Assignments

This page provides general information on the assignments you may complete. See the course calendar to see what specific assignments are assigned. Use these links to see specific portions of this page:

As a general rule for all college courses, you should plan to spend an additional 3 hours of study time (outside of class time) for every one credit hour you are taking. That means, for a 1-credit course like this one, you should realistically plan to spend at least 8-10 hours per week reviewing and completing labs and field trips. Some weeks will require more time and some less depending on the materials due. The lab activities were designed with these time commitments in mind.


Grading

This course uses a standard grading scale, including +/- grades. Overall grades may be curved on individual assignments based on student performance. Final grades are issued at the discretion of the instructor based on your performance in the course. This course contains 7 workbook exercises you’ll do at “home”, and 3 field exercises you will complete at a central Indiana state park.

There are a total of 550 points. Grades will be posted in the Oncourse gradebook. The grading scale will vary depending on the performance of the class, but at a minimum:

Completing Lab Workbook Exercises

Each course module (linked under "Module Index" in Oncourse) will contain instructions for completing workbook activities or other assignments. These directions will tell you what to do with the workbook and your other course materials. You should always read the module completely BEFORE beginning to work in your lab book as you will not always have to complete an entire exercise.

Each lab workbook exercise will include short answer, fill in the blank, essay, and problem solving questions. Lab workbook exercises may require you to research some information on external websites, to use maps or samples purchased from the bookstore, and to use a calculator and ruler.

Field Trip Exercises

To prepare for a field exercise, directions for each exercise are listed in the Assignments link within Oncourse. You will need to read the directions and potentially complete a pre-trip exercise prior to visiting the field site. You are responsible for taking weather and field conditions into account--do not wait to the last minute and fail to complete a trip due to rain, snow, closures or flooding. Your instructor will try to advise you if parks are closed; but completion of a field trip by the due date is ultimately your responsibility.

You will print off worksheets that include directions (so you know what to do at the site) and exercise questions (which you will fill out) for each field exercise. Each lab worksheet includes a separate document that contains large photos associated with the directions. Bring a clipboard to attach these items to. Each field trip will include a set of audio .mp3 files you will need to download to your MP3 player. Directions for downloading them are included in the assignment information for each trip. The Oncourse directions will tell you how to get to the park, where to go within the park, and when to listen to the audio files.

You will also need to bring a digital camera with you to the park, as your worksheet will ask you to photograph certain features, and submit these with your answer sheet in a Word document. You should read the worksheet prior to your trip to be sure you have all the materials you will need while visiting the park.

Submitting Lab Assignments

Your assignments will require you to submit a portion or all of your lab or field activity worksheets. The main reason is most of the assignments require you to make drawings, fill out charts, draw on maps, etc. Your instructor prefers that these be submitted electronically (as scanned copies) through "Assignments". You may also mail or drop off your completed lab if you do not have access to a high-resolution scanner. Instructions for either option:

No other formats (Word, Powerpoint, etc.) or types of submissions (in Forums, Email, etc.) will be accepted unless specifically instructed by your instructor.

 

Accessing/Reviewing Your Graded Materials

You should plan to get feedback on your labs so that you do not lose points for repeated mistakes. Learning from the questions you missed will help you to deepen your understanding of Indiana Geology. Depending on how you submit materials, you may access feedback in the following ways:

Labs submitted through "Assignments":

Request Electronic feedback: Your instructor will provide some feedback in the gradebook, but you may email the instructor for detailed feedback on questions missed. Your instructor will reply with a listing of questions and points missed.

Labs submitted by drop off / mail:

Pick up from SL118: You may pick up graded labs anytime after they are graded to see feedback. Your instructor will not provide emailed feedback for labs dropped off or mailed - you must pick these up to see your feedback. These will be available in SL118 from the administrative assistant. You must have your JagTag or other ID to pick up graded materials.

Provide self-addressed, stamped return envelope: If you wish for your instructor to mail your materials back to you, please provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return. Please be certain your return envelope is large enough for your instructor to return your materials AND that you provide enough postage for the return.

Your instructor will keep your submitted materials on file for one (1) year following the close of the semester.

Computer Problems

If your computer fails prior to an assignment deadline, you should immediately locate another computer where you can take the quiz or test. Send your instructor an email describing the problem. At the beginning of the semester, you should identify a back up computer you can use. Consider computers available at these places: