PrintEARTH 530: Earth Surface Processes in the Critical Zone
This syllabus is divided into several sections. You can read it sequentially by scrolling down the length of the document or by clicking on any of the links below to “jump” to a specific section. It is essential that you read the entire document as well as material covered in the Course Orientation. Together these serve as our course "contract."
- Instructor
- Course Overview
- Course Goals
- Required Course Materials
- Assignments and Grading
- Course Schedule
- Course Policies
- Technical Requirements
Instructor
Dr. Tim White
Senior Research Associate
EMS Earth and Environmental Systems Institute
The Pennsylvania State University
2217 Earth-Engineering Sciences Building
University Park, PA 16802
- Phone: (814) 865-2213
- Fax: (814) 865-3191
- Email: Please use the course e-mail system (see the Communicate tab in ANGEL)
- Home Page: http://www.eesi.psu.edu/people/White.shtml
- Office Hours: By appointment
NOTE: I will read and respond to e-mail and discussion forums at least once per day during the work week (Monday through Friday). You may see me online occasionally on the weekends, but please don't count on it!
Course Overview
EARTH 530: EARTH PROCESSES IN THE CRITICAL ZONE (3 credits). Introduction to Earth surface processes including weathering and soils, geomorphology, erosion and sedimentation, hydrogeology, low-temperature geochemistry and Earth systems.
Prerequisites: None
Rapid changes at Earth’s surface, largely in response to human activity, have led to the realization that fundamental questions remain to be answered regarding natural functioning of the Critical Zone, the thin veneer at Earth’s surface where the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere interact. To understand these processes requires a broad array of scientific expertise including, but not limited to, geology, soil science, biology, ecology, geochemistry, geomorphology, and hydrology. EARTH 530 will introduce you to the basic information necessary for understanding Earth surface processes in the Critical Zone through an integration of various scientific disciplines. Those who successfully complete EARTH 530 will be able to apply their knowledge of fundamental concepts of Earth surface processes to understanding outstanding fundamental questions in Critical Zone science and how their lives are intimately linked to Critical Zone health.
EARTH 530 will be conducted entirely on the World Wide Web. There will be no set class meeting times, but you will be required to complete weekly assignments. There are twelve lessons divided into seven units in EARTH 530. Each unit may contain interactive exercises, links, animations, movies, and novel explanations of the basic scientific principles of Critical Zone science.
What I Expect of You
On average, most students spend ten hours per week working on course assignments. Your workload may be more or less depending on your prior experience with computing and the Web in general, and with the natural sciences and geology in particular.
I have worked hard to make this the most effective and convenient educational experience possible. The Internet is still a novel learning environment, but in one sense it is no different than a traditional college class: how much and how well you learn is ultimately up to you. You will succeed if you are diligent about keeping up with the class schedule, and if you take advantage of opportunities to communicate with me, as well as with your fellow students.
Specific learning objectives for each lesson and project are detailed within each lesson. The class schedule is published under the Calendar tab in ANGEL (the course management system used for this course).
Course Goals
The overarching goal of the course is to help secondary science teachers understand Earth surface processes at a level they can communicate to their students. These processes will be presented in a Critical Zone framework—the teachers and subsequent students will leave with a better knowledge of how their daily lives are impacted by natural processes, and conversely how their daily activities impact Earth’s surface and the Critical Zone.
Required Course Materials
All materials needed for this course are presented in our course space in ANGEL. In order to take this course, you need to have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password (used to access the online course resources). If you have any questions about obtaining or activating your Penn State Access Account, please contact your campus Registrar.
Assignments and Grading
EARTH 530 will rely upon a variety of methods to assess and evaluate student learning, including
- Lesson activities (short papers, data analyses, brief reports) that require students to apply the principles they have learned to outstanding questions in Critical Zone science.
- Participation in on-line discussion forums to provide students opportunities to discuss how unit topics might be applied to their own teaching environments.
- A semester project that will be used to evaluate students’ knowledge and skills through the production of a learning module that they, in turn, will be able to use to teach course concepts to their own secondary school students.
NOTE: All formal written assignments must be double-spaced in 12 point Times Roman font.
| Lesson Activities and Discussion Forums | 70% |
| Semester Project | 30% |
Final overall grades will be determined based on averaged grades of assignments. So that you know where you stand, all grades will be posted in ANGEL with each assignment. You will be able to track your progress and calculate your average as the course goes along.
Letter grades will be based on the following percentages:
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A
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93–100%
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A-
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90–92.9%
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B+
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87–89.9%
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B
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83–86.9%
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B-
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80–82.9%
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C+
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77–79.9%
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C
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70–76.9%
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D
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60–69.9%
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F
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<60%
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X
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Unsatisfactory (student did not participate)
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Percentages refer to the proportion of all possible points earned by the student.
NOTE: Do not expect me to round up or curve grades during or at the end of the semester. Grades will not be curved. Put your best effort into all of the assignments as you complete them.
Course Schedule
Below you will find a summary of the learning activities for this course and the associated time frames. This course is twelve weeks in length, with an orientation week preceding the official start of the course. Each lesson is one week long and opens on Saturday.
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UNIT 1 (Lesson 1) - THE CRITICAL ZONE
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| Week 1 Lesson 1 |
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UNIT 2 (Lesson 2) - SOIL
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| Week 2 Lesson 2 |
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UNIT 3 (Lessons 3–5) - CLIMATE
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| Week 3 Lesson 3 |
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| Week 4 Lesson 4 |
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| Week 5 Lesson 5 |
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UNIT 4 (Lessons 6–7) - WATER
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| Week 6 Lesson 6 |
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| Week 7 Lesson 7 |
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UNIT 5 (Lessons 8–9) - LANDFORMS
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| Week 8 Lesson 8 |
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| Week 9 Lesson 9 |
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UNIT 6 (Lessons 10 – 11) - BIOTA
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| Week 10 Lesson 10 |
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| Week 11 Lesson 11 |
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UNIT 7 (Lesson 12) - RETURN TO THE CRITICAL ZONE
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| Week 12 Lesson 12 |
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Course Policies
- Penn State E-mail Accounts
All official communications from the Penn State World Campus are sent to students' Penn State e-mail accounts. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly, or forward your Penn State e-mail to your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information. - Deferred Grades
If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time, it is possible to have the grade deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. To seek a deferred grade, you must submit a written request (by e-mail or U.S. post) to your instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. It is up to your instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If, for any reason, the course work for the deferred grade is not complete by the assigned time, a grade of "F" will be automatically entered on your transcript. - Late Policy
All course related assignments, quizzes and exams must be completed by the assigned date. 5% of the grade for a course exercise will be subtracted for each day late. Late completions must be by prior arrangement. - Academic Integrity
This course follows the guidelines for academic integrity of Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Penn State defines academic integrity as "the pursuit of scholarly project in an open, honest and responsible manner." Academic integrity includes "a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception." In particular, the University defines plagiarism as "the fabrication of information and citations; submitting other's work from professional journals, books, articles, and papers; submission of other student's papers, lab results or project reports and representing the work as one's own." Penalties for violations of academic integrity may include course failure. To learn more, see Penn State's "Plagiarism Tutorial for Students." I cannot overemphasize the importance of academic integrity. DO NOT copy and paste from unreferenced sources. Without exception: if you use a direct quote from any source, as part of any submitted assignment, the quote must be clearly noted and properly referenced. (In-line references are fine.) - Citation and Reference Style
See our course "Academic Integrity Guide," accessible through the "Resources" menu at left. - Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) Web site provides contact information for every Penn State campus: http://equity.psu.edu/ods/dcl. For further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services Web site: http://equity.psu.edu/ods.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: http://equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations. - Military Personnel
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made. - Inclement Weather
In case of weather-related delays at the University, this online course will proceed as planned. Your instructor will inform you if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding content or activity due dates in the course due to weather delays. If you are affected by a weather-related emergency, please contact your instructor at the earliest possible time to make special arrangements. - Netiquette
The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as e-mail and bulletin board postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions, but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages. Please review Virginia Shea's "The Core Rules of Netiquette" for general guidelines that should be followed when communicating in this course. - Connect Online with Caution
Penn State is committed to educational access for all. Our students come from all walks of life and have diverse life experiences. As with any other online community, the lack of physical interaction in an online classroom can create a false sense of anonymity and security. While one can make new friends online, digital relationships can also be misleading. Good judgment and decision making are critical when choosing to disclose personal information with others whom you do not know.
Technical Requirements
For this course we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the Dutton Institute Technical Requirements page, including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications. If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Outreach Helpdesk.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus can be changed at any time, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Changes will be posted to the course discussion forum.