Instructor’s Welcome
Message
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to MiraCosta College’s
GEOL101 – Physical Geology 101 Online Course
My
name is Ray Rector, your geology instructor for this course.
Congratulations for
signing up for my online physical geology course here at MiraCosta
College this summer –
you picked a great
program! First off, if you’re taking this course because you think
it will be easier than a traditional
course, then think again
– it’s really not. This is a 3-unit, college-level, physical
science, very-compressed, 6-week course.
This course is ONLY for
people who are comfortable using computers, the World Wide Web, interactive
software, and
e-mail. If you are
not already comfortable using such electronic methods of
communication and learning, then this course
is not for
you. Seriously, if this is your first online course, and you
are just starting to learn how to use a computer and
navigate the Internet, then this
course will surely kick your butt. On the other hand, if you are
computer and Internet savvy
and this is your first
online course, then you may well find that online courses really work for you
– you may just actually
really like them!
1) The instructor
(that’s me!) is primarily a course content facilitator, discussion
leader, and learning outcome assessor – I’m here to make sure that
you are able to access all the course content, that you understand how to
successfully complete all the course activities, communicate with your peers
and myself and finally, grade your assignments and tests. You and I
primarily communicate via email me using the “Inbox” link found on
the left-hand menu on the Canvas course page. You can also email me at geoprof@geoscirocks.com (better, preferred method) You can
also reach me by calling 760-942-9201 if emailing is not available.
2) The student
(that’s you!) uses this online classroom platform (Canvas
software) to learn introductory geology and successfully (hopefully) get
college credit for doing it. To successfully complete this course you must
successfully complete a number of writing assignments, take several quizzes and
exams, and possibly go on a couple of virtual fieldtrips.
3) The information
(course content) you need to learn in this course is found in several places:
a) your textbook, b) instructor lecture notes, c) instructor’s website
links, d) numerous website and online article links that have been
included in the assignment instructions, and e) direct personal communication
with me.
4) Navigating through
our Canvas course site is fairly simple. When you log on
to our Canvas course, you’ll notice that there is a menu on the left
side of the course page, which lists things like "Announcements",
"Assignments", Discussions", "Grades",
"Syllabus", “Quizzes", etc. Here are the
details for each menu item:
a) Basic course logistical information is found at the
“Class Start-Up Info”, “Course Syllabus” and
“Course Schedule” links.
b) The geology science curriculum used in this course is
found in several key locations: your textbook- the optional hardcopy; and/or the free college e-textbook; the professor’s personal website; and various other Internet
links.
c) Assignments are found in the “Assignments”
link. You access assignment instructions and submit your assignment
response from the “Assignments” portal.
d) Quizzes and Exams are taken through the
“Quizzes” portal.
e) You have access to your grades in the course through the
“Grades” link.
f)
Online communication is done via the “Discussions” and
"Inbox" links. The "Inbox" is where you email me, the
instructor, for all your questions and concerns. You can also email fellow
classmates. The “Discussion” link is used primarily as a
forum for personal introductions and sharing and critiquing assignment
responses. The “Discussion” link is also used by students for
public or private discussions concerning course work – primarily students
helping students.
g) For those students
who are new to the Canvas online learning platform, a very helpful
link to a Canvas Users Manual is found in the “Help” link.
5) Your typical work
agenda for each week will include: a) reading up to four chapters in your
textbook, b) working through the textbook’s questions sets and exercises;
c) browsing several educational websites, including my personal course web page
at www.geoscirocks.com; the “Earth Revealed” streaming video
series; the free
online textbook at MiraCosta GotBooks
;d) reviewing my lecture notes and
PowerPoint presentations, e) posting on the discussion board,
f) working on a written research assignment, and g) taking a couple
of quizzes.
6) I personally grade
your written research assignments and discussion board posts, whereas the
quizzes and exams are automatically graded. Therefore, you get test results
back on the test due date, whereas your submitted written assignments will take
longer for me to grade and get back to you. Please give me a little
patience with getting back your graded written assignments.
Important Resources and Must-Read Documents
You will definitely be using the
instructor’s 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.
Make sure to thoroughly
and carefully read the course syllabus, schedule, and plagiarism policy.
1) The course 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 course schedule is, by far, the most important document during the semester
for keeping your studies on a timely track – things like assignments,
tests, and other important 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 Class Start-Up Info folder -- created to help you
successfully complete and submit the assignments, quizzes, and exams.
5) Finally, there is the
"Help" link at the bottom of the left-hand menu on this Canvas page to
help you learn how to successfully navigate in the Canvas learning platform.
The Written Research
Assignments:
It is important that you
understand how I would like research writing assignments completed and
submitted to save you time and trouble. I give very detailed
instructions on what and how to complete each assignment within each
assignment’s instructions. If you still are unsure of what I am
asking for, do not hesitate to contact me, or another student. But, be
sure to clearly articulate your question or concern first before contacting me.
Each and every
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.
Late assignments and
tests are both unaccepted. Make sure that you stay on top of ALL due dates
(listed in the course schedule).
As a general rule, I can
be contacted by email through the “Inbox” link. I will check
messages virtually every day. Alternately, I can be contacted via traditional
email at geoprof@geoscirocks.com, or by telephone at (760) 942-9201. However, unless there
is an urgent need to contact me, I much prefer to be contacted via email.
I think that we can have
lots of fun with this course this summer, and that we’ll all learn a lot
too. Let’s make the most of it! Look forward to meeting
everyone online. Oh, and if you get a chance, watch my posted
Welcome Video.
https://youtu.be/9W1eJH1__K8 (Link to an external site.)
I hope that we all enjoy this course this
summer session, and that we’ll all learn a lot
too. Let’s make the most of it! Look forward to meeting everyone
online.
Aloha!
Ray Rector