(see also http://www.uh.edu/~geos6s/1330/index.2.S2006.html)
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. William R. Dupré; Rm. 331, S&R 1; 743-3425; wdupre@uh.edu
OFFICE
HOURS: drop in anytime my door is open or make an appointment
by phone or e-mail
TEXT:
Required: Earth (8th edition -w/ CD), 2005, Tarbuck & Lutgens
Streaming Video is available. Go to this site (http://vnet.uh.edu/VClass/course.lasso?courseidkey=174.
), the login ID is geology1330wd and the password is enter. From there you can view the
lectures as they are posted. Be sure and download course notes from the
WebCT site before viewing streaming lecture! Don’t get too far ahead, however,
as I may update some of the lectures this semester.
Geoscience
Learning Center: will be open to all students beginning at the beginning of
the semester (http://www.geosc.uh.edu/undergrad/glc.php).
Faculty and graduate students will be available to help students with problems
in 1330. Students who fail exam 1 should either plan on attending the learning
center or dropping the course. N.B. I will have a copy of my PowerPoint
Presentations at the GLC that you may review.
You
ALSO need to know the following!
1) CORE COURSE: This
course has been approved to satisfy the Natural Science component of the level
2 (knowledge base) of the University Core Curriculum.
2) EXAMS: There are three
hourly exams scheduled during the semester, each covering mainly material from
the previous exam. The format for each exam will be mainly multiple-choice, but
may include definitions and short essay questions. Almost all of the questions
will come from the lectures, so be sure and study the lecture material
carefully! All exams will be given at 6pm in room 128, SR1. Students
can arrange to take the exam slightly earlier or later if an adequate reason is
given before the exam! Students
who cannot arrange to take the exam during an appropriate time band must
take the make-up exam on May 11th (details below). Only 1 makeup exam can be
taken, so don’t miss two exams!
3) EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS: There will be an extra credit
assignment given prior to each of the three exams. Each assignment is worth up
to 3 bonus points on the hourly exams. These may be accessed on the
WebCT VISTA course website.
4) MAKE-UP EXAM: Make-up exams for exams 1, 2, and 3 will be given during
the finals period (6:00 p.m., May 11). If you have not missed any exams during
the semester, you may take a make-up exam to replace your lowest exam grade. If
you score is lower on the make-up than on the original exam, I will keep your
original exam score.
5) GRADING: I will assign a tentative final grade based on your first
three exams (including bonus points if any). If you wish to improve your grade
(or if you have missed one of the three exams), you may choose to take the
make-up exam. You cannot lower your grade by taking the optional
make-up exam. Based on past experience the cutoffs will probably be at or near
the following: A=70% and above; B=60-69%; C=50-59%; D=40-49%; and F=
below40%. I will curve each exam so
that the average grade is a C (55%).
6) ACADEMIC HONESTY: All students are expected to uphold the standards of
academic honesty as described in the Student Handbook. ANY violation of
that policy will, at the minimum, result in your failing the course; extreme
cases could result in your permanent expulsion from the University.
7) DROP POLICY: Because this is an Internet course, I do not check
attendance, hence I will (can) not drop a student for non-attendance. The one
exception is that I will drop any student on the mid-term rolls for whom there
is NO record of being in the class! It is therefore your responsibility to
initiate a drop or withdrawal if desired. Failure to do so could result in
your receiving an F at the end of the semester. Over half the F’s given last
semester were to students who failed to initiate drops and simply quit taking
exams. Please note that the last day to drop or withdraw is Tuesday,
April 11th. After that date you may not drop any course in
the University unless you have special permission from the dean's office. Such
permission will be given only for exceptional, non-academic reasons. Students
who have not failed two exams will be dropped passing until the drop deadline.
Students who have failed two exams will be dropped failing unless they
choose to take a Q drop. Unlike dropped a course failing, a Q drop does
not affect your GPA! See your academic advisor for details on the Q drop.
You may not Q drop a course after the April 4th deadline!
8) LABORATORY: There is an optional 1-hour credit lab course (GEOL 1130)
that accompanies this lecture course. It is designed for students who need a
"lab science", as well as for those who want more of a
"hands-on" exposure to geology. Although you can make an A in the
lecture without taking the lab, I believe it would be easier and more meaningful
if you took the lab. FYA, the average grade in 1330 for students taking the lab
was.75 grade points higher than those not taking the lab! Unfortunately, it is
only available as a face-to-face section, and cannot be taken off campus.
9) STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with any type of
health impairment, learning disability, or physical handicap that might affect
their performance in this class should contact me as soon as possible so that
special accommodations, if needed, can be made.
10) OPTIONAL FIELD TRIP: All students enrolled in
Geo1330 are eligible (but not required) to go on a field trip offered this
semester at no additional cost. One trip will be to Central Texas where
igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks can be collected and over one
billion years of geologic history can be observed. More information on the
trip(s) including date(s) will be provided as soon as possible.