Welcome Letter

Welcome to online education at Cuesta College and online GEOL 212—Environmental Geology (CRN: 70546) for Fall 2020! This letter is to inform you of important details prior to the beginning of this online class. The full syllabus will be available in the first week of classes. Please read the contents of this letter carefully.

Introduction

My name is Jennifer Shellhorn, your instructor for this course. If you need to correspond with me before, during, and/or after the semester, the best way to reach me is by emailing jennifer_shellhorn@cuesta.edu. Note that our class does not start prior to August 17^th, 2020, but I will make our course available for student access on August 15^th, 2020 via Canvas, the campus Learning Management System (LMS). If you’re new to the Canvas LMS, Cuesta College has provided students a quick access guide to Canvas. Anticipate effective contact between you and myself once to twice weekly, including weekly assignment feedback.

Course Description

Environmental Geology is an introductory course that aims to develop your ability to critically assess your local geologic environment and the associated geologic risks. Further, you will become aware of global geologic hazards and human relationship. We will analyze the geologic processes that drive the interaction(s) of earth systems. Together we will explore volcanoes, earthquakes, climate change, mass wasting, groundwater, energy resources, and more! By the end of this course, you will be a better steward of the earth.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Describe the scientific method and how it applies to the development of plate tectonics, the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes, the formation and evolution of Earth’s crust, and the distribution and availability of earth resources.
• Assess the geologic hazards associated with flooding, mass movement, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and climate change, and discuss mitigation strategies for each geologic process.
• Evaluate the environmental problems associated with surface water, groundwater, energy and mineral resource extraction, coastal processes, waste disposal, and appropriate land-use planning.

Required Meetings

There are no required meetings for this course but do note that activities, discussions, and/or homework assignment deadlines will be constrained to Wednesdays and/or Sundays, and exam dates will be for 24-hour windows on Fridays.

Course Materials

Textbook

The textbook utilized in our course is an electronic textbook with integrated SmartBook technology via McGraw-Hill Connect. Your enrollment in this course automatically purchases access to Environmental Geology, C. Montgomery; McGraw-Hill 11^th edition. On the first day of the class semester the Navigation Panel in our course (GEOL 212) Canvas shell, select Course Materials (First Day Access), and finish any required setup. If you drop this course on or before the course drop date, August 30^th, you will receive a refund for this access, otherwise, you will be charged directly by the Bursar’s Office.

Computer Materials

You will need to be able to open portable document files (PDFs), run Java, and Adobe Flash for some of our course materials. Cuesta College has provided a resource with the computer requirements for online education students. We will occasionally access web-based programs that will require computers, instead of smartphones; if you do not have reliable access to a computer, consider checking out a Chromebook from the Cuesta College Library. Staff is available should you need technical support this semester.

Suggested Materials

Geology uses a considerable amount of discipline-related terms students may not have heard of before. Thus, I suggest considering buying or renting the Dictionary of Technical Terms from the Cuesta College Bookstore, or externally if available (ISBN: 9780385181013) for the semester, though the dictionary is not required.

Student Readiness

Enrollment in GEOL 212 does not have any prerequisites. This course is a combination of instruction, activities/projects, homework assignments, discussions, and assessments in an online learning environment, all of which require considerable self-discipline. You should anticipate spending ±10 hours a week on this course including lecture instruction, reading assignments, homework, activities/projects, discussions, and studying. I suggest you should consider whether you are a good candidate for online learning by reviewing the informal online education readiness assessment provided by Cuesta College to determine if online education is for you. Please assess honestly, I would love for you to be enrolled in my course, but I want you to be prepared to meet my expectations.

Add/Drop Policy

Drop Policy

Students are required to complete the Orientation Module by the third day of the semester (August 19^th, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. PST) and the first course content module, Introduction to Environmental Geology by the end of the first week of classes (August 23^rd, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. PST)

As the semester progresses, you are expected to maintain an ongoing online presence in our course by participating in course-related activities. If you are not maintaining a weekly presence for 2 consecutive weeks without notifying me with an explanation, you can be dropped from the course.

Waitlist/Add Policy

If you are a student on the course waitlist, you must meet the same requirements as outlined in the first paragraph of the Drop Policy to receive an official add code. If you are on the waitlist I will manually add you to the Canvas course page so you may meet these requirements, if you are not on the waitlist you must email me with your credentials so I may add you to the Canvas page.

Add codes will be provided in order (one to five) from students on the waitlist and then any students not on the waitlist with interest in adding the course. All students interested in adding the course must meet the requirements outlined in the first paragraph of the Drop Policy or they will not be considered for an add code. It is the responsibility of the student to complete the course adding process once administered an add code by the instructor.

Additional Policies and Resources

Academic Honesty and Student Conduct

Neither acts of cheating, plagiarism, and/or collusion, nor hateful or discriminatory behavior and/or language towards any backgrounds whether they are represented by the student or faculty population in the course will be tolerated as they are in violation of the Cuesta College Student Code of Conduct. Violations may result in but are not limited to a warning, automatic failure of the related assignment or the course, censure, or dismissal from the college. Academic honesty applies to online education, not just face-to-face learning! Additional student judicial and student conduct resources are available for you to understand your rights as a student.

Student Accommodations

This course has been designed to adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act by meeting minimum requirements. If further accommodations are needed, it is your responsibility to me so I can prepare accordingly. This is particularly important given the inherent visible nature of the content and the numerous assessments.

If this applies to you and you have not filed for accommodations with Cuesta College’s Disabled Students Programs and Services but think you may need accommodations or are unsure if you may need accommodations, contact DSPS via email or via phone at (805) 546-3148.