Course Title: Earth Science Laboratory

Course Number: 100L

Credit Hours: 1

Distribution of Contact Hours: LAB Credit Hrs = 1 Lab Hrs = 2 Cont Hrs = 2

Course Text and Materials

Escience Lab Custom Kit 3360

GEOS 100L KIT 3360 EDEMPTION CODE

Escience

Notes: Buy Kit Direct or from Bookstore

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CircleIn

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Understand plate tectonics theory including comprehension of different plate boundaries, associated geologic landforms and events, and evidence for moving plates.

Comprehend earthquake causes, energy, hazards, and how earthquake waves are used to determine the structure of the Earth.

Demonstrate knowledge of the different types of weathering including soil forming processes and mass wasting.

Understand the different components of the water cycle including various stream and groundwater processes and resulting landforms and resources.

Demonstrate knowledge of the origin of oceans including investigation of oceanic landforms, ocean water chemistry, characteristics, and movement.

Understand the structure and characteristics of Earth’s atmosphere including comprehension of atmospheric pressure, temperature, moisture, interaction with energy from the Sun and Earth,   and relevance to the biosphere and climate.

Demonstrate knowledge of various meteorological phenomenon such as lifting mechanisms, clouds, and precipitation.

Comprehend the general characteristics and movement of bodies in our solar system.

Understand the origin of the universe and the events leading to the formation of stars, galaxies, planets, and other celestial phenomenon.

Evaluation and Grading Scale

(1.) Grading Scale

(2.) Course requirements by percentage of total grade or points.

Lecture exams, lecture exercises, and a critical thinking exercise will be used to assess learning in this course. Additional types of exercises such as content outlines, quizzes, class projects, and presentations may also be used at the discretion of the instructor. Discretion of the course instructor may be used in assignment of the course grade in borderline situations and will be based on such    subjective criteria as attendance, class participation, classroom attitude, and grade tendency of the  last half of the semester (i.e. steadily improving vs. declining).

(3) Course Percentages:

Course Policies

1. Vincennes University Attendance policy

The Vincennes University policy is premised upon the notion that students will attend all sessions of the classes in which they are enrolled. This policy supports Vincennes University's philosophy that students benefit most from the people and facilities provided by the citizens of Indiana through proper and adequate class attendance. Consequently, missing class for any reason will be regarded as an absence. When absences result from an approved and required University activity, they will not be counted against a student, and the work missed may be made up.

Vincennes  University  believes that students who participate in  University-sponsored activities and faculty-developed field trips must develop habits of attendance consistent with such participation, or voluntarily refrain from such participation. For whatever reason an absence occurs, the student is responsible for the work missed.

Procedures for Verification of Absences by Students. In most cases, absences which occur as the result of participation in a University-sponsored event--for example, intercollegiate sporting events-- need no verification provided by the student. Usually, professors who develop field trips that require students to miss the classes of other faculty members will inform the Dean of Students of that event, the names of students involved, and the names of the professors (as provided to the sponsoring faculty person by the students), whose classes will be missed, and the Dean of Students will send an official notice to all professors on the listing. However, it is always to the students’ benefit to make certain that their professors are aware of their participation in University-sponsored events or course- related field trips. When a student misses class for some reason other than a University-sponsored or course-related event, the responsibility to provide verification to the Dean of Students’ Office falls directly and solely upon the student.

a.  Upon his/her return to classes, the student must complete an Absence form, available at the Office of the Dean of Students. At that time, the student must provide verification of the reason for absences such as illness treated by an off-campus physician, a court appearance, a death in the family, among other  possible  situations.  (Verification  means  to  document  that  the  reason  is  true  by  providing evidence).

b. Any student who visits the campus nurse as part of a limited illness must fill out an Absence form as part of that visit if an absence is advised by the nurse. The University Health Services personnel are the only University staff authorized to offer excuses.

c.  Students who wish  to  make-up  work  (tests,  quizzes,  laboratory  sessions,  paper  submissions, among others) missed as the consequence of a non-University caused absence must complete a Request for Make-up Privilege form at the Office of the Dean of Students. The final decision in this matter is made by the faculty person.

Faculty-Initiated Withdrawal of Students from Class. Students who miss class hours totaling twice the number of credit hours awarded for the course, or the equivalent of two weeks of class instruction are eligible to be dropped from class. The faculty member may initiate the withdrawal by filling out a Drop for Non-Attendance form. The Dean of Students notifies students when they have been dropped from class and of their right to appeal. Only the student may appeal such a drop for non-attendance, and the student has two possible avenues for appeal.

The student may appeal directly to the faculty person for readmission to the course and must provide evidence of extenuating circumstances that caused the absences. The faculty person has the option to readmit the student without a formal appeal hearing.

.  The student may appeal the drop for attendance at the Dean of Students’ Office by completing a Drop Petition Appeal form. The Dean of Students will then convene a hearing for the appeal at which readmission will be granted or denied. If there is extenuating information/evidence unknown to the faculty person or Dean of Students, the student is responsible to provide that information/evidence. The hearing is conducted by the Dean or Assistant Dean of Students and is attended by the student, the faculty person involved, and the faculty person’s Dean or a representative of that Dean.

Student-Initiated Withdrawal from Class. Approved withdrawals that are initiated by the student may be made up to and including Friday of the tenth calendar week of each fall or spring semester. (This date may be adjusted for terms less than fifteen weeks in length. See Academic Calendar for exact dates) Student-initiated withdrawals will not be permitted after these dates except in case of extended illness, family emergency or other such unavoidable causes and then only with the consent of the class instructor, the student’s academic advisor and the dean of the division of the student’s major. The approved Drop and Add form is filed with the Registrar. Unless the student is failing the class, the student initiated withdrawal from class will be recorded on the transcript as a W. If a student who is failing the course is dropped for non-attendance prior to two weeks before the end of the semester, the faculty may assign the grade of WF.

Students are to  be aware of their  responsibility for  making withdrawal  decisions  in time to  meet calendar deadlines. Students should be aware that withdrawals requested after these deadlines to avoid lower than desired course grades will not be considered.

Withdrawal from School. A student who voluntarily withdraws from the University must, in order to receive an  honorable dismissal,  notify the  Dean  of  Students of  his/her  intention  by  completing a withdrawal card available in the Dean of Student’s Office. Failure to conform to this regulation will result in the loss of credit in all subjects. The Dean of Student’s Office will notify instructors when withdrawal procedures are complete. The University withdrawal refund policy is outlined on page 23 of the current catalog.  A student may be withdrawn from the University for medical reasons if he/she cannot psychologically function in the educational environment or  has a contagious illness which cannot adequately be isolated in the educational environment.

The  University  reserves  the  right  to  deny  continued  enrollment  if  the  student  is  failing  to  make academic progress. Also, the University may deny admission of continued enrollment if the University does not have the resources to meet the academic needs of the student.

2. Make-up work and late work

Work not completed and submitted by the prescribed time will be considered late. A 20% reduction in score per day will result in work that is late. No work will be accepted if it is over 2 weeks late. Any work can be turned in early. If a testis missed, a makeup may be given provided the student requests a makeup through the Dean of Students Office. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.

3. Use of electronic devices in class

Cell  phones,  audio  pagers/beepers,  walkie-talkies,  etc.,  must  be  put  away  and  turned  off  during lecture and unless otherwise approved by your course instructor(s) in advance because of emergency situations.

4. Instructor’s Academic Dishonesty Policy/Statement

For any assignment or exam where acts of dishonesty have been clearly observed, detected, and confirmed, according to the definitions given under section 1.a. below, the result for a first offense will be a score of zero for that assignment or exam. A second such offense will result in a faculty initiated withdrawal recorded as a WF, withdraw-fail, on the transcript. The student will also be referred to the Dean of Students.

Any behavior that disrupts the classroom may result in the instructor removing the student from the classroom for that day. Repeat behaviors may result in a faculty initiated withdrawal, recorded as a WF, withdraw-fail, on the transcript. The student will also be referred to the Dean of Students.

Misconduct  Activities  which   subject  a  Student  or  Student  Organization  to   Disciplinary  Action. Vincennes University recognizes that it must create an environment where each student will be free to pursue her or his academic interests without interference from others. This includes upholding the integrity of the academic process as well as providing a community free of disruptions. The following restrictions are designed to foster a healthy and peaceful learning community. Apathy or deliberate indifference are not neutral acts and may be violations of this standard.

Protecting the Rights of Educational Process. Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. A student’s placement of his or her name on any academic exercise shall be regarded as assurance that the work is the result of the student’s own thought, effort, and study. The following behavior is subject to disciplinary sanctions.

5. Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited to the following:

a. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully  acknowledged.  A  student  must  not  adopt  or  reproduce  ideas,  opinions,  theories,  formulas, graphics, or pictures from another person or source without acknowledgement. The instructor will determine appropriate student disciplinary action that  is  consistent with the  academic  dishonesty policy contained in the syllabus of the instructor.

b. Furnishing false information to any university official, faculty member, or office

c. Forgery, alteration, or misuse of any university document, record, or instrument of identification.

Incidents under b and c will be referred to the Dean of Students, who will determine appropriate student disciplinary action in keeping with procedures used in the handling of other types of student conduct situations.

d.  Disruption  of  obstruction  of  teaching,  research,  administration  of  other  university  activities, including its public service functions on or off campus, or of other authorized non-university activities when the conduct occurs on university premises. (This policy is not intended to hinder organized, peaceful, and orderly protests.)

6.  Disabilities Services Policy

The Office of Diverse Abilities and Accommodations reviews requests and determines appropriate accommodations  for  students  with  disabilities.  Students  with  psychological,  physical,  sensory, communicative and/or  learning  disabilities  should  seek  out  this  office  as  soon  as  possible  after admission to VU if they require academic accommodations. The student will be required to provide copies of medical or psychometric evaluations that document the presence of a disability and the impact  of  the  disability  on  the  student's  level  of  functioning.  The  Office  of  Diverse  Abilities  and Accommodations also coordinates the availability of assistive technology at various campus locations to provide accessible classroom materials and equipment. Vincennes University complies with the requirements  set  forth   by  the  Americans  with   Disabilities  Act   (ADA)  and   Section  504  of  the Rehabilitation  Act  to  assure  the  rights  of  individuals  with  disabilities  to  fair,  non-discriminatory treatment. The Office of Diverse Abilities and Accommodations is located at the South Entrance of Vigo Hall. The phone number is 812-888-4501. Specific procedures for requesting an accommodation for a disability  may  be found  at the  Office of  Diverse Abilities  and Accommodations   website  at https://www.vinu.edu/web/diverse-abilities-and-accommodations.  Students  that  will  be  requesting accommodations should view the Disability Services website for documentation requirements.

7. Standard of Student Behavior

Student need to be aware that violations of the University Standard of Student Behavior as listed in the VU Catalog may result in some form or disciplinary action.

8. Content/Schedule change statement

The  instructional  schedule  reflects  expected  class  progress  in  the  course  subject  matter  and  is considered tentative. The schedule  is subject to change  in  content and scope at the  instructor’s discretion. As changes are made the instructor will promptly notify the students. Students should watch for changes in schedule that will be announced on the Blackboard page for this course.