GEOG 473: ELEMENTS OF WEATHER (Discovery PS, DLAB) Summer Session Term 1, May 21 June 22, 2018 Dr. Mary Stampone, Associate Professor & Chair Department of Geography, 102 Huddleston Hall mary.stampone@unh.edu Office: 603.862.3136 weather was the topic choice used to fill the myriad awkward silences that plagued our daily lives. No other shared experience evoked this kind of elemental empathy. Weather reminded us that we were all in this together, that for all our differences, rich and poor, black and white, zealot and atheist could all agree that yes, last Wednesday was, in fact, cold enough for us. - EARTH (THE BOOK): A Visitor s Guide to the Human Race * * Chapter One (Page 16), Grand Central Publishing: New York, NY (2010) [ISBN: 978-0-446-57922-3] GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 1
COURSE DESCRIPTION Welcome to Elements of Weather! Elements of Weather is a 4-credit course with a required laboratory component taught exclusively online. Final grades are based on the weighted total of points earned on 3 exams (45%), 10 laboratory assignments (35%), 9 lecture quizzes (10%), and online participation (10%). Description: Few things in nature impact our daily lives as significantly as the instantaneous state of the atmosphere, commonly known as weather. The course is divided into three modules made up of lecture and laboratory material, each culminating in a 60-minute, multiple-choice exam. Coursework introduces basic scientific terminology and principles used describe the atmosphere and weather patterns covering: Atmospheric composition and flow of energy through the atmosphere (Lessons 1 3); The role of moisture and pressure in the formation of weather systems (Lessons 4 6); Common North American weather patterns and associated hazards (Lessons 7 9). Objectives: Course materials guide students through the process of scientific inquiry emphasizing knowledge, comprehension, and application of the scientific concepts that describe weather processes. Lecture concepts are reinforced quantitatively and qualitatively through laboratory exercises. Atmospheric processes are modeled quantitatively using basic mathematical (+, -,, ), trigonometric (sine, cosine etc ), and algebraic operations (fractions and exponents). Patterns in weather data are analyzed qualitatively using graphs, tables, and weather maps. Upon completing the course, students should: Know the basic meteorological terminology and physical laws that describe weather; Understand the fundamental physical mechanisms that drive atmospheric motion; Be able to explain current and forecast near-term weather patterns. Online Course Specifics: There are no scheduled classroom or mandatory online appearances and all course materials are delivered online through UNH mycourses (https://mycourses.unh.edu). Online course content is equivalent to the in-class instruction presented in three, 50-minute lectures and one 2- hour laboratory section per week scheduled during the regular 15-week semester. Lecture and laboratory materials are presented using a combination of Tegrity Lecture Capture recordings, supplemental videos, and web/text resources. Coursework may be completed and submitted at any point before the listed due dates but plan to spend 4-5 hours per weekday on textbook readings, lecture material and laboratory assignments. A schedule is provided as a guide to managing the lecture and laboratory coursework. Students are expected to be diligent about completing coursework in a timely manner in compliance with all listed due dates. GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 2
COURSE MATERIALS & RESOURCES Studies show that students who engage with course material regularly and take hand-written notes perform better on exams than those who do not. I am available to answer course-related questions during office hours, by appointment, or by email during regular business hours. All communications concerning this course should be conducted in a professional manner and must contain your name. All students must understand university policies and procedures regarding academic performance outlined in the UNH Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities (http://www.unh.edu/student/rights/). Links to additional resources and services are provided under Policies in mycourses. Textbooks: Completion of coursework requires the following materials (see the Textbook link on the course homepage in mycourses for details): Textbook Lutgens, F.K. & E.J. Tarbuck, The Atmosphere, 13 th Edition (recommended) Lab Manual Stampone, M., Laboratory Exercises for Elements of Weather, 3 rd Edition [purchase: http://www.kendallhunt.com/store-product.aspx?id=146159] (required) Supplies battery-operated calculator (sin, ^, EE etc ) Software PDF viewing (Adobe), word & data processing (Microsoft Office) The material presented in lecture is organized into nine lessons covering the first ten chapters of The Atmosphere, 13 th Edition by Lutgens and Tarbuck (recommended). The recommended textbook may be substituted with an older edition or the NWS JetStream Online School for Weather website (http://www.weather.gov/jetstream/). Laboratory exercises are assigned from the 3 rd edition of Laboratory Exercises for Elements of Weather, an ebook accessible via the VitalSource Bookshelf online library and/or application (https://www.vitalsource.com). The lab manual is required and may be purchased directly from the publisher at: http://www.kendallhunt.com/storeproduct.aspx?id=146159. The formatted 2-page worksheet at the end of each assignment may be downloaded to a PDF and edited. Materials: Supporting course material is distributed through the mycourses learning management system (https://mycourses.unh.edu/). Available course content is organized as follows: Lesson pages contain (1) a topic outline with assigned readings and Tegrity lectures, (2) detailed reading/lecture outline (Word) with corresponding imagery, and (3) links to supplemental resources (videos, reading & lesson quizzes etc ). Laboratory Assignment pages contain lab assignment (1) instructions, (2) Tegrity laboratory lectures, and (3) required data. Read the posted assignment instructions and background text in the laboratory manual, then watch the laboratory lecture for example problems before beginning each assignment. Exam pages provide details on exam requirements, review materials, and exam links. GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 3
Communication: Procedures, policies, and schedules may change during the course semester. Changes are posted on mycourses under Announcements and may also be distributed via email. It is your responsibility to check your university email account and the course homepage on mycourses regularly (recommended daily). All scheduled office hours will use the mycourses Discussion tool and may be used to ask questions, discuss course material, or receive help on lab assignments. Attendance is optional and students may join at any time during the scheduled hour. Individual or group appointments for Conference meetings beyond scheduled office hours may be made in advance. Outside of mycourses, I may be reached by UNH email at mary.stampone@unh.edu during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Technical Support: Accessibility: This course uses the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) mycourses (https://mycourses.unh.edu). An introduction to mycourses is posted on the course homepage under the Welcome to mycourses link. A list of the minimum technical requirements is available through the Canvas Help Center, which provides 24-hour support by clicking on the "?" button in the lower left corner. Contact the UNH IT/Service Desk at (603) 862-4242 (M-F from 7:30am 5:00pm EST) or email questions for technical support concerning UNH supported online learning software and tools. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (as amended, 2008), each student with a disability has the right to request services from UNH to accommodate his/her/their disability. If you are a student with a documented disability or believe you may have a disability requiring accommodations, contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at 603-862-2607 or sas.office@unh.edu. Accommodation letters are created by SAS with the student but follow-up with the instructor to ensure timely implementation of the identified accommodations. Faculty are obligated to respond to an official SAS notice of a disability but are under no obligation to provide retroactive accommodations. Refer to www.unh.edu/studentaccessibility for more information. If emotional or mental health issues are affecting your success in this course, contact the University s Counseling Center (http://www.unhcc.unh.edu; 3 rd floor, Smith Hall; 603 862-2090/TTY: 7-1-1), for counseling appointments and other mental health services. University Policies: The University of New Hampshire is a public institution with a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity for all. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, veterans status, or marital status, in access to, or treatment in, its programs, activities or services. GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 4
GRADING PROCEDURES I do not take off points. You earn them In other words, you start with zero points and earn your way to a grade. - Art Carden, Contributor, Forbes Final grades are based on the weighted total of points earned on 3 exams, 10 laboratory assignments, 9 lesson quizzes, and participation. All grades are posted under Grades. Click on the posted score (links are highlighted in blue) to access feedback provided on submitted course material. Grades may be curved depending upon class performance. Objective evaluation of effort, improvement, and attendance may also be considered when determining individual final grades, however, no individual extra credit will be offered so don t ask. The University of New Hampshire expects all students to adhere to its Academic Honesty Policy. The penalties for plagiarism range from an "F" for an assignment to an "F" for a course, or, in some cases, expulsion from the University. All coursework submitted for evaluation in this course must represent each student s own, original work and be completed individually, without collaboration, in accordance with the standards of conduct outlined in Section 09: Academic Honesty of the UNH Students Rights, Rules and Responsibility (http://www.unh.edu/student-life/handbook/academic-honesty). The UNH plagiarism tutorial provides helpful examples: http://cola.unh.edu/plagiarism-tutorial-0. Final Grade: Final letter grades, as defined in Section 07.1: Grades of the UNH Students Rights, Rules and Responsibility (https://www.unh.edu/student-life/07-grades-and-honors-2017), are assigned based on the cumulative weighted scores from all coursework as follows: B+ 87 % C+ 77 % D+ 67 % A 93 % B 83 % C 73 % D 63 % A- 90 % B- 80 % C- 70 % D- 60 % Exams are scheduled every eight business days from the beginning of the semester through the last day. Therefore, there are seven business days to cover lesson material, lab assignments and quizzes prior to each exam. The schedule on the last page is a guide for timely and manageable completion of assigned course material. Following this schedule is highly recommended. All posted due dates are absolute. GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 5
Participation: Participation online demonstrates comprehension of course material and is evaluated based on completion of the lesson reading quizzes for 10% of the final grade. Laboratory: In addition to lecture, this course includes a required online laboratory component made up of 10 laboratory assignments, each equivalent to one, 2-hour laboratory section per week together are worth 35 % of the final course grade. All completed lab work must be typed into the assignment worksheet (Adobe required) and submitted as a PDF document through the upload link at the top of the laboratory assignment page. There is no formal time set aside to complete laboratory assignments but lab assignments must be submitted by 12PM (EDT) on the due date listed below to receive full credit. Half credit will be given for a late lab assignment submitted before 11:59PM (EDT) on the due date. [Note that the sooner an assignment is submitted, the sooner I can provide feedback] Lab Assignments One through Four: Due by 12PM Wednesday, May 30 Lab Assignments Five through Seven: Due by 12PM Monday, June 11 Lab Assignments Eight through Ten: Due by 12PM Thursday, June 21 Quizzes: There are 9 lesson quizzes consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions drawn from lesson material. All quizzes are administered online through mycourses (15 minutes). The lowest quiz score is omitted and the remaining quizzes together are worth 10 % of the final grade. There is no formal time set aside to complete quizzes but all attempts must be submitted by 8PM (EDT) on the due date listed below to receive full credit. Half credit will be given for quizzes submitted by 11:59PM (EDT). Lesson Quizzes One through Three: Due by 8PM Wednesday, May 30 Lesson Quizzes Four through Six: Due by 8PM Monday, June 11 Lesson Quizzes Seven through Nine: Due by 8PM Thursday, June 21 Exams: There are 3 exams with 40 multiple-choice questions drawn from the most recent lecture and lab material, quizzes, and laboratory assignments, each worth 15 % of your final grade. Exams have a 60-minute time limit, are closed resource and must be competed in one attempt. Exam links are available between 10AM - 7PM (EDT) on mycourses on the dates listed below and must be started during the window of availability to receive credit. Exam One (Lessons 1 3 and Labs 1 4): Available 10AM to 7PM Thursday, May 31 Exam Two (Lessons 4 6 and Labs 5 7): Available 10AM to 7PM Tuesday, June 12 Exam Three (Lessons 7 9 and Labs 8 10): Available 10AM to 7PM Friday, June 22 GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 6
COURSE SCHEDULE Date Lecture Topics Laboratory Topics May 21 (Mon) Lesson 1: Part One - Weather Elements, Maps Lab 1: Weather Measure & Symbols & Symbols May 22 (Tue) Lesson 1: Part Two - Atmospheric Structure Þ Lesson One Quiz Lab 2: Atmospheric Structure May 23 (Wed) Lesson 2: Part One - Insolation Office Hours (6-7PM) May 24 (Thurs) Lesson 2: Part Two Heat Transfer Lab 3: Surface Radiation Balance May 25 (Fri) Lesson 2: Part Two (cont.) - Net Radiation Þ Lesson Two Quiz May 29 (Tue) Lesson 3: Temperature Controls Lab 4: Controls on Temperature Laboratory Exercises 1-4 Due by 12PM (noon), May 30 May 30 (Wed) Lesson 3: Temperature Patterns Office Hours (6-7PM) Exam One Þ Lesson Three Quiz Review Lesson Quizzes 1-3 Due 8PM, May 30 May 31 (Thurs) Exam One: Lessons 1 through 3 - Available 10AM to 7PM Jun 1 (Fri) Lesson 4: Part One - Atmospheric Moisture Jun 4 (Mon) Lesson 4: Part Two - Atmospheric Stability Lab 5: Humidity and Stability Þ Chapter Four Quiz Jun 5 (Tue) Lesson 5: Part One - Clouds Jun 6 (Wed) Lesson 5: Part Two - Precipitation Lab 6: Precipitation Þ Chapter Five Quiz Office Hours (6-7PM) Jun 7 (Thurs) Lesson 6: Part One - Atmospheric Pressure Jun 8 (Fri) Lesson 6: Part Two - Wind Lab 7: Atmospheric Circulation Laboratory Exercises 5-7 Due 12PM (noon), June 11 Jun 11 (Mon) Lesson 6: Part three - Global Circulation Exam Two Þ Chapter Six Quiz Review Lesson Quizzes 4-7 Due 8PM, June 11 Jun 12 (Tue) Exam Two: Lessons 4 through 6 - Available 10AM to 7PM Jun 13 (Wed) Lesson 7: Part One - Air Masses Þ Lesson Seven Quiz Office Hours (6-7PM) Jun 14 (Thurs) Lesson 7: Part Two - Weather Fronts Lab 8: Air Masses and Fronts Jun 15 (Fri) Lesson 8: Mid-Latitude Cyclones Jun 18 (Mon) Lesson 8: Mid-Latitude Cyclones Lab 9: Mid-Latitude Weather Þ Lesson Eight Quiz Jun 19 (Tue) Lesson 9: Part One - Thunderstorms Lab 10: Severe Weather Jun 20 (Wed) Lesson 9: Part Two - Thunderstorm Hazards Office Hours (6-7PM) Laboratory Exercises 8-10 Due 12PM (noon), June 21 Jun 21 (Thurs) Lesson 9: Part Three - Tornadoes Exam Three Þ Lesson Nine Quiz Review Lesson Quizzes 8-10 Due 8PM, June 21 Jun 22 (Fri) Exam Three: Lessons 7 through 9 - Available 10AM to 7PM *NOTE: All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) GEOG473: Syllabus Summer Session I 2018 Page - 7