East Los Angeles College

Department of Anthropology, Geography, and Geology

Earth Science 002: Earth Science Lab

Winter 2021

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Instructor: Dr. Emily Haddad

Email: haddade@elac.edu, or message through Canvas

Office hours: T/TH 2:00PM-4:00PM, Zoom Meeting ID: emilyhaddad

Class hours: Asynchronous

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What is this lab about?

Course Description:  Earth Science Laboratory supplements Earth Science 1. Students are introduced to the study of Earth materials by learning to identify common minerals and rocks. Interpretations of processes acting on and within the Earth are approached through the study of information contained in maps, aerial photographs, and data sets collected from a variety of Earth-sensing instruments. (2 units)

Course Learning Outcomes:

*These are the standards you can expect to be tested on!

SLO 1: Recognize and apply steps of scientific method in inquiry-based problem solving.

SLO 2: Summarize and report inquiry-based findings in an organized and informative format.

SLO 3: Recognize, distinguish, and classify earth materials from hand-sized samples.

SLO 4: Recognize, distinguish, and classify landscape features from topographic maps and/or aerial photographs.

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What should you expect?

Course Expectations:

I expect you to take responsibility for your own learning in this class: read all background information! watch my videos! complete all lab assignments! You should expect to spend as much time working on your coursework as you would have spent in a face-to-face class. I will facilitate your learning by providing resources, assessing your progress, and being available via Zoom during my office hours and by email to answer any questions you may have. Successful students maintain contact with me and take advantage of available tutoring opportunities.

Communication Policy:

You can contact Professor Haddad by:

• emailing haddade@elac.edu
• messaging through the Canvas app
• attending Zoom office hours on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays between 2pm and 4pm

If you send me an email or a message, I will respond to you within 2 business days (48 hours) but will always try to reply as soon as I can. You should not expect an immediate response or a response on the weekends. If you have not heard from me after 2 business days, please send me a follow-up email! 

Drop Policy:

In the first week of class, you must complete the First Week Survey by Tuesday at 11:59PM. I will send a reminder message on Tuesday to those who have not yet completed it; I will send a second message on Wednesday if you still have not completed it. These are your two warnings. If you do not respond to my messages and still have not completed the survey by Thursday morning, I will exclude you from the course. This will allow students on the waitlist to be added in a timely manner.

Students who do not log onto Canvas at all in the first week of class will be automatically excluded as No-Shows. 

Participation Policy:

You should expect to spend up to 12 hours on coursework for this class per week (3 hours of background material review, and up to 9 hours completing lab activities, participating in discussions, and taking exams). You should break these activities up based on your schedule and availability.

While this course is asynchronous (this means there are no required Zoom meetings), you should be accessing our Canvas site EVERY weekday. You get to decide whether to do this every day for a shorter amount of time, only Monday-Thursday for a longer amount of time, in the mornings, in the middle of the night - it doesn't matter. However, if you are not logging onto our Canvas site every weekday, I may exclude you from the class based on non-participation. You absolutely CANNOT make-up a week’s worth of work at the end of the session, especially when there are only 5 weeks for the whole course; this is not a challenge, but a statement of fact.

Late Policy:

Because I recognize the complex demands on your time, I do accept late submissions of most course assignments. However, late work will receive a late penalty. This policy is to ensure equitable treatment of you and your classmates; it would be unfair if students who completed all of their assignments late received the same grade as students who efficiently managed their time and completed their assignments promptly.

Please note:

• The penalty for late submissions is 10% per day, for a maximum of 50% off your earned grade.
• All assignments will be open until the last day of class (Thursday, February 4th). I will accept late submissions until then.
• The Final exam must be completed within the time frame specified. I will not accept late submissions for the Final exam; no exceptions.
• Be aware: If you submit late work that requires manual grading (i.e. it is not automatically graded by Canvas) your grade will show up as a 0 until I am able to regrade. I will do my best to get late work regraded in a timely manner, but please send me a reminder email if you have not received a grade for late work more than a week after you submitted.

Required Textbook:

We will be using an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook for this course, which will be provided for you in the Canvas Modules. You are not required to purchase any additional textbook, but you may wish to reference your Earth 001 textbook or the internet for supplementary information and in preparation for the final exam.

Other Materials:

You will be provided a rock and mineral kit in the first or second week of the course, which you will need to pick up from campus. More information on materials pickup will be forthcoming. You should also have on hand a ruler, compass, and protractor.

Computer Accessibility:

No purchase of computer programs is necessary for this course, but you will need access to a desktop/laptop computer (something with more computing power than a phone or tablet would be helpful). You will be expected to access a PDF reader and editor; Adobe Acrobat Reader (FREE) is sufficient for these purposes.

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How will you be evaluated?

Grading:

Lab Assignments…………….60%

Discussions…………………...20%

Final Exam………………… ..20%

 

Grading Scale:

A         90-100%                     D         60-69.99%

B         80-89.99%                  F          0-59.99%

C         70-79.99%

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Where can you get help?

Disability Statement

If you require reasonable accommodations in my course due to a verified or suspected disability, please contact the Diversabilities Support Program & Services (DSP&S) at 323-285-0662, or by emailing dsps@elac.edu.

Financial Aid

Call the Financial Aid office at 323-265-8738 if you would like to determine your eligibility for full or partial financial aid or help paying for books.

Other Resources

• ASU (F5-212) – scholarships, book rental program, and free snacks for members!
• Dream Resource Center (E1-142) – support for undocumented students, DACA recipients, and LGBTQ students, and more
• EOPS (E1-227) – support for economically disadvantaged students
• Student Health Center (F5-302) – free and low-cost physical and mental health services for students who have paid the Health Fee at the Fiscal Office (G1-107)
• Transfer Center (D7) – guidance and resources for transferring, including workshops, counseling, and field trips.

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Tentative Course Schedule

Important Dates:

First day of semester……Monday, Jan 4^th

Last day of instruction…Wednesday, Feb 3^rd    

Final exam……………….Thursday, Feb 4^th  

Last day to add/drop……..Sunday, Jan 10^th   

Last day to file for P/NP…Monday, Jan 11^th

Last day to withdraw……. Sunday, Jan 31^st