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I FLORIDA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE
ESC1000 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
This online course is sponsored by Open Campus
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION This course acquaints students with the development of science, the integrating principles and theories in the earth sciences, the practice of the scientific method and with a useful knowledge of selected areas of geology, oceanography, meteorology and astronomy. The course is for general education and is not designed essentially as an introductory or preparatory course for any of the specific sciences. REQUIRED TEXTS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Text: Foundations of Earth Science with Geode Earth Science, Lutgens and Tarbuck, Prentice Hall, Fifth Edition ISBN-10: 0132401355 *if you have an old version, or Earth Science by the same authors, that is fine with me Be sure you have the CD that comes with the book. An older or newer edition will work just as well (and may save you money), but beware Pluto is no longer a planet. Ordering Text: This may be accomplished online by accessing the Distance Learning Webpage: http://www.distancelearning.org/ or the text may be obtained at the Campus Bookstores. South Campus should have the most books. To receive the text on time, order at least one week before class. LEARNING OUTCOMES Have you ever wondered…? Why are there different kinds of rocks and minerals? What are the different types of rocks and minerals? How old is the Earth? How old is the solar system? Why is the sky blue? How do mountains form? How does ocean circulation work? Why are there tides? What is the Doppler Effect? How can scientists determine how far away a star is? During this course you will explore these questions and many more. You will have the opportunity to explore information presented in your book, on the CD that comes with your book, from power points I wrote, from lectures another instructor wrote, and from the internet. Earth and Space Science is the study of the physical properties and events of our planet-Earth and the surrounding space. In reality, the Earth is not just divided in Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Biology, etc. The Earth is an integration of all its various parts. This course treats the Earth as a whole, using the Earth Systems as an integration tool. You will have the opportunity to explore the following topics, learning to: 1. Distinguish between facts, theories and beliefs. 2. Understand how chemicals bond to form minerals and the atmosphere. 3. Understand Earth’s materials-minerals and rocks. 4. Understand geologic time and the development of life through time. 5. Understand Plate Tectonics. Learn the interrelationship between Plate Tectonics and the distribution of Plants and Animals. 6. Understand Volcanoes, Earthquakes and the Earth’s internal processes. 7. Understand Earth’s surficial processes and events, such as groundwater movement, river flow, glacial development and deserts, in relation to Homo sapiens. 8. Understand ocean processes. 9. Look at geological processes on other planets. 10. Understand the atmospheric processes. 11. Understand why the Earth has seasons. 12. Gain an understanding of how all of this impacts you
ONLINE DELIVERY SYSTEM (COURSE PLATFORM)
The
course is presented Blackboard.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS 486/66-MHz processor or higher and 56kbs minimum Internet connection. The College can provide you with Internet access (no ISP needed). You may choose to use your own ISP; however, the College’s ISP services are free to enrolled students. Please use the following checklist to determine your computer readiness. You should own or have access to: a. a computer with personal access to the Internet
(e.g., computer with a modem or cable modem connection) Adobe Acrobat Reader (for PDF files) Download Quicktime digital media player Download RealPlayer digital media player Download Macromedia Shockwave Player Download PowerPoint Viewer Download (if you do not have PowerPoint) Macromedia Flash Player Download
Sun Java
Download ***Some of the assignment will not work without Java. This is the number 1 reason for them not working! g. Additional hardware including speakers and microphone (FCCJ suggest, microphone not necessarily need for this course) ACCESSIBILITY
This course has been designed to meet the requirements contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 508. If you require specific accommodations to complete this course, notify your instructor. FCCJ students should also [and] contact Services for Students with Disabilities at www.fccj.edu/resources/disabilities/index.html. FIRST WEEK In the first week you must create a webpage and participate on the discussion board with your fellow students. This will help you to develop a learning community. In addition, you will take a bonus quiz over the syllabus. All students who have not turned in the bonus quiz and their homepage by Monday of the second week will be dropped for non-attendance. Be sure to have at least the syllabus quiz, and homework A and homework 1 turned in if you do not want to be dropped. LEARNING COMMUNITIES People learn through interactions with each other, with the instructor and with written, auditory and visual learning materials. To facilitate interactive learning among learners and between learners and faculty, a major goal of this course is to encourage the development of learning communities—i.e., help learners and faculty get to know and better understand each other. Towards this end, the faculty member will post an audio/video vignette or a brief written bio introducing him/herself; this will be available online as a part of the first day of class. Learners are asked to also introduce themselves by posting a brief bio within the platform—a picture is also recommended. In addition, a Cyber Café (community) will be provided for learners to informally discuss things among themselves without intervention of the faculty member. Group Work: Groups will be randomly or alphabetically assigned at the start of the semester. Many assignments will be done in groups, only turn in one group assignment per group. All group members who wish to receive credit should participate in each assignment, even if there is more than one assignment per week. If you are not in a group, you added the course after your instructor created groups. E-mail your instructor. Each week you should choose a different group leader, as this position entails more work. The group leader should divide the work and set an internal deadline for the assignment. My suggestion is the Wednesday before assignment is due. That way any unfinished work can be re-split and you can have confidence that the work will be completed on time. For each assignment you may choose how to split the work. Although, I will allow you to split the work rather than working together, in a face to face class many instructors would consider this cheating. It is suggested that each question is done at by at least two people so that you may double check the answers. If any answers conflict, the group as a whole should look into it. Each member of the group should review the assignment before it is turned in. It is also suggested that groups communicate on their group discussion board, not through e-mail. This way the instructor and all group members can see who is participating. After the first group assignment is due I remove all “non-participators” and place them in a group of their own. This is done because you must be able to trust your group. Groups are fairly stable after the second week. Example division of work: “Assignment 264 Bobby Basalt 1-10 Courtney Coquina 11-20 Diamond Diorite 20-30 Fanny Fluorite 6-15 Sandy Sandstone 16-25 Larry Lava 1-5 and 26-30 Please post your work by Wednesday at noon on the group discussion board and in the file exchange.” ***Note: All work is to be turned into the
instructor by 9pm on Friday each week, it is simply suggested
that your group sets an internal, first round deadline of
Wednesday, ASSESSMENT Group Assignments: There will be eight 25 point assignments. Although the first group assignment may take you more time than had you done the assignment on your own, working in groups will save you time once you get the hang of it. In addition, it will increase your learning. After the first group assignment, all “non-participators” will be moved into a group of their own. Therefore, you should not have to worry about your group members not doing their work. Although, much of the information may come from the book you will often be referred to websites. If any websites are ever down, contact me and I will find updated links. You will often need to draw pictures, you can do this in word or paint, in addition, and completing them by hand and using a scanner works very, very well. E-mail assignments as attachments to me via FCCJ E-mail. [Many of you will have had classes where you used the drop box, however, I realized we would all be checking the bulletin board (BB or DB), Drop Box, FCCJ e-mail, and messages for e-mails if I used all possible contact opportunities and that seamed kind of silly and time consuming]. Check the schedule/calendar to determine when each assignment is due (9 pm Friday). Individual assignments: There will be five 20 point individual assignments. The first of these will be simply to create your homepage. The rest will be to complete virtual activities from http://www.sciencecourseware.org/eecindex.php. The virtual assignments give you a certificate of completion that you can paste in word and send to your instructor. If you cannot get the certificate to paste properly do a screen print (there is a print screen key on your keyboard) and paste it into your word processor. These will be deducted 5 points per week if they are late. This is to prevent students from attempting to turn in all of the work in the last week or two. Individual worksheets: There will be eight 25 point worksheets. These are similar to quizzes, but rather than multiple choice, they will be mostly fill in the blank (they may contain matching or other types of questions too). The worksheets will help you review terminology presented in the material (chapters and lectures). You may submit each worksheet three times. Quizzes: There will be 16 mastery learning (ML) quizzes. The purpose of ML quizzes is to allow you to determine how much of the material you are learning from the class and to help you learn the material. Thus, the test questions will not be tricky. The questions will be a combination of multiple choice, true-false, and matching. Each quiz is over one chapter in the textbook. You will
take 16 fifteen point (~10 questions) mastery learning “quizzes” (for a
total of 240 points). If you have had an online class before, you may
have had mastery learning quizzes.
Mastery learning quizzes may be taken repeatedly and are not
timed. You may not get the
same questions each time you take the quiz, but eventually you may work
your way through all of the questions.
Be sure to remember the correct answer to each question, not the
letter, as the order of the choices is randomized. Each quiz is meant to
cover only 1-3 lectures (power points, CD, and the associated reading).
Project (100 points): For the project you will have wide variety of options. Option 1: Do a book report (2-5 double spaced typed pages) indicating what you learned about the topic.
Some Recommended Books (recommend authors are underlined)
Geology Diamond: History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair by Matthew Hart Ploughs, Plagues, and Petroleum by William Ruddiman Tyrannosaurus Sue Sudden Origins by Jeffrey Schwartz The Ultimate Dinosaur by Robert Silverberg Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond Irons in the Fire by John McPhee Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon
Winchester The Structure of Evolutionary Theory by Stephen
J. Gould Basin and Range by John McPhee Adams Curse by Bryan Sykes Rare Earth by Peter Ward and Donald Brownzee
Meteorology Its Raining Frogs and Fishes by Jerry Dennis (funny!) Freaks of a storm by Rand Cerveny The weather markers by Tim Flannery Big Weather by Mark Svenvold
Oceanography Noah’s Flood by Bill Ryan Ocean’s End by Colin Woodard Down the River by Edward Abbey The Ravaging Tide by Mike Tidwell
Astronomy The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene The varieties of science experience by Carl Sagen Cosmos by Carl Sagen A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson Big Bang by Simon Sigh Apollo 13 by Jeffaey Kluger Option 2: Write an essay (3-5 double spaced typed pages) about a documentary related to the topic. Some Recommended Films from Past Students (Please pick a movie made within the last 6 years that is at least 1 hour. This is not a list you must choose from, but rather some movies and books past students have used))
Geology Amazing Earth (Discovery) Descent into the Ice: Exploring Mont Blanc’s Hidden Glacial Lakes (NOVA) Seconds from Disaster, Mount St. Helens Eruption The Miracle Planet: The Heat Within Volcano’s Deadly Warning (NOVA) Volcanoes of the Deep Sea Volcanoes: Nature’s Inferno (National Geographic) When Dinosaurs Roamed America (Discovery Cannel, 2001) “Volcano Alert” Naked Science. (National Geographic Channel) “Colliding planets” Naked Science. (National Geographic Channel) Complete Cosmos and Solar System (Science Channel) The Last Planet From Our Sun (Science Channel) Dinosaur Planet (Discovery Channel) Tornadoes-Nature’s Most Violent Storms (National Geographic)
Meteorology An Incontinent Truth Tornado (Weather Channel)
Oceanography Secrets of the Ocean Realm: City in the Sea and Star Gardens (PBS Home Video)
Astronomy Asteroids: Deadly Impact (National Geographic, 2003) Mysteries of Deep Space Race to the Moon: The Daring Adventure of Apollo 8 (PBS Video) Welcome to Mars (NOVA) Option 3: Create a short film, podcast, or animation related to the topic. This can be done using a cell phone camera, video camera, animation software etc... This option of course relies heavily on your personal technological skills and the availability of those resources to you along with your ability to get them to your instructor. Option 4: Take pictures of yourself with geology, meteorology, etc in the background and write an essay (3-6 pages typed double spaced with pictures or the equivalent in hand written pages) explaining what feature or phenomenon related to the course is shown in the picture, be sure to include the location if possible. Guided Discussion: This section is worth 160
points. There will be 8
Guided discussions, each worth 20 points.
You must make a cited posting on the bulletin board (BB) about
the topic and reply to another students posting (as this is after all
meant to be a discussion) that contains new information and is cited.
Guided discussions are due the week they are posted (see schedule
for exact week). Research shows that humans learn by discussion! Week 1: Introduction Week 2: Florida’s rock and
mineral resources
Week 3: Geologic hazards
and natural disasters Week 4: Florida’s water
quality and water resources
Week 5/6: Global
warming/climate change
Week 7: Dwarf planets and
your favorite planet Week 8: Exploring the
solar system Week All: Earth and Space
Science in the News Your dialog should
be knowledge building. Here are some simple guidelines written by Dr.
Tackle. · Elements of Productive Committee Discussion 1. Questions requesting clarification of ambiguous or confusing points 2. New and relevant authoritative information that goes beyond what was provided 3. Opinions, provided they are substantiated with logical arguments from accepted facts. Use references to back up your point. 4. Synthesis of given information that suggests a new conclusion 5. Hypotheses who’s testing would lead to new information 6. Calculations that lead to new conclusions or reveal new insights
· Elements of a Committee Discussion that do NOT Contribute to Productivity 1. Sweeping generalizations ("politicians have ruined our national forests") 2. Impractical solutions ("we should stop global warming now by not burning fossil fuels") 3. Unsubstantiated claims ("global warming will turn the US Midwest into a desert") Questions raised that are broad and reverse progress of the discussion ("why do we have global warming?") 4. Degrading or impolite comments ("Donna, that's a dumb idea")”
Listed below are some categories that knowledge building postings will most likely fall under. Brainstorming Brainstorming is the introducing of new ideas that relate to the topic or task of the committee and offer a perspective not previously considered. If the idea is pretty "far out", it needs to be explained in sufficient detail to justify its plausibility. Some anchor in factual information is required. Articulating Articulating means explaining complex or difficult concepts. This could include explaining course material that may be difficult to understand, entering and explaining new material from other sources (personal experiences that add to the knowledge base fit this category (see second example), or amplifying on comments of other students that seem incomplete and need further explanation. Analysis Analysis is a powerful knowledge-building characteristic that includes comparing or contrasting previously articulated views. It also could include new calculations from existing data that shed new light on the issue under consideration. Comparing and contrasting comes under this category. Organization Occasionally, organization of existing thoughts or perspectives helps to clarify the flow of discussion (e.g., identifying that there are really only two lines of thinking in the dialog despite numerous comments in seemingly different directions). Frequently it is possible to take two quite different pieces of information and show that they are a part of one larger picture. Sometimes reassembling data in different ways reveals deeper meaning. Synthesis Synthesis brings data or concepts from two or more topics together and creates a new concept or numerical result. Generalization Generalization is another powerful characteristic that takes comments or data already presented and extracts new information or knowledge that applies to a broader set of conditions. Even though such generalizations must be carefully tested for their truth, they do offer a positive step in the knowledge-building process. Generalizations are very thought provoking because they immediately challenge the reader to search for counter-examples. In order to receive credit for your dialogue it must be knowledge building and contain be cited. Extra Credit: There will be one 10 point bonus quiz over the syllabus to be taken during the first week of the semester. You will receive 1 point for reposting spelling/grammatical errors (and their corrections) in lectures, assignments, quizzes, or permanent course information. Please report any errors via e-mail. You instructor may or may
not offer other bonus projects.
You will be informed if extra credit becomes available. Late Work: ML quizzes will not close and you
may turn them in at anytime before the instructor stops accepting work
for the semester. Discussions may NOT be turned in late. All
other work can be turned in late but note that
you will be given a 1 week grace period. However, after the grace
period you will loose 5 points per week per assignment. This
prevents you from putting undo pressure on the instructor to grade all
of your work in one weekend.
It also ensures that you learn the material by spacing the
workload out over several weeks.
If you did the entire course in one week, you would be unlikely
to retain any information. No work may be
turned in past Friday of finals week. GRADING Grade Determination: The grades are based on the number of points divided by the total possible points. The total points available are 1000. Honors students will complete an 8-12 page research paper worth 100 points and the total available points for honors students will therefore be 1100 points (If you are in the honors college you may request to take this as an honors class, please contact your instructor and the university if you wish to do so). Group Assignments 200 Individual Assignments 100 Mastery Learning Quizzes 240 Worksheets 200 Project 100 Guided Discussion 160 __________ Total 1000 To calculate your grade, divide your earned points by the total possible and multiply by 100. Grading: A standard grading scale will be used for this class: % GRADE 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D <60 F IMPORTANT COLLEGE DATES You will find this information at www.fccj.edu/current/calendar/index.html. CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES 16 week schedule
12 Week Schedule
8
Week Schedule
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Received By the Instructor What do I need to do? You need to turn in your homework, guided discussions, ML quizzes, essay/paper, and ESSN Postings. To answer homework questions you will be most often directed to websites contained within the homework. If a website is down please let me know so I can update the assignment. To find the information for ML quizzes you can read your textbook, read the lectures, view and PowerPoint’s or podcasts available, or view the CD that came with your book. You do not need to do all of these; you will decide what works best for you. Each person learns differently and I have made an attempt to provide many methods and many different points of view. Each of the sources contains similar information although they may each stress different points. Where are the assignments? Assignments can be found in the assignments folder.
How do I turn it in?
To turn in homework send it to me at
cbright@fccj.edu as an attachment.
It is due at 9 pm on Friday night, When is it due? Your homework and guided discussions are due on Friday at 9 pm. Under “Course Information” click on “Schedule” to download a 1 page layout of what is due each week. The course schedule also shows what lectures and chapters correspond to each topic. Some students have had classes in which homework was due Sunday at midnight. We do not have an exam in this course, therefore if you turned in work on Sunday night of the last week I would not be able to have your final grades turned in on Monday. In addition, I would like you to be able to take your weekends off. If you need to you may do your work ahead of time, thus having it done about week early. How much time does it take? In a 16 week class you would attend lecture for 3 hours a week while in an 8 week class you would spend six hours a week in lecture for a 3 credit course. When I started college I was told that I was expected to study for 2 hours for ever hour spent in class for a B and 3 hours for an A. The pie graph shows how many hours per week students in Fall 2006 indicated they spent on this course.
***Plagiarism: Plagiarism is grounds for dismissal from FCCJ. Any cutting and pasting of material, or the changing of a few words will constitute plagiarism. Put everything in your own words. Students may not copy each others work. This will be considered cheating. All cheating and/or plagiarism will be handled by the giving of an “F” for the course. FCCJ Frequently Asked Questions You may add any additional questions and answers to this list that you feel are relevant to your course. 1.
How long will I have to wait for a response from the
instructor to my e-mail?
Faculty responds to e-mails within 48 hours. 2.
What is proper e-mail etiquette? E-mail to other learners and the instructor needs to be addressed in a manner appropriate to polite interactions. 3.
What will help me succeed in this course? Strong discipline and desire to succeed. You’ll need to log-in to class often during the typical week, motivating yourself to meet the requirements for success. Ability to work well independently. You’ll develop the support of fellow learners all taking the same coursework together, but it will be different than a typical classroom environment. If you work well independently, your chance of success is higher. Computer savvy. If you’re not familiar with the Internet and e-mail communication, we recommend that you take a computer enrichment class prior to enrolling in this course. Faculty assumes you know how to access and send data on the Internet. 4. What is an FN grade? This grade is awarded to students who do not meet the attendance requirement of a course. 5. What are “I” grades and when are they used?
An “I” grade may be assigned at the instructor’s discretion upon request by the student to permit the student time to complete required course work which he/she was prevented from completing in a timely way due to non-academic reasons. The instructor may require the student to document the request to assist in the decision. The instructor may choose not to grant the request. The “I” grade should be considered only when the student has the potential to earn a passing grade if the missing work is made up. The instructor shall prescribe in a written agreement with the student the remaining course work required for completion and removal of the “I” grade. A copy of this agreement will be kept on file in the office of the appropriate dean. All work must be completed within the first eight weeks of the subsequent term, unless the instructor agrees to a longer timeframe extension of time (not to exceed one year). When the work is completed, the instructor will submit a grade change form with the grade earned. If the work is not completed within the prescribed timeframe, the “I” will automatically change to an “F” grade. The student will be informed of the final grade assigned. To be eligible for an “I” grade, the student must be passing the course at the time of the request, and must have completed at least 75 percent of the course work. 6. What is the FCCJ Code of Ethics? Consistent with The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, 6B-1.06, Principles of Professional conduct for the Education Profession in Florida, an obligation to the learner requires that an individual shall not harass or discriminate against any learner on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make reasonable effort to assure that each learner is protected from harassment or discrimination. 7. What about academic dishonesty? Academic dishonesty, in any form, is expressly prohibited by the rules of the District Board of Trustees of Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Academic dishonesty incorporates the following: a. Cheating which is defined as the giving or taking of any information or material with the intent of wrongfully aiding oneself or another in academic work considered in the determination of a course grade. b. Plagiarism which is defined as the act of stealing or passing off as one’s own work the words, ideas, or conclusions of another as if the work submitted were the product of ones own thinking rather than an idea or product derived from another source. In this regard, FCCJ students and faculty College-wide have access to the use of Turnitin online software, used to detect plagiarism in essays and reports. c. Any other form of inappropriate behavior which may include but is not limited to: falsifying records or data; lying; unauthorized copying, tampering, abusing or otherwise unethically using a computer or other stored information; and, any other act of misconduct which may reasonably be deemed to be a part of this heading. Any student alleged to have committed any act of academic dishonesty as defined herein, shall be entitled to due process as defined in District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx7-2. 18, prior to the administration of disciplinary action, including suspension and dismissal. 8. May I repeat this course? Learners repeat a course in an attempt to improve a grade previously earned. State Board Rule 6A-14.0301 limits such attempts to courses where a “D,” “F,” or “FN” grade was earned. A learner has only three total attempts in any course, including the original grade, repeat grades and withdrawals. Upon the third attempt in a course, the learner must be given an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F”. When students repeat a course at Florida Community College, only the last grade earned is calculated in their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students with an excessive number of “W” or “FN” grades and students who repeat courses to improve their GPA may jeopardize their admission to programs in the Florida State University System (SUS) or other institutions
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