Capital Reef National Park, Utah

Readings

You will be using free online readings that are linked in the course outline below. 

If you feel more comfortable with a traditional textbook, you can purchase  this traditional hardcopy textbook: Ritter, D.F., Kochel, R.C., and Miller, J.R. 2002. Process Geomorphology. 4th Edtion. ISBN: 1-57766-461-2. 560 Pages.  However, this is not required reading. It is simply recommended for persons who enjoy the support of a traditional textbook.

If you like a traditional textbook, but want to view one online, the Google Books version of Geomorphology (by Chorley, Schumm and Sugden) can be viewed here. This geomorphology textbook is famous for its fantastic diagrams (that could be very useful in your final examination).

Terms can often overwhelm students in any introductory science class.  You may find these resources useful if you come across a strange word in the readings on in presentations:

• Annotated Definitions of Selected Geomorphic Terms  and Related Terms of Hydrology, Sedimentology, Soil  Science and Ecology  .

• There are also some only dictionaries of geological terms:

• http://www.geotech.org/survey/geotech/dictiona.html

• http://geology.com/geology-dictionary.shtml

• List of different landforms and what they look like on a topographic map:

• http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/Archives/Geol10L/landforms.htm

Other Materials

You will need to purchase a protractor appropriate for measuring angles.

You will need access to a scanner.  For example, you will be asked to sketch a rock art panel. This is done more easily by hand. Then you would scan your sketch and insert it to a file that you will turn in.

You should have access to a printer.  It will be useful to print off maps and imagery so you can make measurements.

If you decide to do the optional lab of Erosion: The Game, you will need to purchase the game from me (just email me and I will mail you the game).  It is a $10 expense, and this optional lab will help you analyze the evolution of landforms.  However, it is an optional lab. You do not have to select the lab.

Computer Requirements

You have signed up for an Internet class.  This means that you have a certain responsibility to prepare your own computer to access class materials.  Your instructor is not an expert on your computer.  They cannot diagnose problems that you are having.  Learning how to use your own computer is something you must be able to accomplish if you are to complete this class.  

• Your computer must be able to read the following files:

• quicktime (for windows users)

• flash

• shockwave

• mpg

• avi

• wmv (windows media player for mac users)

• Several labs use Microsoft Excel to help you make calculations and graphs.

• We have a strong suggestion on the broswer you use: A.B.I.E.F. Anything But Internet Explorer or Firefox. DO NOT USE THEM, or you will be sorry causing yourself lots of problems. We  recommend that you use Seamonkey or Safari for your browser. Seamonkey is the browser that will probably work the best for you. 
  

• To watch most of the presentations, you must turn off your pop-up blocker -- or you will not be able to see any of the links made and you will not be able to take the quizzes.

• Your computer must be able to read microsoft word files and PDF files. 

• You must be able to save files in the .rtf format (rich text format). The rich text format (rtf) exists as a "save as" option in all word processing programs like microsoft word.  We use this format exclusively to prevent incompatibility between your software and ours.

• You must be able to download and use GoogleEarth.

• You must have access to a scanner.

• Your computer must be able to run Java.

• Your computer must be able to turn different types of files into PDF documents

• Your will be using a "paint" program extensively in the labs to modify diagrams and photographs.  All Windows computers have a paint program in the Accessories folder (in programs).  If you have a program like Adobe Photoshop, great. Use it.  However, you do not have to pay for new software.  A tutorial for the first laboratory explains how you can use the free software to take screenshots and use the paint programs. There are tutorials for Mac users and PC users.

Lab Reports: 45%

The expectation is that you will need to spend 3 hours a week to complete your lab reports.  

You have two weeks to complete each lab.

The first laboratory session will give you a chance to practice the process of report submission.

If you receive a grade of less than 50% for the laboratory portion of the class, you will receive an automatic F.  In other words, you must get a passing grade for your labs to pass the course.

Each lab is worth 7.5% of your grade.

Plagiarism Policy in Laboratory Reports:

• You are required to abide by PVCC Academic Integrity Policy

• Your laboratory reports will consist of a mixture of measurements (data) you compile and interpretations of those data (answering questions). 

• You are allowed to work individually or in a group to make your measurements and acquire your data.  Scientists often work in groups, and this is good because it leads to discussions. So we understand that many data sets you submit will be similar.

• BUT ... WE DO NOT ALLOW YOU TO TURN IN GROUP WORK IN INTERPRETING (ANSWERING QUESTIONS).

• All of the words that you submit in your lab reports will be run through anti-plagiarism detection software and a  bank of previously submitted lab assignments. 

• It is rare that a student is foolish enough to try to "copy" and "paste" answers to our laboratory questions from the Internet, because our labs are original.  They do not exist on the Internet.  So students submitting non-original answers almost always are copying the words of another student.  Our grading program detects this as plagiarism. 

• The rest of this policy is for the rare student who wants to throw their tuition money down the toilet by cheating ... we have "three strikes and you're out!" policy for the entire class:

• If we determine that a student's work is not original the first time, we will return the lab report with a grade of zero. We will explain the problem, and we will give you one more chance to revise the report in your own words. 

• If a student submits work that is not original the second time (warning: this is the 2nd offense for the class, no matter the lab ...), the student will receive a grade of zero for that lab -- and the student will be required to meet with your instructor to discuss the problem (in person is best, but by phone is possible) and explain positions. This meeting (in person, or virtual) is not optional.  We will contact the student and set up this meeting.  The student and the laboratory instructor will take written notes about this meeting, and they will share their notes with Dr. Douglass to avoid future misunderstandings.

• If student still continues to submit work that is not original for any lab after this first meeting, the student will then meet with Dr. Douglass (in person or virtually) to explain why the student should not be given an F for the class.

• If a student refuses to meet with Dr. Douglass and they continue to submit work that is not original, the student will receive an F for the class. 

Lecture Quizzes
45.5%

• This course has 45 contact hours of lecture, virtual field trips, animations and quizzes. 

• There are 27 quizzes. Each quiz is worth roughly 1.75 points.  The lowest quiz will be dropped from the final quiz grade. The lecture quizzes provide you an opportunity to earn 0.5% extra credit for the entire course.

• To take the lecture quizzes,  you have to be watching the lecture presentations.  There are links within those lectures to the multiple choice quizzes.

• These quizzes are meant to work with the flow of the lectures.   We think and hope that you will find these quizzes quite easy. The idea is for you to watch and think about the lecture material, and then right away -- take a quiz to reinforce the learning.  The lecture/quiz is intended to provide you background information for the laboratory experience. This is backwards from the traditional lab science class that has most of the grade based on a few high pressure tests.  However, this learning strategy works best for an online science experience where the emphasis is on active learning focusing on you thinking about science in the context of labs.

• THE QUIZZES ARE FOUND IN BLACKBOARD

• You can watch the lecture material as many times as you wish, but you can only take the quiz once.

• Why can you only take each quiz once?

• If you actually watch the lecture prior to taking the quiz, you will do very well.  They are meant to be very easy, if you take the time to listen to the lecture. Once is all that is needed to get a great grade, if you actually watched the lecture.

• We only allow one try at a quiz to try to prevent students trying to "speed up" the learning experience by trying to jump to the quizzes without going over the lectures.

• A style of online testing, of retaking quizzes again and again, doesn't help student learning.  This style of trying to repeat testing without taking the time to listen to the lecture is cheating yourself out of the knowledge you paid for in  your expensive tuition.  Just take the time to learn, and you'll like the result on your class grade. 
  

Final Exam
10%

You have ONE MONTH to complete this final and its a lot of work, hence its worth 10% of your grade. The earlier you get started, the better off you will be. You will need to write a 5 page paper and fill out a transverse drainage diagram. This is also a good time to finish up your quizzes, don't save the Grand Canyon Final or the quizzes for the last few days of the class.