Welcome to the Course
Thin ridges extend off into the distance from a north facing overlook at Brown County State Park. The park sits in an upland, or area where rocks are resistant to erosion, in an area of Indiana not eroded by glaciers. Click for a larger image (IUPUI Earth Sciences).
The objective of this first module is to introduce you to the organization of the course and the expectations. Your first assignment (described on the next page) will allow you to begin using some of OncourseCL's communication tools.
Each time you log into Oncourse CL, you must click the class name (G136) in the horizontal top menu bar--once you do this, the menu on the left hand side of the screen will change to give you options for this class.
All the course guidelines are found on the Syllabus link on the left menu bar of Oncourse CL. If you have not already done so, please read the syllabus carefully and completely now. You will be expected to abide by all the guidelines presented in the syllabus.
We will use the email and forum tools within Oncourse to communicate with each other. Email is accessed from the "Messages" link in the left menu bar. Forums are accessed through the "Forums" link in the left menu bar of Oncourse. For quick questions we may also use the Chat Room. This is found in the "Chat Room" link of the left menu bar of Oncourse.
Lab 0 Readings
- This module: You should read all the material in the pages of this module.
- Page 1 of your lab book: You should also read the "Introduction" Overview on page 1 of your lab book. This will describe the purpose of the lab book and how you will complete exercistes.
- Page 3 of your lab book: You should skim this page if you have not already. This describes what you should do to complete Lab #0.
Structure to Course
Because you are reading this, you have figured out how to access the exercises or "learning modules." If you ever have a problem with the class content or materials, click the "Help" link at the bottom of the page. This has the instructor contact information, and additional resources to help you with troubleshooting. Remember your instructor is not available 24 hours a day to answer your questions, so give yourself enough time to work on assignments so that if you do get stuck, you can wait to hear back from the instructor.
Each of the "labs" in this course are organized into an "Overview" and "Content" sections--the headings you see at the top of this page. Either section may have one or several pages of material; please be sure you are accessing all materials.
The "Overview" is similar to a lecture, it contains information to help you understand an assignment in your lab book. You should always read the overview section before beginning any work in your lab book. You should examine and use any links or videos offered in these sections.
The "Content" page will always contain specific directions for completing your assignment. This page will list the materials you need to complete the assignment and the pages you should refer to in your lab book. This section will also give you a step-by-step guide to completing the assignment. Always read through the "Content" section completely for directions on how to complete the exercise- rarely will you have to complete an entire lab exercise, there will often be questions or sections you will skip. For many labs, the "Content" pages will include extra questions you should answer that are not in your lab book. Additionally, the "Content" section will give you instructions for submitting your completed exercises.
To start off this course, please click the "Content" above, or click the right arrow in the page number pod below.