Welcome Letter for OCEN210

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OCEN210 - Oceanography
Fall 2022


Contact information
Instructor: Emily Kane
Email Address: emily_kane@cuesta.edu
Office Location: Building 2300, Room 2322
Office hours: To be determined

 
Instructor Contact Expectations:
I am always available via email (emily_kane@cuesta.edu) and happy to answer questions. If you have
questions that you would like answered, please allow 24 hours for a response. (For example, if you email
with questions 30 minutes before the homework is due, I likely will not have time to get back to you
before the deadline!). Please be sure to include “OCEN 210” in the subject line of any emails. On
weekends, I will do my best to get back to you ASAP but I cannot guarantee an expeditious response.
I will hold weekly office hours on zoom where students can come with no appointment necessary to ask
any questions they may have as they work though the weekly module.

Course Environment:
This online course will be using a Web-based Learning Management System Canvas as the method to
disseminate information. Canvas provides the framework for the course including lecture material,
student data files, the tools to receive and send course materials, and a grade book. Using the
communication tools, you can communicate using e-mail, and you can share materials and ideas with
other course participants via the discussion forums and groups. Professor Kane will hold weekly virtual
office hours via Zoom.


Accessing the Course:
You will see your course in Canvas on the first day of class. You can access Canvas by clicking on Canvas
from the top bar of the Cuesta homepage (www.cuesta.edu), or by typing the Canvas address
(https://cuesta.instructure.com/) into your browser address bar.
If you are not familiar with logging into canvas, please refer to the Canvas Quick Reference Guide. Once
logged into Canvas you will be directed on where to get started. Be sure to read all the direction on the
course home page.
If you are having difficulty logging into Canvas and need assistance please email me or
technical support at this email address support@my.cuesta.edu.

Online Learning:
If you have never taken an online class or this is your first experience with Canvas, please be patient with
yourself. Online classes are not inherently easier, although they may be much more convenient for many
students. You should expect to spend at least as much time, if not more on this course as you would on a
course that meets face to face. Since there is no lecture component, much of this time will be
self-directed and there will be a substantial amount of reading, viewing, studying, and writing required.
This course is completely online using Canvas; all coursework (discussions, assignments, quizzes) is
submitted online. There are no face-to-face meetings. Please be prepared to spend 8 - 12 hours per
week on coursework for this class


Regular Effective Contact policy:
Regular and Effective Instructor Contact will be met through weekly instructor initiated threaded
discussion forums; weekly announcements to students; timely and effective feedback on student
assignments; email, phone or messaging to individuals; and virtual office hours.


Course Description
Laboratory and field investigations of marine environments, including geologic, physical, chemical, and
biological aspects of the ocean and coastal area. The course emphasizes changing physical factors and
human activities as they affect the oceans. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in
OCEN 210. Transfer: CUS;UC.


Student Learning Outcomes
● Interpret bathymetric charts in terms of major physiographic features and relate these to plate
tectonics and depositional processes on the seafloor.
● Contrast physical and chemical processes that create wind-driven and density-driven current
systems.
● Describe processes of coastal erosion, wave formation and relationship to rising sea level and
long-shore transport.
Text Book and Materials
● Regular and consistent access to the internet
● Regular and consistent access to Canvas course website
● Supplemental Materials: ConferZoom,  Microsoft Office for Free (including word and powerpoint)


Technical Support
Cuesta students are encouraged to direct all technical support inquiries to support@my.cuesta.edu. If
you are having issues with Canvas, or email support@instructure.com.
If you are having difficulty viewing the course or logging in, it may be because you are not using the
correct url: https://cuesta.instructure.com/ or you are using your phone or using an unsupported
browser.
Your learning environment is best accessed from a desktop or laptop computer, using Firefox or Chrome.
This may solve your problem! Please review the browser requirements and minimum computer
specifications.


Accommodations:
This course is designed using an accessible Learning Management System, and course materials have
been created with ADA compliance in mind. If you have a disability and might need accommodations in
this class such as extended time on exams or other resources. Please contact the instructor as soon as
possible so that you can receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner. You should also
contact DSPS (Disabled Student Programs & Services) or at 805-546-3148.


College & Course Policies:
Academic Honesty Policy
Cheating and disruptive behavior in any form are never allowed. Guidelines established by Cuesta
College will be followed if a student is caught cheating or disrupting the educational process. These
policies are available online and highlighted below. You have a responsibility to refrain from any form of
academic dishonesty and to treat your fellow students, teaching assistants, and instructors with courtesy,
civility, and respect. I encourage you be familiar with Cuesta College’s Standard of Student Conduct in the
Student Handbook.
Each student must submit their own version of each course assignment. I encourage you to study
together, discuss methods, and check your answers against each other but you must do the work
yourself and write your answers in your own words. It is your responsibility to make it clear to the
instructor that you worked through the entire problem yourself. Plagiarism (e.g., copying another
student’s answer, submitting others’ work without attribution) results in an automatic score of zero on
the assignment/exam and possible additional penalties, beginning with loss of whole grades and
reporting to the Dean. Ask the instructor if you have any questions about what this means. One way to
be safe is to never share your written work with others. Focus instead on discussing the correct methods
or principles.
In addition to my course policy, please note all students attending San Luis Obispo County Community
College District at any district site and when representing Cuesta College in any off-campus activity,
assume an obligation to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner compatible with the Student Code
of conduct. Please review the Cuesta College Student Code of conduct.


Add / Drop Policy:
It is your responsibility to drop this course before the final add/drop deadline of January 16 for a full
refund, January 30 for a partial refund, or April 17 for a withdraw. Please see this calendar Links to an external site.of
important dates for more information.


Waitlist Policy:
Please email me before the first day of class so that I can add you as an observer to our canvas site, this
way you will have access to the course material as you wait for an opening. Waitlisted students are
added to the course in the order in which they joined the waitlist. In addition to my course specific procedures, please review Cuesta’s waitlist procedure and instructions. 

 

Sample schedule:

Week 1  Intro to Earth and its oceans 
Week 2 Plate tectonics and the ocean floor 
Week 3 Marine provinces 
Week 4 Marine sediments
Week 5 Water vs. seawater 
Week 6 Air-sea interaction 
Week 7 Ocean circulation 
Week 8 Water dynamics 
Week 9 Waves 
Week 10 Tides
Week 11 Coastlines
Week 12 Shoreline processes
Week 13 Life in the oceans 
Week 14 Marine life 
Week 15 Marine pollution
Week 16 Climate change
Week 17  Finals week

 

 

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