Professor’s Geology Lab Student Welcome Message
Hello Everyone! Welcome to
My name is Ray Rector, your geology online lab instructor for this
course.
Congratulations for signing up for my online physical geology lab
course here at San Diego Mesa College this Summer 2021 session – you
picked a great program! This is a 1-unit, college-level, physical science
laboratory, compressed 8-week course.
Here is how this online course is run:
1)
The instructor (that’s me!) is primarily a
course content presenter/facilitator, discussion leader, and learning outcome
assessor – I’m here to make sure that you are able to access all
the course content, guide you through the geology terminology and concepts, and
do my best in helping you successfully complete all the course activities, and
finally, grade your assignments and tests. You and I primarily
communicate via discussion board, email me using the “Inbox” link
found on the main Dashboard Canvas page, and ConferZoom
video conferencing. You
can also reach me at my personal website email address at geoprof@geoscirocks.com
2)
The student (that’s you!) uses this online lab classroom platform
(Canvas) to learn introductory geology and successfully (hopefully) get college
credit for doing it. To successfully complete this course
you must successfully complete a set of geology laboratory learning modules (15
in all), post on lab discussion board, watch recorded Studio/Zoom videos/meetings,
take lab quizzes and exams, and go on virtual geology fieldtrips.
3)
The information (course content and materials) you need to learn in this course
is found in several places: a) your free digital lab manual; b) mineral and
rock collection set; c) instructor lab slides; d) instructor’s website
and video links: e) numerous website and online article and video links that
have been included in the assignment instructions; and f) direct personal
communication with me.
4)
Navigating through our Canvas course site is somewhat simple. When you
log into our Canvas course, you’ll notice that there is a menu on the
left side of the course page, where all components of the course are
listed. This menu has several linked categories that include the
following: “Home”; "Announcements”; "Modules";
“Discussion"; "Quizzes; Assignments; and “Grades”.
Here
are some details for each Canvas Course Page menu item:
a) The
“Home” link is where you will find all the various course
components listed/expanded to view.
The “Home” page also has important logistical documents and
information, such as my instructor welcome message and video links, and the
course syllabus and schedule. Other
useful items are also there and include assignment and test-taking tips,
plagiarism info, a link to my personal educational website, and Canvas help
links.
b)
The “Announcement” is where you find my weekly update
message concerning current course activities and due dates.
c) Means of communication
between course participants is done from the "Discussion"
link. Note that "Email"
messaging is done outside the course page, but within the general Canvas
Dashboard site under the “Inbox” Icon.
d) Assessment components (graded
class activities) of this course are found under the "Assignments",
“Discussion”, and “Quizzes” sections.
e) The majority of the course
geology science curriculum is found at my personal student website at www.geoscirocks.com , and
includes textbook support, professor’s lecture materials (lecture notes
and PowerPoints), Geology streaming learning videos, and Internet geosciences
education links.
f) Required lab activity assignments
are found in the “Modules” folder. Each laboratory
module covers a specific geologic topic and includes the following: study
materials (lab manual chapter, professor’s lab slides, how-to videos, etc); activity worksheet (pre-lab and lab); quizzes
(pre-lab and lab); and post-lab writing reflection.
g) Quizzes and Exams are found via
the “Quizzes” link.
h) You have access to your grades in
the course through the “Grades” link.
i) The “Discussion” link
includes several different forums, including two graded forums. This where students can hold public or
private discussions concerning course work – primarily students helping
students – and for raising any sorts of questions, comments and concerns
about this course or anything in general.
5)
Your typical work agenda for each week will include: a) reading two chapters in
your laboratory manual; b) viewing the professor's PowerPoint lab presentations
and other supportive lab materials; c) completing a couple laboratory learning
modules; d) taking a couple quizzes; and e) posting written lab reflections on
the discussion board.
Important Resources and Must-Read Documents:
Mandatory rock and mineral KIT: Each geology lab student will be
required to either check-out
(borrow from college) or purchase a rock/mineral specimen set for use in the
laboratory course. Below are the details for each option.
Option #1: Pick up the kit
from campus
You
need to bring your student ID card (or at least your student ID number) with
you when you pick up the kit.
Additionally,
you need to print out these three documents, of which the KIT Agreement doc
needs signing and submitting. The
linked docs are listed below:
1)
Instructional_Student_Kit_Agreement_GEOL101-Rector-60901
2)
Kit_Inventory_GEO101-Rector-60901
3)
Student_Kits_Email_GEOL_101-Rector-60901
The Days
and Times for Lab Kit Pick-up is below:
Please
select one of the following dates and times to come to the campus to pick up
your items:
Wednesday, June 23rd from
10am–noon AND 2pm-4pm
Thursday, June 24th from
10am–noon AND 2pm-4pm
If you
cannot make show up on a pick-up day/time, then you can have someone else pick
up the kit for you, but they will need to have your student ID. If you are unable to come to
campus for pick up, please contact me – your lab instructor
The
location of your pick-up is:
● Mesa College, Parking Lot 1 –
West End
If you are unfamiliar with this location, please reference the campus map.
All
health and safety precautions will be made during your item pick up:
·
Enter
the campus through Mesa College Drive.
·
In keeping with social distancing guidelines, we do ask
that you not exit your vehicle on campus.
·
Please
wear a mask while in your vehicle for interactions with campus employees.
·
Please
stop at the check-in tent to provide your name and show your picture ID.
·
When
prompted, you will be asked to pop open the trunk of your vehicle. Our staff
will do the actual opening of the trunk.
·
Items
will be placed in the trunk or flatbed and closed by staff if needed.
Please
read the attached Agreement form.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jTYNb3ati4tneWJ2qmjBOuW2Zx3jfZuI/view?usp=sharing
Options
for returning the form:
l
Sign
and return it electronically.
l
Print a
copy and sign and return it when you pick up your items.
l
Complete
a hardcopy of the form at your pick up date/time. Please bring your own pen for
signing.
Option #2: Alternately, you can
purchase your own rock/mineral specimen set, navigate to this URL: https://www.geoed1.com/rock-and-mineral-collections.html
Scroll
down on the page to the 75-sample set entitled 1201-000 Intro Earth
Science Collection ($55.95).
This
is the collection you should purchase--directly from this website if
possible. Please be advised that when ordering the collection 1201-000
from the above vendor you must put in a note in the field " instructions
to merchant', that this order is for the GEOL101 course at SDCC. Also, the total price for
each student is $75 the website will charge around $20 for the shipping. You may also be able to purchase this
same set from the Mesa College bookstore.
Warning: If you fail to acquire the above sample set – whether by purchase
or borrow – you will be seriously disadvantaged on the earth materials
labs, because the mineral and rock labs are based off the sample collection.
No-Cost
ONLINE LAB Course TextBOOK: There is a free open-source
lab manual that we will be using for this laboratory course:
This free geology lab e-manual has a PDF format. The title is Introductory Geology
Laboratory Manual The
authors are Bradley Deline, PhD, Randa
Harris, MS, and Karen Tefend, PhD, and is published
by the University of North Georgia.
Click here to download your free copy: https://web.ung.edu/media/university-press/Laboratory%20Manual%20for%20Introductory%20Geology%20Updated%20082817.pdf?t=1510260756287 You can also download the
lab manual from the Canvas course page (in Learning Resources folder), or on
the professor’s geology lab web page. Please download this manual and save it
ASAP. You will be using this pdf
manual as one of the primary sources for information for completed the lab
activities for this geology lab.
You will also be using an additional educational
website that is designed and maintained by the instructor (my personal website)
exclusively created for maximizing your learning outcomes. This website is found at:
www.geoscirocks.com
Once there, click on the
button to access our classroom web page. Here you will find a plethora of
information that will greatly facilitate your success in this course.
Course
syllabus, schedule, and Policies
Make sure to thoroughly and carefully
read the course syllabus, schedule, and plagiarism policy.
1) The syllabus is basically the official
course contract between me (the instructor) and you (the student). This
is where all the course information and logistics are found. Things
like textbook information, how assignments should be completed, and
grading standards are all found in the syllabus.
2) The schedule
is, by far, the most important document during the semester for keeping your
studies on a timely track – things like homework assignment and test due
dates are all there.
3) My plagiarism policy
is also provided for your benefit as a student. Read and understand
it very carefully. Note that I use plagiarism detection software
like “Turnitin.com” and “Eve2” on the assignments that
you turn in to me.
4) Assignment and Test taking tips are found
in the “Home” page -- created to help you successfully complete and
submit the assignments, quizzes, and exams.
5) For those students who are new to the
Canvas online learning platform, a very helpful link to a
Online Student Training page is found under the “Home” page (URL: https://www.sdccd.edu/about/departments-and-offices/instructional-services-division/online-learning-pathways-1/students/student%20training.aspx)
Lab Module Assignments
and Test Dates
Each and every lab assignment and test has two specific dates: 1)
the availability date in which it becomes available for your inspection
and response, and 2) the due date, in which it is due for grading, which
is the same thing as the expiration date, as it also becomes unavailable
for inspection henceforth. Most lab assignments and tests are due on
Sundays by 11:59 pm.
Late lab assignments and tests are both unaccepted. Make
sure that you stay on top of ALL due dates (listed in the Course Schedule).
As stated above, I can be contacted by email through the
“Inbox” link on the main Canvas page. I will check messages
virtually every day.
Alternately, I can be contacted via traditional email at geoprof@geoscirocks.com.
I hope that you will enjoy this course this summer session, and
that you will learn a lot about the Earth too. Let’s make the most of
it! Look forward to meeting everyone online.
Oh, and if you get a chance,
please watch my posted Welcome Video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXc4Q6O8FqU
Aloha!
Ray Rector