OCEN 210 Welcome Letter

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Introduction to Oceanography – Fall 2018

crn 72341

 

Welcome!  This course is a blended, face to face course.  We will be meeting twice a week for lecture in a traditional classroom setting.  You will also be accessing many of your assessments and assignments online in Canvas.  This letter introduces you to the online resources and college policies.  The policies specific to this course will be covered during the first day of class.

Instructor: Feride Schroeder

Contact Information

Email: fschroed@cuesta.edu

Office location: 2313

Office hours: MW 12:30 – 1:30 pm in 2313, online W 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and by appointment

Phone: My office phone is at extension x2920.  I only check my messages twice a week.  Urgent messages can be left with the Division Assistant at x3230.

 

Course Description

Introduction to the physical and biological aspects of the marine environment including processes of heat transfer, tides, currents, waves, and life in the marine ecosystemIt will emphasize the geological, chemical and physical processes that operate in the ocean setting and will teach global themes using local examples. This class uses collaborative activities in addition to standard assessment techniques. It is appropriate for those seeking to satisfy their general education physical science requirements as well as those wishing to pursue additional Earth or Marine Science classes for which Oceanography is a prerequisite.

Student Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to do the following:

  1. Describe the process of scientific inquiry, commonly called the scientific method, and be able to apply the method as it pertains to oceanographic phenomena especially the origin of the Earth and atmosphere and the processes of plate tectonics.
  2. Contrast the principal types of physiographic features on the seafloor and discuss their origin relative to plate tectonics.
  3. Describe the origin of the four major types of marine sedimentary materials and predict the distribution of the types of sediments on the sea floor.
  4. Explain the influence of the hydrologic cycle atmospheric circulation, changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and marine life on the chemistry of seawater.
  5. Understand how temperature, salinity, and density characteristics determine the physical structure of the ocean and produce deep ocean (thermohaline) circulation.
  6. Discuss Earth's heat budget and the influence of oceanic and atmospheric processes in distributing heat.
  7. Explain the Coriolis Effect and characterize its role in the dynamics of ocean and atmospheric circulation.
  8. Draw and discuss the idealized global wind system and its effect on global climate patterns and global ocean circulation.
  9. Describe the characteristics, formation, and dynamics of wind-driven waves.
  10. Explain the motions of the Earth-moon-sun system and the resulting ideal monthly tidal cycle.
  11. Compare development of coastal landforms; provide examples of how man-made coastal structures affect shoreline processes.
  12. Describe the impact of the tectonic setting and impact of global rise in sea level of major US coastlines
  13. Understand the global distribution of primary productivity and its relationship to the physical dynamics of ocean circulation.

 

Canvas and Online Learning Information

This course is a blended course which meets face to face for lectures but also uses required materials through the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).  The course will be available starting Sunday, August 19th, 2018.  Canvas will be used to take quizzes, find due dates for all graded work, check your grades, watch supplementary lectures and videos and chat with the instructor and other students on a message board.  If you need assistance logging into Canvas, go to the Cuesta Distance Education website for this quick reference guide: Canvas Quick Reference Guide link.  Your learning environment is best accessed from a desktop or laptop computer, using Firefox or Chrome.  Please review the browser requirements and minimum computer specifications. Additional information will be provided for you on the Canvas site for this course.

 

Instructor Contact Expectations

Regular and effective instructor contact will be met through weekly lectures, discussions, announcements, timely feedback on assignments, email, and office hours.  I expect to interact with you at least twice a week online, in addition to our face to face lecture.  I will respond to emails sent during the regular work week (M – F) within 24 hours.  All assignments and assessments will be graded and returned to you with feedback within one week.  Grading rubrics will be provided for all assignments and the final project.  (What is a rubric?  Click here to find out more.)

 

Course materials

Essentials of Oceanography textbook, 11th or 12th Edition, by Trujillo and Thurman - available in the bookstore and online for purchase or rental (check amazon.com or chegg.com)

MasteringOceanography Access Code, 12th edition – available on www.masteringgeology.com.  The course ID is OCEANSCHROEDERSPRING2018. *note: you must buy the 12th edition of this access code

Earth Revealed Video Series – available free at http://www.learner.org/resources/series78.html

Habitable Planet Video Series – available free at http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/video/index.php

 

Technical support

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.   Cuesta students are encouraged to direct all Canvas technical support inquiries to  support@my.cuesta.edu. If you are having issues with Canvas outside of normal working hours, you can contact the Canvas Support Hotline at (877) 921-7680, or click on the help button on the Canvas Navigation to report a problem.

Accommodations

If you need any special accommodations for a disability, please contact the instructor as soon as possible.  Students are also encouraged to contact Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) in the High Tech Learning Center on the first floor of the 3300 building), by phone at (805) 591-3148 or email at dspsinfo@cuesta.edu as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.  More information is available on the website at Cuesta College DSPS website link.

 

College and Course policies

The College defines cheating as taking an examination or performing an assigned, evaluated task in a dishonest way, such as by having improper access to answers or submitting work that is not your own (Cuesta College Academic Honesty statement link).  I take this matter very seriously.  Students caught being academically dishonest may receive a failing grade on the assignments in question, be dropped from the class, or be failed in the course. Beyond this, the student may be subject to disciplinary action as determined by the Vice President of Student Services or designee.

Although I do not take attendance in this course, your participation will be monitored on Canvas and through work completed during the laboratory period.  If you have not logged onto Canvas by the add deadline, you will be dropped from the course.  In addition, if you miss more than 3 laboratory periods, you may be dropped from the course.  After the withdrawl with a “W” deadline, and you are no longer participating in the course, you must drop the course on your own or you will receive a failing grade.

For those students trying to add the course, please refer to the college waitlist procedure and instructions.  It is important that you are checking your myCuesta email daily so you do not miss your enrollment opportunity.  See Cuesta’s waitlist procedure and instructions.

 

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