I. COURSE DESCRIPTION Syllabus for EVR 250L Environmental Science Laboratory 1 Credit Hour Spring 2017 Demonstrates the practical importance of understanding environmental science to every person, all majors, all careers, at ORU and around the world. Corequisite: EVR 250 Lecture. Lab fee: $55. II. COURSE GOALS The major goals of this course are to involve the student in problem solving, analysis, and social interaction as they relate to environmental issues. As a result of taking this course, the student will have the means of understanding the physical, chemical, biological, and social interrelationships of environmental science. By learning proper laboratory techniques, the student will be introduced to scientific principles that are used to objectively obtain and analyze data for investigating natural phenomena. The student will also experience working together in a team situation, learning collaboratively with lab partners. III. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS COURSE As a result of successfully completing this course, the student will be able to do the following: A. Examine the biological, physical, and chemical interrelationships of the natural world. B. Comprehend the meaning of a sense of place in the natural world, and how we can assess our surroundings and perhaps improve conditions. C. Monitor environmental parameters and take census of species abundance in the field to assess the level of health or stress in local ecosystems. IV. TETBOOKS AND OTHER LEARNING RESOURCES A. Required Materials 1. Handouts, online research, and Lecture textbook V. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES A. University Policies and Procedures 1. Attendance at each class or laboratory is mandatory at Oral Roberts University. Excessive absences can reduce a student s grade or deny credit for the course. 2. Students taking a late exam because of an unauthorized absence are charged a late exam fee. 3. Students and faculty at Oral Roberts University must adhere to all laws addressing the ethical use of others materials, whether it is in the form of print, electronic, video, multimedia, or computer software. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating involve both lying and stealing and are violations of ORU s Honor Code: I will not cheat or plagiarize; I will do my own academic work and will Last revision: Spring 2015/jk 1
not inappropriately collaborate with other students on assignments. Plagiarism is usually defined as copying someone else s ideas, words, or sentence structure and submitting them as one s own. Other forms of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to) the following: a. Submitting another s work as one s own or colluding with someone else and submitting that work as though it were his or hers; b. Failing to meet group assignment or project requirements while claiming to have done so; c. Failing to cite sources used in a paper; d. Creating results for experiments, observations, interviews, or projects that were not done; e. Receiving or giving unauthorized help on assignments. By submitting an assignment in any form, the student gives permission for the assignment to be checked for plagiarism, either by submitting the work for electronic verification or by other means. Penalties for any of the above infractions may result in disciplinary action including failing the assignment or failing the course or expulsion from the University, as determined by department and University guidelines. 4. Final exams cannot be given before their scheduled times. Students need to check the final exam schedule before planning return flights or other events at the end of the semester. 5. Students are to be in compliance with university, school, and departmental policies regarding Whole Person Assessment (WPA) requirements. Students should consult the WPA handbooks for requirements regarding general education and the students' majors. a. The penalty for not submitting electronically or for incorrectly submitting an artifact is a zero for that assignment. b. By submitting an assignment, the student gives permission for the assignment to be assessed electronically. B. Department Policies and Procedures 1. A fee of $15.00 is assessed for all late exams. This policy applies to all exams taken without notifying the professor prior to the regularly scheduled exam time and to all exams taken late without an administrative excuse. 2. Any student whose unexcused absences total 33% or more of the total number of class sessions receives an F for the course grade. C. Course Policies and Procedures 1. Evaluation Procedures Weekly lab assessments or quizzes (13 of the 14 labs x 20 points each) 260 pts. Outside (extra) service project 25 pts Outside (extra) field trip 25 pts. WPA assignment (Fred Creek) 10 pts. Final Lab Practical (assessment over whole semester) 50 pts TOTAL 370 pts Divide total points earned by 370 and convert to percentage. Grading scale: A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = 59% and below 2
2. Whole Person Assessment Requirements The lab report analyzing Fred Creek is submitted through the Chalk & Wire system to serve as the WPA assignment and is due by lab day for Week #13. 3. Other Policies and/or Procedures a. There are 13 lab sessions lasting 2 hour 40 minutes plus the last lab when the Lab Practical covering all material during the semester is given. Assignments include reflection papers on in-class exercises and outdoor field trips and activities. Reflection paper should be 2-3 pages in length and include a general summary of the purpose and what you did in the lab or field trip, description (including photos, drawings, graphs, tables, etc.) of things seen, analysis of any data collected, at least 2 academic (ie, reputable) references (as discussed in class), a summary of the important points of the lab and what you learned, and recommendations on how the lab exercise or field trip might be improved. Lab reports (reflection papers) are due no later than start of the next week s lab unless informed by me otherwise. FOLLOW SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS IN THE DROPBO FOLDER FOR EACH EERCISE. The penalty for late papers (unless there's a valid administrative or medical excuse) is 1 pt/day late up to a max. of minus 5 pts (25% max.). Plagiarism will not be tolerated! Originality Reports (ORs) from turnitin.com will be automatically generated for every submission to D2L Dropboxes. ORs greater than 20% (bibliographic references and quotes won t be included) will result in the assignment not being accepted (=0/20 pts). Repeated plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Students and to the student s major department. b. Experiments are usually conducted in small groups, each working with its own set of materials. Although cooperation is essential in performing an experiment, each student is required to work alone for quizzes, reflection papers, and assessments unless directed otherwise by the instructor. c. Each student is responsible for the University materials that are used during the lab period and is assessed an appropriate fee for any items that are lost, damaged, or broken. d. No makeup labs are offered. If a student has an excused absence, the lab can be made up by participating in an additional field trip or service project in addition to the two already required. Make sure that the substitute field trip or service project is approved ahead of time by the instructor. e. Whether a student is present or absent, the student is responsible for all material for all exams announced by this syllabus. 3
VI. COURSE CALENDAR WEEK DATE (Th) EERCISE 1 Orientation about class and important details; Between Heaven & Earth video (Lab Room)* #1 2 GIS Lab (Lab Room)* #2 3 Tulsa Trash & Transfer (FT)* #3 4 Covanta Energy Plant (FT)* #4 5 Scissortail Farms Aquaponics (FT)* #5 6 Sewage Treatment Plant (FT)* #6 7 ORU Greenhouse* (Local FT) #7 8 Soil Lab (Lab Room)* #8 9 Lake Evelyn Census (FT)* #9 Spr. break Enjoy, be safe, & experience God s beautiful Creation wherever you are! 10 Fred Creek Census (Lab Room first & then FT)* #10 11 Bird observation at Grace Wetlands (Local FT)* #11 Optional FT to Flint Ridge Apr. 1-2 (Makeup, combined Extra FT & SL, or ex. cr.) 12 Tree census on campus (Lab Room first & then Local FT)* #12 13 Sand Springs Landfill (FT)* #13 Optional: Sense of place in God s Creation around campus (On your own per Dr. Korstad s instructions)* #14 14 Lab Practical FT = Field trip; wear field clothes suitable for the conditions and weather. Be sure to read special notes in the D2L Dropbox for each lab as some places require close-toe shoes and long sleeve shirts (eg, Covanta). * = Reflection Paper worth 20 points each. Must be typed per directions in syllabus & also on D2L. Upload to D2L Dropbox before the next week s lab unless told otherwise by Professor. Rainy day replacement lab: Green Fire movie As part of the lab grade, two extra activities must be undertaken for 25 pts. each: One field trip and one service project. An extra field trip or service project may substitute for a missed lab that was academically or medically excused. 4
1. Field trip options Flint Ridge weekend - highly encouraged! Ecology field trips or on your own Tulsa Zoo, Oklahoma Aquarium, Turkey Mountain, Red Bud Valley, Oxley Nature Center, etc. see Dr. Korstad) Bio 112 lab Creek Turnpike wetlands field trip (ask Dr. Korstad or Dr. Reed) Tulsa Aubudon Society field trips (see http://www.tulsaaudubon.org/calendar.htm) Oxley Nature Center field trips (see http://www.oxleynaturecenter.org/) Oklahoma Academy of Science field meetings (see http://biosurvey.ou.edu/oas/) Other trips approved by instructor 2. Service Project options: a) Flint Ridge weekend - practical service project (highly encouraged!) b) Involvement in a community volunteer program can also satisfy part or all of the service requirement: MET Household Collection of Hazardous Waste Events (in 4-hour increments) Blue Thumb Program (training course or educational events) Participation in the ORU recycling program (Tracy Jackson, Sustainability officer) b) Student initiated service projects will also be considered (per Instructor approval beforehand): Examples of projects could be as follows: Trash pickup in a park or on church grounds Initiation of recycling program at a church Planning an educational project to teach environmental stewardship to non-oru students Volunteering at some of the places our lab goes to on field trips. 3. Students may participate in student gardening. Regular work each week must be documented with a work log and a report summarizing the experience, due at the end of the semester. 4. The field trip to Flint Ridge is optional but highly encouraged. We ll normally depart from the ORU Security area around 6 pm Fri. in 1-2 ORU vans and perhaps some private vehicles, drive to the Petra Field Camps area at Flint Ridge (https://www.facebook.com/petrafieldcamps), spend the night in their cabin(s), go on field trips and do service projects on Sat., and return to ORU Sat. around 8 pm. There is a charge of $5 per person to help defray food costs. Students fully participating in the weekend activities earn 50 pts total for their field trip and service project. Students also have the option to earn up to 20 pts extra for more detailed journal reflections on their weekend experiences (per Instructor approval). Students who are interested should sign up to go on the weekend trip. If there s room, students can sign up for both weekends and earn an additional 20 pts extra credit for participating in both weekends by submitting a reflection paper (ask Instructor for details). 5
Course Inventory for ORU s Student Learning Outcomes Environmental Science Laboratory - EVR 250L Spring 2017 This course contributes to the ORU student learning outcomes as indicated below: Significant Contribution Addresses the outcome directly and includes targeted assessment. Moderate Contribution Addresses the outcome directly or indirectly and includes some assessment. Minimal Contribution Addresses the outcome indirectly and includes little or no assessment. No Contribution Does not address the outcome. The Student Learning Glossary at http://ir.oru.edu/doc/glossary.pdf defines each outcome and each of the proficiencies/capacities. OUTCOMES & Significant Moderate Minimal No Contribution Contribution Contribution Contribution 1 Outcome #1 Spiritually Alive 1A Biblical knowledge 1B Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit 1C Evangelistic capability 1D Ethical behavior 2 Outcome #2 Intellectually Alert 2A Critical thinking 2B Information literacy 2C Global & historical perspectives 2D Aesthetic appreciation 2E Intellectual creativity 3 Outcome #3 Physically Disciplined 3A Healthy lifestyle 3B Physically disciplined lifestyle 4 Outcome #4 Socially Adept 4A Communication skills 4B Interpersonal skills 4C Appreciation of cultural & linguistic differences 4D Responsible citizenship 4E Leadership capacity 6