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Science Experience Capstone | Objectives | | Prerequisites: BIOL 100, 101 or 102; PHSC 170; GEOL 106LRS or GEOG 106LRS. This laboratory course serves as a culminating science experience for Liberal Studies majors in the pre-credential and ITEP options. An interdisciplinary blend of biology, physics, chemistry, and earth and space sciences from lower division courses will be integrated into the course as various topics are explored through the broad lens of earth science. Hands-on investigations will include topics linked to California K-6 State Science Standards such as the nature of science, astronomy and the solar system, solar energy and meteorology, the water cycle, fossils and the evolution of life, rocks and minerals, natural resources, plate tectonics and Earth's structure, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and geomorphology. | Requirements | | Class attendance is mandatory. If you will be unable to attend a class I will need to be notified in advance. Only an emergency will be an acceptable excuse for missing a class and I will need to see proof from a doctor, lawyer, police, court, etc. in order to excuse the absence. Only three excused absences will be allowed during the semester, after which your grade will be affected. The lab meets only once a week and is not easily made up. You are responsible for any materials missed and making up any labs on your own time. Six unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course.
Eating and drinking are not allowed in the classroom. While I do have office hours in order to resolve any problems or to answer a question, I will not repeat what I have covered during the class so make sure you pay attention. Office hours are there to resolve simple things, not as a second lecture or a time for me to tutor you. All cell phones and pages must be set to silent or turned off while in this classroom. If your cell phone or pager goes off or you take it out for any reason during a test you will have to leave immediately and you will not be able to finish the test. NOTE: Wikipedia is NOT a legitimate source for any class, especially not this one. It is an encyclopedia ANYONE (including you) can edit with completely inaccurate information and as such is not a reliable source of information. | Labs | | Always bring your lab manual to class. On some labs you may be allowed to work in pairs or small groups. I will inform you of those times in class. Even when you are allowed to work on the lab with others, each person is responsible for turning in a lab report in their own words reflecting their own work. Laboratory reports will be graded on the basis of neatness, accuracy, and completeness. There will be a total of 15 labs during the semester. Each lab is worth 15 points and must be handed in at the beginning of the next class. Two points will be deducted from the total lab score for each day it is late. Absolutely no labs, extra credit, lesson plans, or any other sort work will be accepted via email, there are no exceptions to this.
| Lesson Plan | | During the first month of the semester you will design and write an informal lesson plan (see Lesson Plan) utilizing an earth science activity with a K-6 California State Science standard and three of the NOS tenets. The lesson plan will be evaluated by the instructor and returned to you at least once for improvements and rewrites. Each student will present their lesson to their peers toward the end of the semester (see Oral Presentations). The lesson plan is worth 50 points. Lesson guidelines will be distributed in class.
| Exams | | There will be a midterm (see Midterm Study Guide) and a final (see Final Study Guide) in this course. The midterm is worth 50 points and final is worth 50 points. The final will be cumulative, with an emphasis on the material covered since the midterm. Bring a scantron 882-E, a number 2 pencil, and a calculator to each exam. You will not be allowed to take the test without them and I will not have extras. The exams may include a variety of question types including short answer, essay, fill-in-the-blank, true-false, diagrams, and multiple choice. There will be no makeup quizzes or exams without proof of an emergency involving you. Exams will be done individually and not cheating will be allowed. If I find evidence of cheating, the students involved will be asked to leave and will receive the grade of F for the semester. For more information, see the university policy on academic dishonesty in the course catalog. | Grading | |
Grading will be on a plus/minus basis. Grading in this course will be earned as a percentage of total possible points:
| Extra Credit | | There will be opportunities to do extra credit throughout the lab course, which will be announced in class. Each project will be worth 1 or 2 points, up to a maximum of 15 total extra credit points. There will be one additional extra credit assignment, worth up to 10 points in addition to the points listed above. That assignment and its due date can be found on its own extra credit page. Please note that all extra credit is optional. | Program Changes | |
If you decide to drop this course, you must do it yourself. Under normal circumstances, you cannot drop the course after the second week. Only with proof of a serious and compelling reason will a student be allowed to drop after the second week. A change in the basis of grading will not be allowed after the third week under any circumstances. | Academic Dishonesty | | While some work may be done in groups, each person is responsible for turning in their own work, written in their own words. Cheating and/or directly copying work will not be tolerated and will result in an F for all persons involved in the matter. Please refer to University policy on Academic Dishonesty for more information on additional potential consequences. | Calendar | | This is a tentative schedule and may change as the course dictates. Changes will be announced in class prior to the date when possible. Reading is to be done before the class date to prepare you for that lab.
| Useful Links | |
INTERNET SITES:
California State Science Standards (K-12)
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/scmain.asp Inquiry-based FOSS Science Curriculum
National Earthquake Information Center
How Stuff Works
Encyclopedia Of Astrobiology, Astronomy, And Space Flight
Lunar Phases
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