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Instructors have provided the following information to generally describe what to expect in their classes.


Geoscience

Class Format

GEOS 130 Face-to-Face Lecture and Lab
Students will experience a combination of both traditional lecturing and interactive collaboration on small group activities. In the laboratory, students complete hands-on activities designed to enhance and reinforce the geologic concepts they have studied. Some labs will take place outdoors.

GEOS 130 Online Lecture and Lab
Course content is delivered via the textbook, lab manual, PowerPoints, and recorded videos. The lab exercises involve working with rock and mineral kits obtained from the JCCC Bookstore and exercises included in the lab manual or provided by the professor. Students participate in interactive weekly article summary discussions to reinforce learning. Exams, lab exams, labs, and article summaries are submitted through Canvas.

GEOS 140 Online Lecture
Course content is delivered via the textbook, PowerPoints, and recorded videos. Students are assigned weekly homework that reinforces the lecture material. Exams and homework are submitted through Canvas.

GEOS 141 Face-to-Face Lab
Physical Geography Lab involves hands-on activities and problem solving. Each session includes data analysis and the use of geographic tools. Some labs will take place outdoors.

Resource Use

GEOS 130 Face-to-Face
A textbook and lab manual are required.
Chapter workbooks, PowerPoint slides, and practice quizzes are provided.

GEOS 130 Online
A textbook, lab manual, and mineral and rock kit from the JCCC Bookstore are required.
Chapter workbooks, PowerPoint slides, and practice quizzes are provided.

GEOS 140
A textbook is required.
Chapter workbooks, PowerPoint slides, and practice quizzes are provided.

GEOS 141
A lab manual is required.
PowerPoint slides are provided.

Assessment

GEOS 130 typically has six hourly exams, a final, and three lab exams. The exams assess comprehension of geological subject matter covered in the textbook, lectures, weekly labs, and article summaries. Lab exercises focus on hands-on activities like identifying minerals, interpreting maps, and analyzing geologic data to understand Earth's processes. Weekly article summaries encourage students to apply their understanding of foundational geology principles to analyze real-world topics and develop skills in synthesizing information.

GEOS 140 typically has four hourly exams and the final. The exams assess comprehension of physical geography subject matter covered in the textbook, lectures, and weekly homework. Weekly homework activities involve observing data and images to analyze and discuss trends and to interpret processes on Earth in the past and present. We study current events, often with real-time data, by using web sites and apps.

GEOS 141 typically has a midterm exam and a final exam. The exams assess comprehension of physical geography subject matter covered in the weekly labs. Labs involve any combination of graphing and analysis of physical geographic data, sketching and labeling of diagrams, using taxonomic keys to classify climates, map and remotely sensed imagery interpretation, and field trips.  

Homework Policy:

I teach introductory level geoscience survey courses, which are inherently fast paced. Weekly work is crucial to keeping up with the material and reinforcing key concepts. Falling behind makes it harder to catch up as new topics are introduced quickly. Late work is accepted with penalties. No work is accepted after the scheduled last day of classes.

Attendance Policy

Face-to-Face Courses (GEOS 130 and GEOS 141)
Points are not awarded for attendance; however, students who regularly attend and arrive on-time tend to outperform students who do not.

Online Courses (GEOS 130 and GEOS 140)
Participation is essential for success. Students who regularly login and understand the online course structure tend to outperform students who do not.

Availability

My office hours, held either on campus or via Zoom, change each semester depending on my teaching schedule and are typically close to class times. If students need to meet outside of scheduled office hours, students are encouraged to email the instructor to arrange a more suitable time.