Geologic Disasters & the Environment
	(GLG 110)
	Fall 2011

General Info

Goals

• Educational Goals: As teacher for an introductory science class, one of my biggest goals is for you to gain skills that allow you to excel as a student no matter what your major is/will be, as well as gain skills that you may need in a future profession. Some of these skills include: effective oral & written communication, reflecting on your learning, & thinking through problems by connecting the smaller ideas to larger concepts.
• Geology Goals: In a geology course there are some basic ideas & skills you should be able walk away from this class demonstrating. These include understanding the relationships between plate tectonics and how they influence humans, human interaction with nature and vice versa and how we affect one another, and lastly to be able to see how this can affect your everyday both in where you live or the choices you make.

Your Grade

• Your grade will be based on your notebook scores and reflections and other assessments (quizzes, homeworks, written assignments, etc).
• In order to provide you an opportunity to have more control over your own grade, you may choose which components of class assessment will be a part of your final grade.
• A la Carte Options include:
  • Weekly Quizzes
  • Homework Assignments
  • Written Assignments & Final Project
• You can check your grades anytime by contacting me directly to get a breakdown of your most current grade (however, I will also provide you with tools to allow you to track your own grade).
• Final Grades will be out of 250 possible points, 75 of these points will be from notebook, reflections, and the final exam. The remaining 175 points are from a portfolio that you will choose from the a la carte items to assemble for your own final grade (this means it is important for you to save and keep all your graded material throughout the semester!).

Your final grade will be based on the following scale*:

*I do reserve the right to make any necessary modifications.

Weekly Quizzes

• Each week you will receive a quiz at some point during the class (typically at the beginning of class).
• Each quiz will be worth at least 10 points.
• Quiz questions will vary in style from multiple-choice, short answer, matching, drawing, etc...
• Quizzes will cover all new material since the previous quiz (and may build on some previously quizzed material).
• You will be given 10-20 minutes to take the quiz, if you arrive late, your time is minimized.
• There are no make-up quizzes provided.
• Students who are unable to take a quiz at the appointed time (due to a legitimate/official excuse) must contact me prior to the quiz so that arrangements can be made.
• Review Questions are available to help you study.

Journals, Reflections & Homework Assignments

• Class will not be a passive experience, you are expected to fully participate and work with other members of your class. Each of these exercises will contain a portion that will be graded as a group. You will have individually accountable homework assignment that will build on your group experience (so be sure to ask questions of your group members [or me] as you're working in class).
• For your in-class exercises as well as for some of your homework assignments, you will record everything in a bound journal. You are required to bring this journal to class everyday as it is your lifeline to everything we'll do in this class (see required materials section above). The journal will be collected periodically throughout the semester to be evaluated.
• There will be no make-ups for in-class exercises, but you still may want to make sure you get the appropriate missed materials from class to put in your notebook.
• Late assignments will be accepted for 10% off total point value each day it is late. No late assignments will be accepted after the graded assignments have been handed back (exception: notebooks may be accepted late, provided they are fewer than 10 days late).
• Homework Assignments may be handed in through the WebCT website when appropriate (do NOT submit assignments via the mcc e-mail, it may not be received due to size of documents). It is the student's responsibility to assure that it is recieved on time and in an appropriate format so that it can be opened by the instructor.

Written Assignments

• There will be several different writing assignments throughout the semester that will require you to critically evaluate the material you are learning in class.
• More information on these assignments will be provided in class.

Final Exam

• The exam for this class will be on Thursday, December 15th from 10:30-12:20pm
• This exam is mandatory for all students.
• The final will be a final culminating exercise, more details will follow.

Extra Credit

• You may do one extra credit exercise sometime during the semester for credit.
• Extra Credit is worth 4% points on your overall score
• This may include (but is not limited to) Education Outreach, Geologic Presentation, Geology Field Trip.
• More information will be provided later in the semester.
• The deadline for extra credit is: Friday, December 2nd. Note: that this is the week before the last week of classes, no extra credit will be accepted or provided after this date.

Withdrawal Policy

• Withdraws are dependent on when you registered for the course. To determine your personalized withdrawl (restricted/unrestricted) deadlines, go to http://my.maricopa.edu.
• After the unrestricted deadline (generally in the 7th week of the semester), if you are passing you will receive a "W," if you are not passing you will receive a "Y."
• Considerations for withdraws can be made for extenuating circumstances.

Disability Accommodations

• If a student requires special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Resource Services at (480) 654-7770. For more information, be sure to check out their website at: www.mc.maricopa.edu/students/disability/
• I am more than willing to accommodate any documented disability. Unfortunately, no accommodations can be provided until a completed Instructor Notification form is received by your instructor from Disability Resource Services.
• It is the responsibility of the student to make all necessary arrangements in order for accommodations to be provided.

MCC Early Alert Program (EARS)

• Mesa Community College is committed to the success of all our students. Numerous campus support services are available throughout your academic career to assist you in achieving your educational goals. MCC has adopted an Early Alert Referral System (EARS) as part of a student success initiative to aid students in their educational pursuits. Faculty and Staff participate by alerting and referring students to campus services for added support. Students may receive a follow up call from various campus services as a result of being referred to EARS. Students are encouraged to participate, but these services are optional.
• Early Alert Web Page with Campus Resource Information can be located at: http://www.mesacc.edu/students/ears
  or at the “Early Alert” selection at the mymcc link from MCC’s home page.

General Comments

• Attendance is not required, but if you look at the grade breakdown, you will not pass this class unless you attend. The class will be interactive and (in my opinion) fun! You won't want to miss it! Missing more than three classes may result in an instructor initiated withdrawl from the course.
• If you do miss a class, for whatever reason, you can check out the notes on the WebCT site. These are not intended as a substitute for the lecture, rather a supplement to the lecture. There may be some classes where no lecture (in the traditional sense) occurred, so there will not be any "lecture" posted online, however materials that were handed out in class may occasionally be posted online in addition to the lectures. The WebCT site as well as the websites on these pages should be an invaluable asset for you throughout the semester. Please be sure to take advantage of them.
• As per your student handbook, "All students as part of their obligation to the College assume the responsibility to exhibit in their academic performance the qualities of honesty and integrity. All forms of student dishonesty, which may include but not be limited to: cheating, fabrication, facilitation of academic dishonesty, and plagiarism are subject to disciplinary action." It is the students responsibility to be aware of all rights, rules and regulations within the student handbook.
• Policies for disruptive behavior: We will discuss this further in class to determine a class consensus
• If at any point during the semester you feel you are struggling, or your grades are not what you'd like them to be, please come talk to me. I am willing to work hard to make sure you understand, provided you're willing to meet me halfway. The most important thing is to stay in communication with me if you're having difficulties.