Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | 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

Jerry Spivey
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jennifer Guarino

General Education Requirements

VSCS 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 IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

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.

Spring 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. 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.

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.

Methods

Methods and Content

1. Readings inthe textbook: VisualizingEarth Science
Zeeya Merali,
Brian J. Skinner, YaleUniversity
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
©2009

2. Assignments & Exercises - Activities and written assignments are assigned weekly.

3. Participation in the DiscussionForum is a very important part of this course. This is our classroom. Each week you will post a response to the instructor's questions, answer other students' questions, and other posts as assigned.

4. Tests - There are17quizzes during the semester. There is no midterm or final exam.

HOW THIS CLASS WORKS

• This is an online course in Earth Science.
• There are basically 5 steps each week.
• The first step is to read and study the assigned chapter for the week.
• The second step is to view the PowerPoint lecture for the assigned chapter. (Some students do this first, as a preview.)
• Step three is to ask a question in the discussion forum, based on a concept in the chapter. This should be done early in the week, as soon as you have read the chapter. Then, answer two other students’ questions in the forum.Also, answer the "Critical Thinking" question(s) asked by the instructor.
  
• Step four is to do the assigned Activities, which may include videos, practice tests, short essays, etc.
  
• The final step is to take the chapter quiz. (All quizzes are open book.)

Weekly example:

Assignments (Do 1-5)
1. Read and study the Chapter.
2.View the PowerPoint presentation.
3.Participate in the Discussion Forum. (graded)
4. Do the assigned Activities. (graded and ungraded)
5. Take the chapter quiz. (graded)

Evaluation Criteria

In this course, learners have many opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, including: weekly discussions, critical thinking, current events, quizzes, and other assignments.

Weighted average for final grade based on the following:

• Assignments , Discussion Forum, Activities, Critical Thinking= 55% of grade
• Quizzes = 45% of grade

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

Weekly Schedule

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

Participation in this course is required each week as outlined in the weekly requirements.

Each week begins on Tuesday morning, and ends at 11:59 on Monday night. Within the week, you may do the assignments according to your own time schedule.

There are basically 5 required steps each week.

1.The first step is to read the assigned chapter for the week.

2.The second step is to view the PowerPoint lecture for the assigned chapter. (Some students do this first, as a preview.)

3.Step three is to ask a question in the discussion forum, based on a concept in the chapter. This should be done early in the week, as soon as you have read the chapter. Then, answer two other students’ questions in the forum. Also, answer the "Critical Thinking" question(s) asked by the instructor.

4.Step four is to do the activities assigned for the week. Some these activities are found in the textbook Student Companion website. These are some of the things we would do in a regular classroom setting. While many are ungraded activities, they will help you to understand the concepts presented in this course. Many of them are quite interesting too!

5. The final step is to take the chapter quiz. It must be completed within a 2 hour time limit, one attempt only

DISCUSSION FORUM GUIDELINES When posting to the Discussion Board, please follow these guidelines:

Post your discussion questions in the Q & A Discussion Forum early in the week. Students need time to reply, and if there are not enough posts, they are unable to do so. Posts after Sunday may not receive full credit.

Please use proper discussion board decorum. Remember that we all have feelings and it is important to be respectful in the discussion board.

The Discussion Board is our classroom. I ask you to respond to at least two other students each week. I believe that it is important for students to respond not only to my questions, but also to questions fellow students pose or questions that present themselves within the context of student responses. This also helps reinforce one of the major benefits of online learning, which is that students stand to learn as much from each other as they do from the instructor. After all, as in any class, you are responsible for your own learning.

Guidelines for Online Communication

Whenever you respond to a question or comment posed by your instructor or another student, be sure to include that question or comment in your answer, either by copying and pasting the whole thing or by paraphrasing it. That way, other participants in the discussion can understand the context of your response.

Compose your responses in a word processing program, so that you can check your spelling and grammar. This is also a good fail safe mechanism (i.e.,if for some reason your Internet connection goes down, you will not lose that posting you've been slaving over for the last half hour!)

Do not use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in your postings, because in the online world, capital letters are the equivalent of shouting.

Feel free to use emoticons if you feel it will help you get your point across.

Always be respectful of other people's opinions and ideas in your posting.

Always re-read your message before posting and check for the following:

• Have I completely answered the question?
• Do my sentences make complete sense?
• Have I run spell check?
• Make any necessary changes and submit.

Missing & Late Work Policy

My Late Work Policy:

Do not hesitate to contact me via Inbox if you have extenuating circumstances or need assistance.

Most instructors do not like receiving late work. Many instructors do not accept late work. In this course, you have 7 days in which to complete the assignments. Therefore, in fairness to all students, I expect your completed assignments by the due date and time (Monday nights before midnight).Late work, if accepted, may not receive full credit. There are no "extra credit" assignments in this class.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
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