Geol/Biol 140 Page  |  Dr. Schmeidler's HomePage  |  E-mail kschmeidler  |E-mail astinson  |   BlackBoard  |  IVC HomePage   |  Life Sciences HomePage

LAB RESEARCH IN GEOLOGICAL & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
GEOL 140/BIOL 140  -  IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE

Instructors:  Amy Stinson, Kathy Schmeidler

Fall 2011 Syllabus

OFFICE HOURS:
 

Instructor	Amy Stinson	Kathy Schmeidler
Office	B 270	A 227
phone	949-451-5622	949-451-5493
email	astinson@ivc.edu	kschmeidler@ivc.edu
Office hours Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday	--------   10 - 11 am & 5-7 pm     --------    9:00 - 11 am     --------     --------	--------   4:30 - 5:30 pm; 10 - 11 pm;     --------   4:30 - 5:30 pm   4 - 6 pm (may be in A 408)     --------
Class meeting schedule	n/a
Class start date	August 23, 2011

NOTE:  Office hours are for clarification of material, so bring specific questions. 

 ATTENDANCE:

Please see the attached schedule for dates the class will meet as a group.  Students are responsible for keeping a record of the time they spend collecting and analyzing data at off-campus research sites (i.e. tidepool locales).  Should you discontinue attending the class, please be aware that dropping the class is the responsibility of the student, not the instructor.  See the Fall 2011 Schedule of Classes, and the IVC 2011-2012 catalogue for a description of college attendance policies.  If you discontinue your work, but do not withdraw, you will earn an “F”.

COURSE WEBSITE:

                http://socccd.blackboard.com  (Note: no www)

 IVC username and password (IVC PIN number) is needed to login to the Blackboard system.

 and (informally, in progress)  http://faculty.ivc.edu/kschmeidler/docspage/schmeid/geobio/geolbiol.html

COURSE SUMMARY:

The purpose of this course is for students to gain field experience, and introduce students to data acquisition skills, in marine sciences.  Areas of emphasis can range from marine geology to animal husbandry.  Students will take part in ongoing studies and data acquisition, and have the opportunity to participate in sampling in the field. Students will be required to conduct independent data acquisition, data synthesis and inter

COMMUNICATION WITH INSTRUCTORS:

When emailing your instructor, please cc the other course instructor on your email.  That way we are both able to assist students with questions.  You must schedule meetings with one of the instructors during the weeks listed on the schedule.

pretation, and research.

COURSE READING MATERIAL:

Students will be referred to specific websites for some course reading material (linked via “External Links” on the course website).  Students will conduct additional research at a library.

FIELD WORK:

Students are responsible for scheduling time in the field, and notifying the instructors of field dates and times.  Students will need to transport themselves to the off-campus instructional sites (field trip locales).  The fieldwork location is an extension of the IVC classroom, and all IVC rules and policies are in effect while the class meets at an off-campus instructional site.  Students are expected to take notes, document their data collection, and make appropriate field sketches to earn full credit.

PROJECT:

Students synthesize their specific research area and present their project by powerpoint presentations posted to Blackboard.   All students must evaluate each of the other student’s project on-line.  The project write-up and powerpoint presentation is due December 6, 2011 by 11:59 p.m.  The project pre-proposal is due no later than September 2, and the proposal is due September 16.  Each student must schedule a time to meet with the instructors to review acquired data during the weeks of October 17, November 7 and November 28; students are encouraged to meet more often as necessary.  Evaluation of students is a component of the final grade earned, as is the project completion, and the written project summary.

GRADING:

• Grades are based on the total number of points you earn in the course.

• If the course is taken P/NP, a score equivalent to a grade of  “C” or higher must be earned to receive credit in the class.

• It is the student's responsibility to drop a course officially to avoid an "F". 
  
• The instructor may drop students for non-attendance, but this is discretionary.  Students who do not drop or withdraw, but do not complete the work will receive "F”.

Date	Topic	Class Meeting Preparation
August 23	Course introduction at IVC (room B204) Discussion of data collection techniques & documentation, research schedules
September 2	Pre-proposal Due @ 11:59 p.m.
TBA	Fieldtrip– Location TBA, check Blackboard Gridding & quadrant sampling techniques	explore Laguna Ocean Foundation’s website: www.lagunaoceanfoundation.org/tidepool_ecology.html
September  16	Project proposal due @ 11:59 p.m. Schedule appointment with one of the instructors & provide:    1.  Research schedule    2.  Data collection set-up
September  19-Nov 7	Field research – students to provide instructor’s with schedule of data collection	Research Schedule Data Collection set-up
Week of October 17	Data review with instructors Schedule appointment with one instructor	Organized data file (i.e. table)
Week of November 7	Data review with instructors Schedule appointment with one instructor	Organized data file (i.e. table)
November 15	Draft of materials, methods, and results sections of paper DUE @ 11:59 p.m.	All project data compiled - preliminary analysis
Week of November 28	Final data review & Report draft to instructors Schedule appointment with one instructor	project data compiled
December 6	Final Project Report due by 11:59 p.m. You must participate in the evaluation of other student’s projects	PowerPoint presentation of data with analysis, interpretations (this will be uploaded to Blackboard)
December 13	Complete project evaluations by 11:59 p.m.	Email both instructors your evaluation table