Before we begin our semester together, it is important that you review all of the material in this Orientation and the course syllabus. These resources contain the most essential information about what this course is and what is expected of you.
This course orientation will complement and expand on the information provided on our syllabus [1]. Be sure to review that document in detail!
As you work your way through these online materials for the Course Orientation, you will encounter a few activities. The chart below provides an overview of the requirements for the Course Orientation. For assignment details, refer to the orientation page noted.
ACTIVITY | LOCATION | SUBMITTED FOR Review? |
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Set up Communications | Set up Communications | No - This is optional. If you are new to Canvas, personalize your Canvas space, set notifications, etc. |
Take the Course Information Quiz | Course Information Quiz | Yes - The quiz is designed to test your knowledge of the course and the information covered in this lesson. |
Take the Initial Course Survey | Initial Course Survey | Yes - The survey is to help us understand you and your need for the course better. |
If you have any questions, please post them to our Q&A Discussion forum in Canvas. I will check that discussion forum regularly to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate. If you have a more specific concern, please reach out to me via email or through Inbox in Canvas.
Hi everyone! I'm Ruchi Patel, and I'll be your instructor this semester. I am a PhD Candidate in Geography and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment at Penn State. I possess more than ten years of research and professional experience at the intersections of environmental conservation, development, and policy, with a regional focus on Latin America. My current Fulbright-funded doctoral research explores the social and environmental impacts of coastal tourism development on rural, low-income communities in El Salvador. I am also a collaborating researcher with the conservation nonprofit Paso Pacífico and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Previously, I worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC and served with the Peace Corps in Paraguay.
The teaching assistant for this course will be Alejandra Bonilla Mena, who is also a PhD Candidate in the Geography Department.
We look forward to having you in class!
Penn State uses an online course management system called Canvas to deliver its online courses to registered students. (Registered students might want to open their Canvas in a second tab or browser window while studying this page.)
If you are new to Canvas, it is strongly recommended that you review Penn State's Canvas Learning Center (Student) [2] site to to acclimate yourself further! This guide includes help for getting started with Canvas, customizing Canvas for you, and participating in your courses via Canvas. Registered students might want to open their Canvas in a second tab or browser window while studying this page.
You will set up your Canvas communications preferences later in this Orientation.
Before you begin working through the course content, you need to make sure the computer you are using is configured properly for the multimedia that you will encounter. Below are specifications and tests to help make sure everything is in working order.
For this course, we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the World Campus Technical Requirements [3] page, including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications.
Access to a reliable Internet connection is required for this course. A problem with your Internet access may not be used as an excuse for late, missing, or incomplete coursework. If you experience problems with your Internet connection while working on this course, it is your responsibility to find an alternative Internet access point, such as a public library or Wi-Fi ® hotspot.
This site is considered a secure website, which means that your connection is encrypted. We do however link to content that isn't necessarily encrypted. This is called mixed content. By default, mixed content is blocked in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. This may result in a blank page or a message saying that only secure content is displayed. Follow the directions below to view the mixed content.
We have YouTube video material in many of the lessons in this course. Chances are pretty good that you already use a Web browser that is configured to view YouTube videos, but to be safe, here is a "test" file that you should try out now to make sure you won't have problems later in the course. If this video (1:14) runs smoothly for you, then you're ready to go. If you can't get the video to play on your computer, then please refer to the steps at the bottom of this page to troubleshoot your problem.
Request Help. If you still have not had any success, then it is time for you to contact the HelpDesk. University Park or Commonwealth Campus students should contact the IT Service Desk [4], and World Campus students should contact the Outreach Helpdesk [5]. It is in your own best interest to be as specific as you possibly can. Vague descriptions of a problem only delay assistance. Try to include information such as:
Discussions [6]allow students to interact with the instructor and other classmates. Threaded discussions allow multiple posts and replies. New posts appear in the Course Activity Stream page, so you will know when something has been posted.
In general, questions and comments about project assignments and course content should be shared with the entire class via the discussion forum, "Course Q&A". That way, everyone can benefit from the discussion.
Inbox [7]is the equivalent of email in Canvas. It's great to use for a quick email to another student, instructor, or a whole team. Keep in mind that the text editor is very minimal, and does not have much formatting capability.
Announcements [8]are messages from your instructor that contain important information. Current announcements can be accessed through the Announcements tab in Canvas. Announcements may highlight assignment due dates (also published in the course Calendar), lesson recaps, a preview of an upcoming lesson and other essential course information.
Profile and User Settings let you control your personal information in Canvas. Take a few minutes to personalize your Canvas profile by following the instructions below.
Task | Instructions |
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Personalize your Canvas Profile |
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Set your notification preferences |
You have the option to select how, when, and for what information you would like to receive notifications. This can be very helpful when keeping track of items such as discussion posts, assignment due dates, and exams. Visit the Canvas Notification Preference Support page (link is external) [10] and follow the instructions for setting up your notification preferences. The video below this table provides additional information. To ensure that your Canvas email messages forward to your regular email account immediately, check the "Notify me right away" option (the checkmark) for each item under "Conversations" in Notification Preferences. |
Set your timezone |
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Download the Canvas App | For information on using the app by device, please see the following:
|
The following video (4:28) provides information about Canvas Notification Preferences.
112 - Notification Preferences [13] from Canvas LMS [14] on Vimeo [15].
Click for Transcript of Notification Preferences in Canvas
In this video you will learn about Notification Preferences.
To get started, click the Account link in the Global Navigation menu. Then click the Settings link.
To add additional contact information, use the options in the Ways to Contact section.
To add an email, click the Add Email Address link. Enter your email address in the provided field and click the Register Email button. After your email has been registered, you will receive a confirmation email. To complete registration, click the link provided in the email.
To add a mobile number, click the Add Contact Method link. Enter your phone number, carrier and, if applicable, your SMS email. Then click the Register SMS button. You will then be sent a text with a shortcode. To confirm your phone number, enter the code in Canvas and click the Confirm button.
The Web Services section allows you to link your Canvas account with your existing Twitter, Google Drive, Skype, and LinkedIn accounts. By default, Canvas does not disclose your information to other users within the system unless you give consent.
To change how often you receive notifications, click the Notifications link in the settings navigation menu. Notification preferences are divided into sections including: Course Activities, Discussions, Conversations, Scheduling, Groups, Alerts and Conferences. Contact methods linked to your account will be listed in individual columns. You can set notification preferences for each category and contact method separately.
To change how often you receive notifications, select one of the notification icons. To receive notifications immediately, select the checkmark icon. To receive notifications daily, select the clock icon. To receive notifications weekly, select the calendar icon. To opt out of notifications for a feature, select the X icon. Notification preferences set on this page will apply to all of your courses.
You've now completed this tutorial video on Notification Preferences. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, please visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.
To be sure you are able to access reserve readings and other library resources in this course, visit the library’s Online Student's Use of the Library [16] site. This guide outlines all that Penn State libraries offer you as an online student. It is strongly recommended that you visit the Services for Students [17] page.
If you have questions, just ASK! [18] a librarian! The ASK! page will connect you to librarians in a manner that meets your needs; e-mail, phone, or chat for a quick response.
How do you define and achieve success in an online course like this one? It depends on your goals and perspective. Any student who registers for an online course in the hope of earning an easy “A” is unlikely to be successful, no matter how adept he or she may be with information technology. However, Palloff and Pratt observe that “in general, distance education has been applied to and seen as most successful in the arena of adult and continuing education” (Palloff and Pratt 2001, p. 109).
“Much of the research done on successful students in distance education programs suggests that students who are attracted to this form of education share certain characteristics, including that they are voluntarily seeking further education, are motivated, have higher expectations, and are more self-disciplined. They tend to be older than the average student and to have a more serious attitude toward their courses, education, and learning. They are what most would consider to be nontraditional students.” (Palloff and Pratt 2001, p. 109)
This is not to say that younger students can’t succeed in online classes. Indeed, “most [undergraduate] students today are older, are working, and need more flexible schedules” (Palloff and Pratt 2001, p. 109). The question is, assuming that a student is motivated to get the most out of an online class, and that the class is well-designed and led by attentive instructors, which attitudes and behaviors increase the student’s chance of having a satisfactory experience?
Swan and colleagues (2000) surveyed approximately 3,800 students enrolled in 264 online courses through the SUNY Learning Network. Of the 1,406 responses received, the researchers analyzed data associated with 73 courses for which there was a 40 percent response rate or greater. Among their findings were statistically significant correlations between student satisfaction and (a) perceived learning gains; (b) interaction with instructors; and (c) interaction with fellow students. Additionally, respondents who rated their own level of activity in online classes as high also tended to report higher levels of satisfaction.
Research results like these, along with lessons learned in our more than ten years of experience in distance learning, leads us recommend the following three study habits that will maximize your chances for success in your online class:
Bransford, J. D. et al. (Eds.) (2000) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, and Experience. Washington, DC: National Research Council.
Chickering, A. W., and Gamson, Z. F. (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. AAHE Bulletin, 39(7) 3-7.
Gibbs, G. (1999) Planning Your Students’ Learning Activities. In McKeachie, W.J. (Ed.) McKeachie’s Teaching Tips, 10th Ed. Pp. 20-33. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Palloff, R. M. and Pratt, K. (2001) Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Swan, K. et al. (2000) Course Design Factors Influencing the Success of Online Learning. Proceedings, WebNet 2000 World Conference on the WWW and Internet. San Antonio TX, October 30-November 4.
Overview
We expect that the text and graphics you submit as part of your assignments are original. We use the plagiarism detection service Turnitin.com [19] to assure the originality of assignments. You may build upon ideas, words and illustrations produced by others, but you must acknowledge such contributions formally. Unacknowledged contributions are considered to be plagiarized. This guide explains when and how you should acknowledge contributions of others to your own work.
Different disciplines adopt different standards for citations and references. Moreover, almost every professional publication enforces its own variation on the standard styles. The most widely used styles include:
In this course, we recommend that you use the APA style, documented at the Purdue Online Writing Lab [20]. Recognizing that many variations of APA style are in use, we do not enforce the Purdue style strictly. However, we do expect two things:
In focus: Text ("In-Line") Citations
Quotations: Whenever you include in your writing a direct quotation from another person's written or verbal communications, you must cite your source properly. List the author(s), date of publication and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence with the quotation.
Text Citations Example #1, A Quotation: Does geographic information science merit recognition as a distinct field? Some claim that the distinction is justified, but only if "we...first establish that spatial, or rather, geographical, data are unique" (Goodchild, 1992, p. 32)
Important: Complete references corresponding to each citation should appear in the Reference List at the end of every assignment report.
Paraphrasing: Most often you will cite ideas rather than quotations. Your ability to paraphrase and build upon the work of others constitutes more convincing evidence of your professional and intellectual development than your ability to assemble series of quotations. The Student Judicial Services office at the University of Texas has published the following excellent explanation of proper paraphrasing (note the extended quotation is set apart as a "block quote"):
Like a direct quotation, a paraphrase is the use of another's ideas to enhance one's own work. For this reason, a paraphrase, just like a quotation, must be cited. In a paraphrase, however, the author rewrites in his or her own words the ideas taken from the source. Therefore, a paraphrase is not set within quotation marks. So, while the ideas may be borrowed, the borrower's writing must be entirely original; merely changing a few words or rearranging words or sentences is not paraphrasing. Even if properly cited, a paraphrase that is too similar to the writing of the original is plagiarized.
Good writers often signal paraphrases through clauses such as "Werner Sollors, in Beyond Ethnicity, argues that..." Such constructions avoid excessive reliance on quotations, which can clog writing, and demonstrate that the writer has thoroughly digested the source author's argument. A full citation, of course, is still required. When done properly, a paraphrase is usually much more concise than the original and always has a different sentence structure and word choice. Yet no matter how different from the original, a paraphrase must always be cited, because its content is not original to the author of the paraphrase (Student Judicial Services Center, University of Texas, no date).
Text Citations Example #2, A Paraphrased Idea: Geographic information science ought to be considered a distinct field because georeferenced data embody unique characteristics (Goodchild, 1992).
References
At the end of your report, you must list the full bibliographic citations of the works you have used. The list should be alphabetized and references should include the following:
Type of source and reference example
Basic book
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Example: Chrisman, N. (1997). Exploring geographic information systems. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter of an Edited Book
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor & B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.
Example: Cowen, D. J., & Jensen, J. R. (1998). Extraction and Modeling of Urban Attributes Using Remote Sensing Technology. In D. Liverman, E. F. Moran, R. R. Rindfuss & P. C. Stern (Eds.), People and Pixels: Linking Remote Sensing and Social Science (pp. 164 – 188). Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press, National Research Council.
Edition other than first
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Subtitle. (# ed.). Location: Publisher.
Example: Lillesand, T., & Kiefer, R. (1994). Remote sensing and image interpretation (3rd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
Article in a Periodical
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number (issue number), pages.
Example: Goodchild, M. (1992). Geographical information science. International Journal of Geographic Information Systems 6:1, 31-45.
Electronic Source
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved month date, year, from URL.
Example: TopoZone.com. (n. d.). Welcome to TopoZone. Retrieved February 4, 2007, from http://www.topozone.com (Links to an external site.) [21]
(In this particular case "n.d." stands for "no date of publication available"--which is sometimes the case for online sources.)
Article from an Online Periodical
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of journal, volume number (issue number if available). Retrieved month day, year, from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/ [22]
Example: Bernstein, M. (2002). 10 tips on writing the living Web. A List Apart: For People Who Make Web sites, 149. Retrieved May 2, 2006 from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving [23](link is external)
Topographic Map Author
“Sheet title” (date). [format]. Edition. Scale. Series, sheet number. Place of publication, Date.
Example: United States Geologic Survey. "Bellefonte, PA Quadrangle" (1971). [map]. 1:24 000. 7.5 minute series. Washington, D.C.:USGS.
By now, you hopefully have a much better idea of what this course, and the online course environment, will be like. In order to move onto Module 1 and all further course material, complete the following tasks, described in brief below.
Course Information Quiz
Once you have reviewed all of the materials for the Course Orientation and read and understood the Syllabus, you will need to take the "Course Information Quiz." You will not receive a grade for this quiz, but need to complete it to proceed to the next Module.
Course Information Survey
Please fill out the Initial Course Survey. This is a method for students to communicate to the Instructor and TA's anything you think we should know about you, your academic interests, etc. You will not receive a grade for this survey, but need to complete it to proceed to the next Module.
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog30/syllabus
[2] https://canvas.psu.edu/canvas-learning-center/
[3] https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/general-technical-requirements
[4] http://itservicedesk.psu.edu/#
[5] http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/technical-support
[6] https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Basics-Guide/What-are-Discussions/ta-p/3
[7] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1293
[8] https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/How-do-I-view-Announcements-as-a-student/ta-p/417
[9] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1285
[10] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1286
[11] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1559
[12] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1666
[13] https://vimeo.com/75514816
[14] https://vimeo.com/canvaslms
[15] https://vimeo.com
[16] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide
[17] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=516093&p=3540332
[18] https://libraries.psu.edu/ask
[19] http://turnitin.com/
[20] https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
[21] http://www.topozone.com/
[22] http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
[23] http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving