Course Syllabus

Fall 2026 | ENV-1055-VO01 - Fundamentals of Earth Science

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Laura DesJardins
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jen Guarino

General Education Requirements

Natural Science

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to systems and processes acting upon planet Earth in the solar system. Primary focus is on mechanisms of formation and distribution of minerals, rocks, continents and planets. The course includes basic principles of geology including geologic time and plate tectonics. Meteorology and climatology are emphasized in context of hydrological impacts on geomorphology. Human impact on geological processes will also be explored.

Essential Objectives

1. Use scientific method to understand the context of planet Earth within the universe, galaxy, and solar system.
2. Describe the structure and composition of the interior layers of the planet Earth.
3. Explain geologic time referencing the rock record, extinction events, and the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics.
4. Describe the atomic structure of the major rock-forming minerals and define their physical properties.
5. Identify the three types of rocks and explain their origins and relationships.
6. Define and describe Earth’s hydrological cycle including meteorological, atmospheric, and climatological considerations.
7. Explain the influences the hydrological cycle has on landscape formation (geomorphology) including groundwater movement, weathering patterns, and glacial and riverine sediment distribution.
8. Describe geological phenomena such as volcanism, earthquakes, mass wasting, and impact events in context of earth and solar system processes.
9. Examine the impact of human activities, including global warning, fossil fuel extraction, and land development, on geological processes and evaluate the sustainability of these practices.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information.
11. Explain how knowledge created in the natural sciences has contributed to the creation, maintenance and dismantling of social inequalities and discuss the impacts of diversity and inclusion on scientific research and practice.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Fall 2026 textbook/book details will be available on 2026-05-18. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

ENV-1055-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

All written work (homework and final project) must be submitted through OneDrive as url link to a cloud-hosted document.

AI is only permitted when explicitly required as part of an assignment. Students are not permitted ot use AI for assignments where it is not indicated.

Methods

A Typical Week in this Class

Each week I will post a Weekly Overview that lays out the objectives, assignments, resources, and expectations for the week. I will also include any "upcoming important dates" to be aware of. Students should begin each week by reading the Weekly Overview. In general, each week you should expect to do the following:

• Read 1-2 chaptersin the text.

• Read articles, watch videos, or use interactive modules posted to the Weekly Overview.

• Participate in the class discussion (please read discussion rubric carefully).

• Complete homework assignment

• Complete activity, lab, simulation, quiz, or final project checkpoint assignment.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Criteria

Discussions 20%

Homework 30%

Labs, Activities, Quizzes, and Projects 30%

Final Project 20%

Discussion Participation

Each week students are assessed on their participation in the discussion forum. These discussion forums are where you demonstrate your learning and represent 20% of the overall grade. Posts should be thoughtfully composed, reference the resources for the week, cite as needed, include a bibliography, and be carefully proofread. The first two weeks I will complete a rubric for each student and provide specific feedback regarding progress. After the third week I will only enter these grades (with minimal written feedback) in the Canvas gradebook. As with anything, please contact me if you have questions or concerns regarding your progress. Please see the Discussion Rubric to see how students will be assessed.

Homework

Every week there will be homework questions. These may reference any of the resources assigned for the week. These must be typed in Microsoft OneDrive and submitted as a url link to a cloud-hosted document. I do not accept files that have to be downloaded to my device.

Labs, Activities, Quizzes, and Projects

Nearly every week there will be a lab simulation, activity, quiz, or project that goes with the unit of study. These may be hands-on activities/labs that you complete at home, creative digital projects, or computer simulations that have questions to go along with them. These will support your learning and give you an opportunity to demonstrate critical and creative thinking.

Final Project

During the last week of the course students will complete a final project. There will several project checkpoints and the whole thing will be scaffolded well enough so that students can build ideas, get feedback, and try out the technology before the final week. Students will have all of week 12 to fine tune the project.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be recorded every Tuesday morning and will be based on participation during the prior week. Students will be marked present based on participation in one or more assignments that week.

Communicating with the Instructor

I check my email (lbd01100@ccv.vsc.edu) most days. Messages sent through Canvas Inbox sometimes forward to my email, but not reliably and sometimes end up in spam. I check my email far more frequently than I check Inbox. I do not recommend communicating with me through Canvas Inbox. If you need to reach me, please send me a direct email at lbd01100@ccv.vsc.edu.If your inbox message reaches me via email, I will, of course, respond via email.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Sometimes life happens and we run late with our coursework. Out of respect for students who submit work by the deadline, I do not accept late work for full credit unless the student reaches out in advance to notify me of the issue.One time per semesterstudents may be granted what I call the "life happens" pass. These are issued when a student is experiencing a significant life event that is impacting their ability to complete the work for the week. I do not need to know the details, because those are personal, but I do need to know that an issue exists. The life happens pass grants students an extension on all work for the week without losing credit.

Sometimes we just forget or miss a single deadline by a day or two. When that happens, I treat the late work as follows:

• Discussion deadlines are outlined in the Discussion Rubric.
• Homework and assignments from the the "Labs, activities, quizzes, and projects" category that are submitted past the due date will be reduced by 10% for each day it is late. However, there are no definitive grace periods around late work in these categories; once I grade that assignment and a 0 is entered, you may no longer submit the assignment.
• Late "checkpoint" assignments for the final project (topic proposal, outline, bibliography, etc.) will also reduced by 10% for each day they are submitted late. Again, once a zero is entered, the assignment may not be submitted.
• No final projects will be accepted past the last day of the term.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.