Geol 372 - Computers In Geology

Fall 2006	Instructor: Sonjia Leyva

Lecture: M & W: 10:50 – 11:40 am	Office: PS 221, 323-343-2149

Activity: M & W: 11:50 – 2:20 pm	Office Hours: M & W 10:00 – 10:30 am

Room: Bios 246 & 236	Webpage: www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva

Email: sleyva@calstatela.edu

Course Description: Use computers and software as tools to enhance your skills in the areas of geological problem-solving, report-writing, and presentations. We will explore a variety of Windows-based software applications, including word-processing, html editors, spreadsheets and graphing, image manipulation, drawing, presentations, and ARC-GIS. Lecture 1.66 hours, activity 5 hours per week.

Course Objectives: The goal of this class is to give the student the computer skills necessary in today's work environment. To achieve this goal, the student will be required to present an approved research project on any relevant geologic topic of interest to the student. The student will be required to use the computer skills learned to submit a written proposal and present a poster and PowerPoint presentation to the class at the end of the quarter.

Text & Materials:

There is no text book for this class. All assignments, notes, etc. will be accessed from the class website: www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva. In addition, resources provided by the Student Scholars Training Program (SSTP) will be useful. Access the SSTP resources at http://www.calstatela.edu/its/training/sstp/.

Week	Lecture Topic	Activity	Week Due
1	Introduction, Word Processing	Word	2
2	Spreadsheets	Excel assignments 1 & 2	3
3	Graphics & Adobe Photoshop	4
4	Adobe Photoshop	5
5	Midterm Exam & Adobe Illustrator	Mapping & Stratigraphic Columns
6	Adobe Illustrator	Mapping & Stratigraphic Columns

7
7	MS Powerpoint	8
8	HTML & Webpages	Create individual Webpages	9
9	Arc GIS	10
10	Presentations
11	Final Exam - Monday, December 4 10:45 am - 1:15 PM

METHODS OF EVALUATION

Points	Total points possible	% of grade
Exams
2 tests @ 100 points each	200	40%
Activities	20 points each	200	40%
Presentation	100 points	100	20%
500	100%
You may do up to 10 points of extra credit work to raise your total points earned. All extra credit with the exception of the EQ kit is due the last day of class - not the day of the final! Your grade is based on your percentage score out of 500 points. Grades will be assigned using + and - (i.e., B+, B or B-). Your grades will be available on the class website, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva/grades/index.html.

Grade	Points	Want to get a good grade? Here's how:

1. Attend every class.

2. Take notes & review them after class & before exams.

3. Read your textbook.

4. Ask questions. You are responsible for studying.
A = >90%	> 450.0 points
B = 80 - 89%	400.0 - 449.9 points
C = 70 - 79%	350.0 - 399.9 points
D = 60 - 69%	300.0 - 349.9 points
F = < 60%	< 300.0 points

REQUIREMENTS

Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class session and to arrive on time. It will be difficult to make up missed class sessions. However, if you miss a class session of valid reasons (illness), it will up to you to make arrangements to complete the assignment.

Exams: There are a total of two equally weighted exams are scheduled: one midterm and one final. Each exam is worth 100 points. Make-up exams will be given only to those who can verify a valid excuse for missing an exam. The make-up will be given at a time that is mutually agreeable to both the student and myself, but must be arranged prior to the initial exam. Failure to take the make-up will result in the missed exam counting in as a zero. In addition, the exam question sheet must be returned to me after the exam and after the exam review.

Presentation (100 points): Each student is required to propose and present an approved research project on any relevant geologic topic of interest to the student. The student will be required to use the computer skills learned to submit a written proposal and present a poster and PowerPoint presentation to the class at the end of the quarter. Guidelines for these presentation are outlined on the attached pages. Presentations are due during the last week of classes. Late submissions will not be accepted

Activities (20 points per assignment): Students will participate in a variety of laboratory experiments/exercises designed to introduce you to various aspects of Earth Science. The assignments will be due the following week at the beginning of class. Students are encouraged to work together in completing the laboratory work. However, each student should be sure to understand the techniques and concepts involved because midterm and final exam test problems will be very similar to laboratory problems. Labs are due the following week. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Internet Access - Internet access is required for this class because much of the course content will be posted on the class web site, www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sleyva. Access at home or work is fine as long as you can view the web pages regularly and have a reasonably fast connection. If you don't have access at home or work, you can get free access through an account here at Cal State LA. To get a computer account at Cal State LA, go to the Academic Technology Support (ATS) Office in (basement) King Hall D140. You will need identification and proof of registration. More information on computer accounts: http://www.calstatela.edu/ats/user/scr/.

IMPORTANT POLICIES (a.k.a. the "fine print")

Statement of Reasonable Accommodation: The Department of Geological Sciences faculty members fully support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The members of the faculty will provide reasonable accommodation to any student with a disability who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) who needs and requests accommodation. The faculty may wish to contact the OSD to verify the presence of a disability and confirm that accommodation is necessary. The OSD will arrange and provide for the accommodation. Reasonable accommodation may involve allowing a student to use an interpreter, note taker, or reader; accommodation may be needed during class sessions and for administration of examinations. The intent of the ADA in requiring consideration of reasonable accommodation is not to give a particular student an unfair advantage over other students, but simply to allow a student with disability to have an equal opportunity to be successful.

Student Conduct: Student conduct is viewed as a serious matter by the faculty members of the Department of Geological Sciences. The Department faculty members assume that all students will conduct themselves as mature citizens of the campus community and will conduct themselves in a manner congruent with university policies and regulations. Inappropriate conduct is subject to discipline as provided for in Title 5, California Code of Regulations (see student conduct: rights and responsibilities, and student discipline, CSULA General Catalog). The University has a clearly defined policy on Academic Honesty. This policy will be enforced in this class. Cheating and plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Students caught plagiarizing and/or cheating will be subject to the consequences and set forth in the University Catalog, Appendix D - Academic Honesty. You can access it online at: http://catalog.calstatela.edu

Make-up exams: Make-up exams will be given only to those who can verify a valid excuse for missing a quiz. The make-up will given at a time that is mutually agreeable to both the student and myself. Failure to take the make-up will result in the missed exam counting in as a zero.

Grading: University policy allows a grade of incomplete to be given only to those who have been sick, injured, or have a similar valid excuse. A grade of "incomplete" will not be given after poor performance in the course. If you are repeating any Cal State L.A. course in order to remove a D or an F from your transcript, you must file an academic renewal petition in Administration 101 no later than the last day to add a class. Instructions for doing this may be found under "Academic Renewal" in your Schedule of Classes. University policy requires that all students shall be graded in exactly the same fashion. What does this mean? You may not ask for extra assignments or to repeat an exam to improve your grade, or additional assignments after the course is completed.

Student Presentations

Scoring:

Good (all criteria met or exceeded)	= full points

Fair (most criteria met, a few mistakes)	= 1/2 of possible points

Poor (few criteria met, lots of mistakes)	= 1/4 of possible points

None (not done)	= no points

Points possible
Accuracy of content (30 points)
Understanding of material being presented	10 points
Quality of research	5 points
Accuracy of material being presented	5 points
Addresses State Standards	10 points
Quality of presentation (25 points)
Quality of images, props and text	5 points
Logical flow of ideas	5 points
Stays within time limits (-½ point for each minute over/under )	5 points
Delivery (speaks clearly, not rushed, pronounces words correctly)	5 points
Material relavent to topic	5 points
"Self Grades" - see attached evaluations (20 points)
Total: 100 points

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Student Presentation Co-Evaluation

Name of Evaluee: _____________________________	Role: __________________________

Presentation:	____________________________________________________________________

On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is the worst, 5 is the best), rate the following:

_________	Participation (to what extent did the individual participate?)

_________	Quality of involvement (how valuable was the person's involvement in the project?

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Student Presentation Co-Evaluation

Name of Evaluee: _____________________________	Role: __________________________

Presentation:	____________________________________________________________________

On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is the worst, 5 is the best), rate the following:

_________	Participation (to what extent did the individual participate?)

_________	Quality of involvement (how valuable was the person's involvement in the project?