2017 A Session Online Assignment Schedule for GLG101 (Session A) All assignments open the first day of class so you can work at your own pace. However, please note that groups of three chapters will have specific due dates to help keep you on track. You must submit your work for these chapters by the due date and time listed below (we use Arizona Time). Assignments will not be open for you after a due date has passed. Due Dates Chapters Ch01: Nature of Geology Ch02: Investigating Geologic Questions Due Arizona Time, on the date indicated in left-hand column Everything in the Chapter 1, 2, and 3 folders must be completed January 18 Ch03: Plate Tectonics Ch04: Earth Materials Ch05: Igneous Rocks Everything in the Chapter 4, 5, and 6 folders must be completed January 27 Ch06: Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards Ch07: Sedimentary Environments Everything in the Chapter 7, 8, and 9 folders must be completed February 7 Ch08: Deformation and Metamorphism Ch09: Geologic Time Ch11: Mountains, Basins, and Continents Ch12: Earthquakes and Earth s Interior Everything in the Chapter 11, 12, and 15 folders must be completed February 17 Ch15: Weathering, Soil, and Unstable Slopes Ch16: Rivers and Streams Ch17: Water Resources Everything in the Chapter 16, 17, and 18 folders must be completed February 28 Ch18: Energy and Mineral Resources 5 of 5