HISTORICAL GEOLOGY ONLINE LAB
GEOL 1122L-001
Georgia Perimeter College
An Online Distance Learning Course

Spring Semester 2008

Instructor: Dr. Pamela J. W. Gore, Professor of Geology
E-mail address: pgore@gpc.edu
Dr. Gore's Home Page: http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/gore.htm
Office phone: (678) 891-3754
Clarkston Campus Science Department Secretary (for emergencies):(678) 891-3766
     FAX: (678) 891-3747 (in secretary's office).
     Please do not fax homework.  Include instructor's name and YOUR NAME on ALL faxed pages.
Office room number: CC-2161 (Clarkston Campus)
Mailing address:
     Dr. Pamela Gore
     Dept of Geology
     Georgia Perimeter College
     555 North Indian Creek Drive
     Clarkston, GA 30021

Office hours on Clarkston Campus: MWF 1:00-3:00 pm, TuTh 10:30 am-12:00 pm
The instructor may be available at other times by e-mail, phone, or by appointment.

Regular communication is a very important part of this course. Please feel free to ask questions at any time, either in class at the appropriate time, by e-mail, by phone during office hours, or in person during office hours (call first to be sure I am not in a meeting or on another campus).

Weekly Laboratory Schedule:

The Weekly Laboratory Schedule lists assignments, quizzes, exams, and required readings.
 http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/historical-lab-schedule-spring2008.htm

Catalog description:

This is a laboratory to accompany GEOL 1122. The laboratory provides practical experience in studying sedimentary rocks to interpret depositional processes and environments, examination of fossils and their use in age determinations, correlation of rock units, interpreting geologic history from maps, and the regional Geology of North America.

Prerequisites:

Exit or exemption from all Developmental Studies (Learning Support) and ESL (English as a Second Language) requirements. There is no Geology prerequisite for this course.

Teaching Objectives:

Teaching Objectives for this course are available at:  http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/teachingobjectives1122lab.htm
Teaching Objectives are a list of the minimum basic objectives for this course, as set forth by the Geology Curriculum Committee.  Additional topics may be presented in the course, as deemed appropriate by the individual instructor.  Exams and quizzes are designed to address the Teaching Objectives.

Required items for lab:

Available online at http://gpc.bkstr.com, or order by phone at (678) 891-3355.

Lab materials available for loan from the library

Many labs will also require laboratory materials or CD-ROMs which can be checked out of the GPC Campus Library. They are on Reserve. Go to the Reserve Desk. You need to ask for the specific materials that you need that particular week.

Campus library hours and directions are available here: http://www.gpc.edu/library/contacts.htm.

Be sure your sample box says Historical Geology (or GEOL 1122L or Geol 1422L), so you have the correct sample set for this class. (If it says Physical Geology, you have the wrong set.)

Lab materials are available at the following campus libraries:
  1. Clarkston - 3 sets
  2. Dunwoody - 2 sets
  3. Newton - 2 sets
     

One set is for 2-day loan, and the other set is for 2-hour loan (in-house use, preferably by a group of students). (Note - several sample sets are missing due to a careless student who did not return them. So some campuses may only have one set of samples for certain labs, or samples may be 2-hour loan only. Please be very careful to return all sample sets, as they are not readily replaceable. Many of the specimens were collected by your professor in other areas of the country, and she cannot run back to get another sample any time soon.)

Important information about samples in the libraries:

It is strongly advised that you "partner" with at least one or two other students to do the labs. Each lab is assigned to be done in two to three hours during a one-week time span. Because of the limited availability of materials, checkout time of rock and mineral sets is limited so that all students will have a chance to use the materials that week.

Please work with one another on the labs and share the lab materials. If you would like to work a week or so ahead, you will probably have easier access to the lab materials.

Please be careful not to mix up specimens from several different boxes. Only open one box at the time, and replace the samples in numerical order (beginning in the upper left corner and working across) before you return them. If you think the specimens have been scrambled between boxes, please inform Dr. Albin.

Please take care of the lab materials in the library. Keep all samples in the proper order in the boxes. Carry the boxes FLAT to keep samples in place. If there is a piece of foam or bubble-wrap in the boxes to hold the specimens in place, please replace it before you return the samples. Do not throw it away. Please return the specimens in the boxes to the library on time. Fines will be imposed by the library for late or lost materials.

Please take gentle care of the lab specimens. Please be certain that the numbers on each sample are not peeled off or lost. If the labels accidentally come off the specimens and you are POSITIVE as to which number goes with the specimen, you may replace it with Elmer’s glue. If you are not certain which label goes with which specimen, please contact your instructor immediately. The librarians will not know. Please keep the samples and sample boxes clean and free of writing, and do not make excess scratches on the samples.

Please do not break or lose the specimens. If you discover that a specimen is missing from a sample set, please contact Dr. Albin immediately for a replacement. None of the specimens are valuable, but they are difficult to replace because an order will have to be placed to a supply house out of state, and it may take a month or more for a replacement to arrive. Other specimens were collected in person and cannot be replaced. In some cases, replacement specimens may be available in the Geology Lab, so please ask Dr. Albin if a replacement is needed.

If you would like to purchase rock or mineral specimens, there are "rock shops" or lapidaries or nature stores in the Atlanta area. But the best place is the gem, mineral, jewelry and fossil shows held in May and November at the Marietta Civic Center and the North Atlanta Trade Center, or in June at the Tellus Museum (formerly Weinman Mineral Museum) in Cartersville.

Policy on Laboratory Safety:

You will have online access to laboratory safety rules, which you must read. When you submit the student information and release form, you agree to abide by the rules and any penalties stipulated therein.

See also the Geology Lab Safety Video.
 

Submitting Assignments:

Assignments may be submitted by any of the following:

  1. Sending file attachments through WebCT e-mail
  2. Mailing by U.S. mail to Dr. Pamela Gore, Science Department, Georgia Perimeter College, 555 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA 30021
  3. Delivery by free campus mail courier from another campus (Address as: Dr. Pamela Gore, Science Dept., Clarkston)
     

Labs and assignments are due within one week of the day assigned, unless otherwise specified on the WebCT Vista weekly lab schedule. Labs are due on or before the due date. Late assignments will lose points (10% off for each week late).

 

Remember to KEEP A COPY OF EVERYTHING YOU TURN IN!!! If a paper is lost, you must be able to replace it on request. You are responsible for turning in all work on time, and for keeping a copy as a backup.

No assignments will be accepted after they are two weeks late or after the instructor has returned corrected and graded assignments to students, which ever comes first. Students who wait until late in the semester to turn in multiple labs may find that the labs will not be accepted for a grade.

Missed labs and quizzes (or labs that are not turned in, or are too late to be accepted) will receive a grade of zero. Students are still responsible for the material on any missed lab, because the material will be covered on the laboratory final exam.

Assignments will be returned to students by mail once or twice during the semester, or you may pick them up in the instructor's office. Please send the instructor two self-addressed stamped (about $1.50 postage) envelopes (9"x12") in order to have your labs returned by mail. Your grades will be posted in password-protected WebCT Vista.

Online Information and Release Form:

All students must fill out the online information and release form http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/online/form.php.

By submitting the online information and release form, you are also stating that you have received a syllabus or have received the online address of the syllabus. You also agree that you understand that you are responsible for ALL of the information in this syllabus. You agree to abide by the highest standard of academic honesty. You also agree that any communications in the course may be read by an outside party, such as if the course is submitted to the WebCT Exemplary Course Project. You also agree to follow the laboratory safety rules.

Class schedule

Please be sure you have set aside adequate time!!!

Attendance Policy:

Students’ academic success is the major priority of the College. Because regular participation enhances the learning process, students are expected to adhere to the attendance policy set forth by the College and individual faculty members. Differences in content and teaching styles exist among courses, which can impact students’ learning. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to attend all classes to better prepare them for assignments, tests, and other course-related activities. Students are accountable for assignments and material covered during an absence.

Students must attend a face-to-face midterm and final exam in lab.

Posting to the Discussion area or e-mail, and logging in to access the password-protected WebCT course are considered to be equivalent to class attendance.  Students should log in to the course at least twice per week.

Students who never attend a class and never "log-in" for a distance learning class by the end of the first two weeks of the term will be reported for non-attendance. Students who do not drop a class during the schedule adjustment period and are reported for non-attendance will be automatically dropped from that course at the end of the second week of classes.

If you must be away for a certain period of time, please let the instructor know in advance.

Students who stop logging in and posting to the class and stop participating will receive an F for the class if they do not officially Withdraw.

Students must do lab quizzes during the allotted time, and must submit lab assignments of all types by the date specified.

Students registered for the online lab may NOT attend the in-class face-to-face labs. Please consider that all labs are full and that there are only seats and materials for the officially enrolled students in that lab section. There is not room to have students from one lab section (online labs) walk in to other lab sections and expect assistance or expect to participate.

Students seeking face-to-face assistance are to see Dr. Gore by appointment.

Students missing the first two labs (or not participating in lab activities or posting to WebCT for lab for the first two weeks) will not be permitted to continue with the course, and must withdraw.

Any student not submitting three lab exercises (or missing three weeks of work) during the semester must withdraw from the course or receive an F.

Withdrawal Policy

If you choose to stop logging in to WebCT, or to stop reading and responding to e-mails from the instructor, you must complete the withdrawal process through the Registrar's Office by the specified dates, or you will receive an "F" for the course.

The midpoint of the semester is Tuesday March 11, 2008. A student who officially withdraws by the midpoint of the course will receive a grade of "W" (Withdrawn).  A student who withdraws after the midpoint of the quarter will receive a "WF" (Withdrawn Failing) unless approval as a hardship withdrawal is received from the Dean.

A student who officially withdraws by the midpoint of the course will receive a grade of "W". A student who withdraws after the midpoint of the semester will receive a "WF" unless approval as a hardship withdrawal is received from the Dean.

WebCT Vista:

WebCT Vista is your online classroom.  WebCT Vista supplies a Discussion area, internal class e-mail, quizzes, and course materials.

Visit http://gpc.edu/webct/ for information on WebCT Vista.

Browser Check:

You must check your web browser with the Georgia View Vista Browser Checker to determine whether your computer and web browser will function properly with WebCT Vista, the course management software.

Online WebCT Vista Orientation:

You must also work through the required Online Orientation/WebCT Vista Tutorial. The link to the Orientation may be found at http://gpc.edu/webct/.

Obtaining your WebCT Vista password:

On or around the first day of classes, go to http://gpc.edu/webct/ and follow the directions on the screen. You will need to enter your student number (no hyphens) and birthdate in the specified format. Click submit. Please write down your user name and password for your WebCT course(s). You may access this information three times, and after that you will have to call the Educational Technologies helpdesk for assistance at (678) 891-3460.

WebCT Vista IDs may not be available before the first day of classes.

Accessing your course notes using WebCT Vista:

The class is to be accessed through the following password-protected web page:  http://gpc.edu/webct/

Technical Assistance:

For technical assistance, please visit the WebCT Vista Online Support Center.

Logging Out of WebCT Vista

Be sure you log out or close all copies of your web browser, so that others using the computer after you will not have access to your password-protected files. If you do not exit ALL copies of your web browser, someone using the computer after you could post messages to the e-mail and bulletin board under your identity!!

Exams and Quizzes

Quizzes are available in WebCT Vista. You get three attempts at each online quiz to help you master the material. Quizzes must be taken during specified dates. All online quizzes are closed book, closed note quizzes. Students are not to give or receive help on the quizzes.

There will be two proctored lab exams (a Midterm and a Final). Lab exams are only offered at Clarkston Campus in the Geology Lab, CC-1150.

 

The Laboratory Midterm exam will be Tuesday February 19, 2008  2:00 - 4:45 pm Thursday February 21, 2008 3:00-5:00 pm.  A Monday or Wednesday evening exam may also be offered.

 

The Laboratory Final exam will be Tuesday April 29, 2008  2:00 - 4:45 pm.  A Monday or Wednesday evening exam may also be offered.

THE LABORATORY FINAL EXAM IS CUMULATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE.

The lab midterm and final will include a "practical examination" which consists of examining and identifying minerals, rocks, fossils, etc. and answering various questions about them, similar to what was done during the lab. There will also be a written part to the exams, based on other work done in the labs, such as drawing and correlating stratigraphic sections, or solving relative dating problems.

GREEN Scantron sheets are required for the proctored lab midterm exam. (Form 882-E or 882-ES.) A red scantron form is required for the lab final, as per Science Division policy.  Please ask the cashier at the Bookstore for the Scantron forms. Do NOT wait until the day of your exam to try to buy a scantron form as the Bookstore is likely to be closed.

Note on online quizzes: If a student's quiz grades are substantially higher than their proctored Midterm and/or Final Exam grades, the student may be required by the instructor to retake the quizzes in a proctored setting, before the final course grade will be assigned. This may require a visit back to campus after the end of the semester.

Basis of Grading

The lab grade is separate from the lecture grade.

A note about the final: Students who get less than 70% on the final exam will not receive an A for a final course grade, and similarly, students who get less than 60% on the final exam will not receive a B for a final grade, regardless of their overall average.

Grading scale:

90-100% A

80-90% B

70-80% C

60-70% D

below 60% F

There will be no extra credit in lab.

Communicating with the Instructor

Regular communication is a very important part of this course. Please feel free to ask questions at any time, either by e-mail, on the discussion board, by phone during office hours, or in person during office hours (call first to be sure I am not in a meeting or on another campus).

E-mail response time:

I will generally reply to your e-mail within 24 hours unless I am out of town (which I will announce on the WebCT calendar). I may or may not check e-mail on weekends, depending on my schedule, so do not expect a prompt reply if you post Friday afternoon or Friday night. I may not see your message until Monday afternoon.

I also check e-mail frequently during my office hours. I may check e-mail in the evenings occasionally.

Academic Honesty Policy

Academic dishonesty (cheating and plagiarism) will not be tolerated. Students should read the sections on cheating and plagiarism in the Georgia Perimeter College Student Handbook and Georgia Perimeter College Catalog.

Cheating includes (among other things), use of unauthorized papers during a test (no matter what the content), copying from another student's paper during a test, allowing another student to copy from your paper during a test, unauthorized access to old exams or to an exam given to the class if you are taking it late for some reason, copying another student's homework assignments, using or turning in a photocopy of another student's assigned work, paying someone to write a paper or do an assignment for you, buying or downloading a term paper, or leaving the room during a test without permission or before turning in your paper.

With online testing, it is particularly important to pay strict attention to academic honesty. Do not access a test online before you are ready to take it (the computer will recognize you and only allow you to access it once). Do not look at a printout of the test before you take it. Do not look at your books or notes or other papers while taking an online test. Do not have another person take the test for you. Do not have another person tell you answers to the test.

Plagiarism includes copying any phrases, sentence, or sentences verbatim from the reference source without using quotation marks and without providing a complete reference (author, date, source of material, volume, pages, etc.), or printing out an article directly from a computer database (such as Encarta or off the web) and turning it in as your own work. Students must read, synthesize, and write their own original sentences; learn to paraphrase. Even when paraphrasing, a complete reference must be provided to the paraphrased sentences. NEVER steal words directly from any source and present them as your own.

Students are responsible for doing their own work, even if they "work together". If two papers are turned in that show great similarity such that the instructor interprets it as evidence of cheating or plagiarism, both will be penalized.

A report will be filed with the Campus Dean of Student Affairs for any alleged cheating or plagiarism incident. (See procedure in College Catalog .) The case will be heard by the College Court. Penalties may include suspension or expulsion.

The faculty member is free to assign the grade he or she thinks is appropriate for the assignment or for the quarter (regardless of any outcome from College Court).

Any student found by the instructor to have represented someone else's work as his/her own, will receive a zero for that quiz, exam, or assignment for the first offense. The second offense will result in the assignment of a grade of "F" for the course. (If several papers are turned in together or at the same time, and each contains evidence of cheating or plagiarism, they will be considered as separate offenses, and will result in immediate assignment of a grade of "F" for the course.) This policy applies to cheating or plagiarism on extra credit work as well.

Cheating on an exam will jeopardize your grade; if you receive a zero on an exam it will be extremely difficult to receive a passing grade for the course.

You are expected to read and abide by the General Policies of Georgia Perimeter College, as stated in the College Student Handbook and in the College Catalog.

Statement of Non-Discrimination:

Georgia Perimeter College supports the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order #11246, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of the college.

Any individual with a grievance related to the enforcement of any of the above provisions should contact the Director of Human Resources, Ombudsperson.

Americans with Disabilities Act Statement:

If you are a student who is disabled as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act and require assistance of support services, please seek assistance through the Center for Disability Services. A CDS Counselor will coordinate those services.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

No person shall, on the basis of age, race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of Georgia Perimeter College.

Affirmative Action Statement:

Georgia Perimeter College adheres to affirmative action policies designed to promote diversity and equal opportunity for all faculty and students.

Lab Schedule

The Weekly Laboratory Schedule lists assignments, quizzes, exams, and required readings.
 http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/historical-lab-schedule-spring2008.htm

The following is a summary of what will be covered this semester:

  1. Relative Dating Lab
  2. Rocks and Minerals Lab
  3. Weathering of Rocks and the Formation of Sediment
    Quiz on Rocks and Minerals and Weathering
  4. Sedimentary Rocks
  5. Sedimentary Structures
  6. Sedimentary Environments
    Quiz on Sedimentary Rocks, Structures, and Environments
  7. Lab Midterm - Thursday February 21, 2008  3:00 - 5:00 pm. A Monday or Wednesday evening exam may also be offered.
  8. Student study day
  9. Spring Break
  10. Stratigraphy
    Quiz on Stratigraphy Lab
  11. Fossils on the Internet
  12. Invertebrate Macrofossils
    Quiz on Invertebrate Macrofossils
  13. Fossil Preservation
  14. Microfossils
    Quiz on Microfossils and Preservation
  15. Biostratigraphy
  16. Evolution of the Vertebrates
  17. Lab Final - Tuesday April 29, 2008  2:00 - 4:45 pm.  A Monday or Wednesday evening exam may also be offered.

The schedule is tentative and may change. All changes will be announced through the WebCT weekly lab schedule, calendar, e-mail, or Discussion Board.

It is your responsibility to check your e-mail (personal e-mail, in addition to WebCT Vista internal e-mail), WebCT Vista weekly lab schedule, Discussion Board, Quiz page, and Calendar or you may miss a quiz or homework assignment.

Expected Educational Results, and General Education Outcomes

EXPECTED EDUCATIONAL RESULTS:

A student who successfully completes this course will be able to:

  1. Recognize and apply the methods of scientific problem-solving and critical thinking.
  2. Recognize and apply the major geological principles of Historical Geology.
  3. Identify rocks and minerals and observe the effect of weathering on these materials.
  4. Identify sedimentary rocks, and sedimentary structures, and interpret their depositional environment.
  5. Identify and classify macrofossils and microfossils, and the modes of preservation.

GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES:

I. This course addresses the general education outcome relating to communications as follows:

  1. Students develop their reading comprehension skills by reading the textbook, handout materials, and/or web materials.
  2. Students develop their listening skills through lecture and group problem solving and audio clips. Lecture material is presented that is not included in the textbook, handout materials, and/or web materials and is included as part of the exams or tests.
  3. Students develop their writing skills through a variety of laboratory assignments, tests, and quizzes.
  4. Students develop their speaking/communications skills through class discussions and/or web bulletin boards, by asking questions in class as well as interactions with their peers in and outside of class, and through electronic media.

II. This course addresses the general education outcomes of recognition and application of scientific inquiry as follows:

  1. Students will develop their observation skills to be able to recognize geological features, Earth materials (rocks and minerals), and fossil organisms that lived on the Earth through its history.
  2. Students will develop the skills of inquiry by use of the scientific method to experience, evaluate, and synthesize data as applied to various geological problems in identifying Sedimentary Rocks, Sedimentary Structures, and Fossils.

III. This course addresses the general education outcome of developing effective individual and at times group problem-solving and critical thinking skills as applied to geology.

A student will develop the ability to problem-solve and critically think by applying their acquired knowledge of geology to identify, classify, and learn the rocks and fossils, as well as interpret data for various historical geological problems.

 COURSE CONTENT:

I. Historical Earth materials
    A. Rocks and Minerals
    B. Weathering of Rocks
    C. Sedimentary Rocks
    D. Sedimentary Structures

II. Sedimentary Rock Record
    A. Depositional Environments
    B. Relative Dating
    C. Stratigraphy and Lithologic Correlation

III. Life on Earth
    A. Invertebrate Macrofossils
    B. Microfossils
    C. Modes of Preservation

IV. Optional Content
    A. Sand Sieve Analysis
    B. Biostratigraphy
    C. Evolution
    D. Introduction to Vertebrate Paleontology
    E. Fossils on the Internet
    F. Map Interpretation
    G. Paleoecology
    H. Midterm Exam 

 

Page created by Pamela J. W. Gore.
Syllabus dated January 6, 2008.
Correction January 8, 2008 - date of midterm exam changed from Tuesday to Thursday. Lab schedule slightly rearranged.