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Course Objectives:
The primary purpose of this course is to provide you with an overview of the physical environment in which we live. Toward that end, a variety of topics will be covered. As you work your way through the course, keep in mind that many of the topics are interrelated. In other words, one concept leads into another. In addition, remember that the course is constructed within the following context:
Course Materials:
All of the materials required to complete this course will be provided for you through the Internet. You will also be required to follow links in the web lessons to other web sites that provide additional information on specific topics. Follow this link to the course help-setup page prior to accessing the internet lessons to ensure your workspace is properly configured for this VU course.PLEASE NOTE:
(1) Textbook (required): Discovering Physical Geography (1st edition) by Arbogast (2007; Wiley)
(2)
All course emails will be sent to your MSU (mail.msu.edu) accounts ONLY.
You will need to check your MSU account at least once a day for emails from
your Instructor. If you need to, please set your MSU account to forward
your emails to an account that you do check frequently.
(3) We highly recommend that you view this course website in Microsoft
Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, as the site was designed specifically for use in these browsers.
(4)
Technological requirements: computer, internet connection, web browser (preferably Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox), applications/plugins, etc. (see the Help-Setup page for details).
Course Etiquette (How to Interact with Others in this Class...):
An entirely virtual course is quite different from the traditional courses you have taken at Michigan State University. In a virtual course, the only contact you are likely to have with your Instructor or with others in the class is through email, discussion boards, or chat rooms. In general, this system works very well and any students prefer it to a traditional (lecture) class because they can ask questions freely without feeling intimidated. We have also discovered, however, that this same feeling of freedom can be a negative thing, particularly because some students feel they can be rude. Unfortunately, we have had several instances in the past where students were rude to other students during conversations, and even to the Instructors during routine question and answer sessions. This increased rudeness seems to stem from the feeling of anonymity that a web course enhances among students, especially those who, for one reason or another, are not receiving the grade that they feel they deserve. Again, most students make an effort to respect others and their opinions. We ask that you make a special effort to be one of these respectful people.Students who make rude comments will be warned the first time by email. Upon the second, you will be asked to come in and meet with Dr. Arbogast to talk about the problem. REMEMBER: THE ONLY BASIS YOUR INSTRUCTOR HAS FOR GRADING AND DISCUSSIONS ARE THROUGH YOUR WORDS ON A COMPUTER SCREEN. He/she has no other context in which to understand your thinking. Therefore, it is important to be concise, informative, and polite while "talking" with your Instructor and other students in the class.
Course Organization (How this Course is Taught...):
While a team of faculty and staff manages the course, an Instructor teaches each section. Moreover, this course is delivered through a series of online lessons and textbook readings. Course assessments are accomplished through online exams (based on online lessons and homework assignments) and online homework assignments (based on assigned textbook readings).
Lessons
This course consists of 16 lectures, called lessons, grouped into 4
units.
| Lesson | Topic |
| UNIT 1 | Global Perspectives |
| 0 | Introduction to Physical Geography |
| 1 | Maps and Other Geographic Tools |
| 2 | Earth / Sun Relationships |
| UNIT 2 | The Atmosphere |
| 3 |
The Atmosphere |
| 4 |
Pressure, Winds and Circulation |
| 5 | Precipitation |
| UNIT 3 | The Biosphere |
| 6 | Climate |
| 7 | Biogeography |
| 8 | Environmental & Climatic Change |
| UNIT 4 | The Lithosphere |
| 9 | Soils |
| 10 | Plate Tectonics |
| 11 | Rocks, Weathering, and Mass Wasting |
| 12 | Fluvial Geomorphology |
| 13 | Coastal Geomorphology |
| 14 | Glacial Geomorphology |
| 15 | Eolian Geomorphology |
Each lesson contains a reading assignment that will introduce you to important concepts. Throughout the lessons, you will be provided with links to other web pages. You are asked and required to follow many of these links in order to answer questions that pertain to them. The lesson's text will indicate whether you NEED to visit and explore URLs or if such a link is supplementary but optional. In such cases, exploration of these sites will increase your understanding of the subject matter and will help you with the exams. Exam questions will be derived directly from selected web sites that you are required to visit.
Throughout each lesson and at the end, you will have the opportunity to test your knowledge with several questions. These questions are not graded and do not need to be handed in while working through the lessons. You will, however, be able to look at the correct answers and discuss any further questions you may have with your Instructor. You WILL see some of these questions (or similar questions) on exams.
Your Class Advisor and Instructors
Dr. Arbogast is the advisor of this course. He created this course and is the professor responsible for the class in the context of the Geography Department at MSU. During this semester he will NOT be involved in the day-to-day workings of the course.
Instead, the Instructors are responsible for each section this course, from the day-to-day management to the grading. Also, they take care of the grading of homework assignments and exams, any content questions you may have, any questions about how to work through the course, and final grades. Any email correspondence should go to your Instructor. Beth Weisenborn is the Course Coordinator for this class, which means you will receive emails and instructions from her often. Kristy Stanley is the Assistant Course Coordinator, so you may receive notices from her occasionally. Dr. Arbogast will be available only if a major problem arises, which potentially includes problems with the ANGEL system, issues of plagiarism, or final-grade concerns.
Exams and Their Grading:
There will be 4 exams during the semester. We've structured the exam schedule as evenly as possible through the session to ease your workload. The purpose of these exams is to test your understanding of the material from the course lessons -- this way you can demonstrate your grasp of the material from these units while it is still fresh. Recall, however, that each section builds upon the preceding one so you will need to understand the material in Unit I in order to fully comprehend the material in Unit II, for example.
The dates of the exams are listed on the course schedule page and calendar. You will be notified of an upcoming exam on the course announcements page (the week of the exam). This notification will provide you with information concerning the exam dates and access times.
Each exam will be offered during a wide window (Eastern Standard Time) on dates specified (course schedule page and calendar). You may log into the exam at any time during that window. Once logged into the exam, you have a set time limit to complete your exam and turn it in. Otherwise, your exam will be saved by the computer at the set time limit and automatically turned in for you.
You are expected to treat the online exams as you would an exam in a traditional lecture class - in other words, no cheating (including plagiarism) of any kind. With this said, the exams are open textbook and open notes. Your Instructor and other administrators CAN and DO monitor your exam logs before, during, and after you have taken the exam - they can detect patterns consistent with cheating (including plagiarism) and have the authority to discuss the matter with you immediately and give you a ZERO if they see fit. Once you have turned in your exam, the computer automatically grades the multiple-choice and T/F questions. Your Instructor will grade your essay at a later time. Your grades are then uploaded to your personal gradebook in the following days. Official grades, answers, and explanations for the exam are provided on the course website about 3-4 days following the exam.
Exams will consist of 45 questions worth 1 point each . Although some T/F or short answer questions may be asked most are multiple-choice questions. There is also one essay question on each exam, worth 5 points. All exam questions are selected at random from a pool of questions. All answer options for each question are also ordered at random. Please take note that your exam is unique and completely unlike any other student's exam. Cheating on the exams would be a waste of time.Makeup
Exams
Makeup exams are only allowed in only a very FEW cases. If the exam is
missed due to an emergency, you may arrange a makeup exam with your section
instructor. Also, a makeup can be scheduled if the section instructor is notified
at least ONE WEEK before the exam date of a scheduling conflict. I cannot
stress this enough...you MUST contact your section instructor IMMEDIATELY to
set up a makeup exam. Otherwise, you will miss your opportunity to take a makeup
and receive 0 points for the exam.
Assignments:
In addition to the exams, you will also be required to submit responses to homework assignments. Your answers to each of the 6 assignments will be due at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the date specified on the course schedule! You will receive 0 points (out of 10 possible) for late responses.
Each assignment will be based on the textbook readings you are assigned for that assignment. Each assignment is worth a possible 10 points total. Your score will be based on the completeness and correctness of your responses. Only your best 5 assignment scores will be used to calculate your final grade in this course.
Discussion Participation:
You can use the message boards to post content questions/responses and other discussions about the lessons. Message boards (and chat rooms) are good places for you to get to know your classmates, - as much as is possible in a virtual course.
Course Policies:
Academic HonestyThis applies also to exams since there are essay questions. You may not copy your essay response word-for-word from online lessons, assignments, or the text. I highly recommend paraphrasing your own original response. If you need to reference a small portion of the lesson or text (say, 1-2 sentences) then put your directly quoted text in quotes and provide a quick reference for it (e.g., Lesson 1, p. 11 or Text, p. 111). If you fail to provide a source for your cited material, you will receive 0 points for your essay response.
Please see the example below for clarification:
THE QUESTION ASKED:
What are two possible benefits of volcanic processes?
THE WEBSITE MATERIAL:
"Volcanic materials ultimately break down to form some of the most fertile soils on Earth, cultivation of which fostered and sustained civilizations. People use volcanic products in construction materials, as abrasive and cleaning agents, and as raw materials for many chemical and industrial uses. The internal heat associated with some young volcanic systems has been harnessed to produce geothermal energy."
A PLAGIARIZED STUDENT ANSWER:
One benefit of the volcanic process is that volcanic material break down to form very fertile soils which have been used to forest and sustain civilizations. Another benefit is that the internal heat of some young volcanic systems has been used to produce geothermal energy.
When reading the above example, the instructor cannot tell whether this student learned anything from answering this question, or if they just looked for key words and then copied a few sentences into their answer. This is the main reason why you must be sure to read the website, think through the information, and then answer the question in your own words. The example below is a good answer the information is basically the same, but the sentences are not the same as the website sentences, and it is obvious when grading this question that the student has thought through the information before answering. Furthermore, a reference is provided to support the student's answer.
AN EXAMPLE OF A GOOD WAY TO REWORK THIS INFORMATION INTO YOUR OWN ANSWER:
There are several elements of a volcano that are beneficial to mankind. For example, over time volcanic ash and remains have produced the most fertile soil in the world. In addition, volcanic products have many domestic uses, such as ingredients in abrasive and cleaning agents and construction materials, and raw materials for chemical and industrial uses. (Institute for Volcanic Soil Research, www.ivsr.org, May 2003)
Please be conscientious of this potential problem as you work through the course, and do not hesitate to contact you instructor if you have any questions.
Grading:
Your final grade will be based on your 4 exam scores and your 5 best assignment scores (of the 6 total). Here's the breakdown:
4 exams worth 50 points each = 200 points
5 assignment questions worth 10 points each = 50 points (worth an exam score)
The maximum number of points for this class is 250. No extra credit work will be offered!
Final grades will
be based on the following STRAIGHT SCALE (this scale has been developed
using using 1,500+ past students' final grades in GEO 206-V):
| Percent | Grade |
| 93-100 | 4.0 |
| 88-92 | 3.5 |
| 83-87 | 3.0 |
| 78-82 | 2.5 |
| 73-77 | 2.0 |
| 67-72 | 1.5 |
| 61-66 | 1.0 |
| < 61 | 0.0 |
You can view your grades for the assignments and exams by viewing your personal grade report.
Extra Credit:
Given the number of exams and class size, no extra credit work will be considered.
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