PGLA

GEOLOGY 106: “DINOSAURS!”

Winter 2022 SYLLABUS [* ]  and READING LIST

 Instructor: Dr. Ruth Martin

Email: class email through Canvas

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Green River College is a fully vaccinated college as defined by Gov. Inslee’s Proclamation for Higher Education. All GRC students must be fully vaccinated or have obtained a medical or religious exemption by Monday, October 18, 2021. All students, faculty, staff, volunteers, contractors, and visitors over the age of 5 must wear a face covering (covering nose and mouth) while visiting any GRC location, unless working alone indoors or in a vehicle with no public face-to-face interaction. 

COURSE INFORMATION

Title: GEOL 106 DE Dinosaurs

Summer quarter

5 credits

Online

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION AND RESPONSE TIMES

Instructor: Dr. Ruth Martin

No office on Green River campus

Contact: via Canvas email

            It is my goal that all students will be successful in this class, and for each one of you to become a successful independent learner. If anything is ever unclear, or if you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact me using the class email. I check email several times per day between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm on weekdays, and occasionally on weekends. Do not expect a reply late at night. It might happen, but is not guaranteed.

                                                           

REQUIRED TEXT: Spencer Lucas: Dinosaurs: The Textbook

            Available at the bookstore or online and as an eTextbook through Amazon. Used is fine, though 4th edition or later is desirable.

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY READING: John R. Horner and James Gorman: Digging Dinosaurs

            May be available in the bookstore or definitely online (very cheap and very worthwhile).

Note: The bookstore is offering free shipping to students at this time.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Welcome to Dinosaurs!  This class will give you a basic introduction to dinosaurs and to how paleontologists work to learn more about these fascinating animals. In order to better understand the history of dinosaurs, we will first work on some basic principles of geology, including types of rocks, stratigraphy, dating and geologic time. We will then look at fossils, what they are and how they get that way. In our study of dinosaurs themselves, we will focus on:

1. the phylogenetic history of the group

2. some of the important people and developments in the study of dinosaurs

3. the major groups of dinosaurs

4. inferred physiology and behaviors of the dinosaurs

5. extinction of dinosaurs

6. the geologic, ecologic and biogeographic setting for dinosaurs through time.

7. This course includes:

LECTURES:

Each week I will publish one or two Power Point files with narration that will serve as the lecture material for the week. It is meant to supplement and clarify the reading assignments. Lectures will open just after midnight on Monday each week and will remain open until the end of the quarter.

ACTIVITIES:

These will consist of a variety of assignments including such things as “experiments”, virtual field trips and videos to watch with questions to answer. You will be given one week (from Tuesday to the following Monday) to complete the assignment. You will save your work as a .pdf file and upload it to Canvas.

QUIZZES:

Each week there will be an online quiz that is designed to serve as the review for your mid-term and final exams. Quizzes will open on Wednesday and close on Friday. After the quiz closes it will be available for study and review, but ONLY to those who have taken it. If you do not to take the quiz you will not have access to it for study purposes. Be sure to budget time for quizzes; I cannot re-open a quiz once it has closed.

Quizzes start the second week.

EXAMS:

There will be two exams this quarter – a mid-term and a final. The exams will be taken with Respondus Lockdown Browser. Once you log into Canvas and click on the exam, you will be given instructions about downloading the browser if you don’t already have it.

Exams will cover the lectures, reading assignments, and aspects of the activities.

 

EXAM DATES ARE:

MIDTERM – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2022  - 1.5 HOUR TIME LIMIT

 FINAL – TUESDAY, MARCH – TWO HOUR TIME LIMIT

Exams will remain open during the entire day, from 7:00 am to 11:59 pm. You may not, however, start and stop the exam. Once you start it, you must complete it within the time limit. Both exams are closed books and notes.

PLEASE NOTE WELL: The dates for the exams are fixed. Please do not schedule airplane flights, doctor’s appointments or anything else that will interfere with your taking the exam on one of the scheduled dates. If you have already made plans that cannot be changed and you cannot make alternate arrangements, please withdraw from the class.

 CULMINATING PROJECT: This project will involve researching and creating a mural or poster in electronic form and uploading it to Canvas. The full announcement opens as an assignment in Week 2. The final project will be due no later than 11:59 p.m. Friday,  NOVEMBER 19TH, 2021.

 MY EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS

 This is a five credit class. There is a lot of work in a five credit class. You will be doing lots of reading (lectures, text and “Digging Dinosaurs”), activities (explained above), quizzes, exams, and a culminating project. If this sounds like more work than you anticipated, or more than you can handle with the rest of your schedule, please withdraw from the class.

To be successful in this class:

· You will submit your work on time. All assignments are due on the date and time stated.

· You will do college-level work. That should go without saying, but sometimes it is good to reiterate it. That means:

· The information you submit in answers to questions on quizzes, activities, your culminating project and exams will be correct, well-researched, and  not copied and pasted  from another source. Other sources are not limited to books, or academic websites – copying from another student’s work (including that found in places such as “Course Hero” or Chegg is just as bad and might be wrong).

· You will write in full sentences using correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. The exception to this is on quizzes where a one-word answer is expected. Please remember your work in your classes is different from texting or chatting. Do not write your work or email me using “text-speak”.

· You will not cheat. Assignments must be completed by you, the individual, although it is fine to consult your notes, books, etc. for the quizzes – but all work  must be your own . Plagiarism is a serious ethical offense, and also counts as cheating – don’t do it!

· If you have questions, problems or don’t understand something, please contact me through Canvas email. Please use good email etiquette, and put a subject on your email.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME

· I will be respectful in all dealings with my students.

· I will attempt to answer emails the same day I receive them, unless they are sent late in the day. Weekends are the exception – I often do not answer emails on weekends.

· I will grade quizzes, activities and exams in a timely manner.

· Should you spot something you believe to be an error and bring it to my attention, I will be quick to fix it or explain why it was not an error.

 GRADING

Exams                                   30%

Quizzes                                 10%

Activities                               25%

Culminating project             35%

Final grade scale:

>98%	4.0	Exceeds expectations. Student demonstrates outstanding knowledge of content and understanding of concepts. Writes exceptionally well, using excellent grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. Work shows evidence of superior effort.
90% - 97.4%	3.5 – 3.9	Meets or exceeds expectations in most areas. Writes well, using good grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. Work shows evidence of excellent effort.
80 – 89%	3.0 – 3.4	Meets expectations. Demonstrates solid knowledge of content and understanding of concepts. Writes well, using correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. Work shows evidence of good effort.
70 – 79.9%	2.0 – 2.9	Approaches expectations. Mostly demonstrates good knowledge of content and understanding of concepts, but does not demonstrate mastery. Writing sometimes has errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. Work indicates more effort was needed.
60 – 69.9%	1.0 – 1.9	Needs much more work. Knowledge and understanding of content and concepts show many gaps. Writing has many mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. Work indicates much more effort was needed.
<60%	0	Unacceptable. Knowledge and understanding of content and concepts clearly lacking. Writing not acceptable. Work indicates minimal effort was expended.

DEPARTMENTAL DESCRIPTION AND OUTCOMES

GEOL 106 - Dinosaurs

Credits: 5 An introduction to the biology, behavior, evolution, and extinction of the dinosaurs and the ancient world they lived in. Examines the history of how dinosaur have been studied and the ways that scientific ideas about dinosaurs have been formulated, tested, and changed over time. Includes the chance to examine fossils of dinosaurs, other prehistoric animals, and ancient plants. Prerequisite: Eligible for  ENGL& 101Links to an external site. . Satisfies Requirement: Natural Science Course Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

1. Describe and explain the basic terminology, principles, concepts, and theories of geology, biology, and paleontology as they apply to the study of dinosaurs.

2. Apply critical thinking, observations, and problem solving skills to accurately describe fossil samples, and use these observations to make and support interpretations linked to information presented in the class.

3. Illustrate a scientific understanding of the methods used to find and reconstruct dinosaur fossils and their environments, and of basic related scientific theories such as evolution.

4. Examine the history of paleontology in order to explain how and why theories about dinosaurs have changed through time as well as how scientific information is presented in popular culture.

5. Demonstrate the ability to make and support scientific interpretations.

MODALITY STATEMENT

This course is taught entirely online. This requires students to budget time to participate regularly in order to complete activities and assignments adequately and on time. Setting reminders on your calendar is a good way to be sure you remember what is coming up.

 LEARNING OUTCOMES

Campus-wide outcomes

Written Communication Written Communication encompasses all the abilities necessary for effective expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in written form. This will be assessed in all activities in the course, but particularly in the activities and the culminating projects.

Critical Thinking Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time. This outcome will be assessed in activities and exams, which will contain questions and activities requiring analysis and synthesis of information.

Responsibility Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others. This is assessed in the student’s timely participation in all activities of the class, particularly since the course requires extensive independent activity and budgeting of time.

Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning Quantitative Reasoning encompasses abilities necessary for a student to become literate in today’s technological world. Quantitative reasoning begins with basic skills and extends to problem solving. This outcome will be addressed in the activities, particularly in the “Dino Strides” activity.

Geology Department Outcomes

· Students will produce interpretation of earth science materials related to those presented during the course. Addressed in all activities in the course.

· Students will draw geological inferences from earth science materials and connect them to geological processes. Addressed in all activities in the course.

Course outcomes

 Students will demonstrate understanding of or familiarity with:

1.

1. basic principles of geology that pertain to the study of dinosaurs;

2. the nature of science;

3. the history of the study of dinosaurs and with many of the people involved in the study;

4. the processes of fossilization, types of fossils, and the information that can be obtained from fossils;

5. what makes dinosaurs different from other animals

6. how dinosaurs developed

7. the different types of dinosaurs

8. what we can and cannot know about dinosaurs from their fossils

9. how the geology, geography and ecology of dinosaur times influenced the animals themselves and the fossils we find today.

Mastery of these objectives will be demonstrated by successful completion of quizzes, exams, activities, and the culminating project.

COURSE POLICIES

POLICY ON LATE ASSIGNMENTS

All assignments are due on the day and at the time they close.

POLICY ON CHEATING

            In this course you will be working mainly by yourself. Individual assignments, such as the activities, may be discussed with others, but must be written individually. The names of individuals caught cheating will be given to the Dean of Instruction for further action that may range from no credit in the exam/assignment to removal from the college.

SPECIAL NEEDS

            If you believe you qualify for course adaptations or special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is your responsibility to contact the Disabled Students Services Coordinator in the Lindbloom Student Center (Room 271A, phone ext. 2318) and provide the appropriate documentation.  If you have already documented a disability or other condition that would qualify you for special accommodations, or if you have emergency medical information or special needs I should know about, please notify me during the first week of class. Contact information is at the beginning of the syllabus.

Mandatory Reporter Statement: GRC faculty and staff are mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect and must report suspected abuse or neglect to the proper authorities. 

 Reasonable Accommodations for Religion/Conscience: Students who will be absent from course activities due to reasons of faith or conscience may seek reasonable accommodations so that grades are not impacted. Such requests must be made within the first two weeks of the course and should follow the procedures listed under Student Procedures on the College Holiday and Leave Policy website.  https://www.greenriver.edu/campus/policies-and-procedures/student-affairs-policies/sa-91-college-holiday-leave-policy/Links to an external site. .  Please note that requests must be made to the office of the Vice President of Student Affairs in addition to your instructor. 

Accessibility Statement: Green River College is committed to creating a positive, accessible environment for its students, employees, and visitors. The College continues to increase the accessibility and usability of all college resources to meet the needs of its diverse community. 

 Accommodation Statement: Green River College is committed to providing access to all who visit, work and study on campus. The College will provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, with advance notice of need. If you require accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services as soon as possible to determine eligibility and/or request accommodations.  

Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Disability Support by email at  [email protected] ; by phone at 253-833-9111, ext. 2631; TTY 253-288-3359; or in person at the Student Affairs and Success Center, Room 210, to request accommodations. For additional information, please visit  www.greenriver.edu/dssLinks to an external site. . 

The accommodations authorized on your forms should be discussed with your instructor. All discussions will remain confidential. Accommodations are not provided retroactively, so it is essential to discuss your needs at the beginning of the quarter. Additionally, only accommodations approved by Disability Support Services will be provided. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request.  

[*] This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by contacting Disability Support Services at 253-833-9111, ext. 2631; TTY 253-288-3359; or by email at  [email protected] .