GEOL 233 Welcome Letter

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GEOL 233 Welcome Letter 

Data Acquisition and Management in GIS 

Summer 2022 crn 51256 

Instructor: Feride Schroeder 

Welcome to GEOL 233!  For many of you this is the final course before completing your GIS certificate.  I look forward to giving you additional expertise in data acquisition and management.  Every week you will receive lectures and readings, along with demonstration videos to help you learn the material.  You will have weekly assignments, short quizzes, and a final course project.  You are also asked to participate in a discussion board to share struggles, new discoveries and accomplishments with your students.  Please read the following welcome letter carefully to review all course and college policies.  I am always available via email and for Zoom meetings.  Don't hesitate to reach out!

Contact Information 

Email: fschroed@cuesta.edu 

Course meetings:  This is a six week course that runs from June 13th to July 22nd. This course is a fully online/DE course. 

Office location: Zoom – details will be posted on Canvas 

Office hours: online on Zoom Tuesday and Wednesday 5:00 – 6:00 pm and by appointment 

Phone: I do not maintain a phone on campus.  Urgent messages can be left with the Division Assistant at x3230. 

Prerequisite: GEOL 230 Introduction to GIS 

 

Course Description 

Introduces the fundamental concepts of data creation, database creation, data management in geospatial analysis. Discusses quantitative techniques for the collection, classification, integration, and management of geospatial data. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes and Objectives  

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

  1. Describe the collection of field data, digital conversion of existing hardcopy maps, and the construction of spatial data from known locations. 
  1. Demonstrate basic proficiency to collect, record, and utilize spatial data and databases. 
  1. Collect, create, and process spatial data within a variety of environments. 
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of GIS data storage and interoperability. 
  1. Describe advanced configurations at the feature and database levels and their applications. 

 

Canvas and Online Learning Information 

The lectures and other required materials for this course will be administered through the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).  The course will be available starting Sunday, March 21st.  Canvas will be used to administer lectures, take quizzes, submit lab assignments, download course data, find web resources, check your grades, attend online office hours, 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 Canvas basic computer specifications. Additional information will be provided for you on the Canvas site for this course. 

Online learning is not for everyone; some people may not be able to manage a course that does not meet face to face to learn. Online learning requires lots of planning and self-pacing so that you may be successful in my course. Since I will be covering a large amount of material in 9 weeks, I would highly recommend staying on schedule and keeping up with lectures and quizzes. Please do not be tempted to skip two weeks of class work and expect to catch up easily.  You may want to consider taking this self-assessment to determine if you are a good candidate for an online course.  Go to the Online Readiness Resources to take this self-assessment. There are many resources that were designed to help you understand the basis for an online class and the skills necessary for success – go to Online Readiness Tutorials for more information (click here for link). 

 

Instructor Contact Expectations 

Regular and effective instructor contact will be met through weekly discussions, announcements, timely feedback on assignments, email, and virtual office hours.  I expect to interact with you at least twice a week online.  I will respond to emails sent during the regular work week (M – F) within 24 hours.  I make my best effort to have all assignments and assessments 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.)  I will also be holding open lab hours at a time to be determined by the start of the semester.  That information will be posted on Canvas. 

 

Course materials 

Recommended textbooks (available in bookstore and online): 

  • GIS Fundamentals, by Paul Bolstad, 5th edition 
  • Focus on Geodatabases, by Will Allen 

  

Required software (available free from Cuesta College): 

If you do not have an ESRI account with Cuesta College, contact your instructor so that one can be set up for you. 

 

ESRI ArcGIS Pro 2.8 – available with download from your ESRI account or in Cuesta Library Open Computer Labs on the Engineering computers 

ArcGIS Online – account provided with class registration 

ArcGIS Pro software runs on Microsoft Windows.  If you are planning to install the software on a Mac OS, you will need to set up a dual boot environment to run the software.  There will information posted on Canvas to assist in software installation.  The software site license for Cuesta College provides student versions of the software for you to install on your personal computers.  If you would like to load the ArcGIS software on your computer, you can check your system’s compatibility on the ESRI website: ArcGIS Pro system requirements link. 

A flash drive to store your data and assignments.  I recommend a minimum of 4 GB of storage. 

 

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.   I do not recommend using the smartphone or tablet app for tasks other than checking due dates and grades due to limited functionality.  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.  

 

Technical support for ESRI products can be obtained at the ESRI website at https://support.esri.com/en/contact-tech-support 

 

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: https://www.cuesta.edu/about/documents/vpss-docs/StudentConducttrifold-brochure_2017.pdf).  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.  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 assignments, you may be dropped from the course.  After the withdrawal 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. 

The add and drop deadline for this course is 6/19/2022.  You can drop with a ‘W’ by 7/6/2022.  Refer to college policies for adds and drops: https://www.cuesta.edu/student/studentservices/admrreg/arpolicies/. 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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