GLY2010c-Physical Geology-4 credit hours. Typically offered Fall and Spring Terms
Course Objectives:
- Learn about the processes and events that shape the planet around you, so you can better understand the environment in which you live.
- Further your understanding of the process of scientific inquiry as a means to refine critical thinking skills.
- Improve communication and general performance in a team. Develop life-long independent learning skills.
Course Design:
The focus of this course is how processes operating within the Earth system shape its surface, control its environment and influence the evolution of systems operating within it. I teach the course using a pedagogy called Team Based Learning . During the first class students are placed in small teams that are maintained for the semester. Course content is broken into 12 modules with assigned readings. Each module starts with an assigned pre-reading and/or video lecture(s) that must be completed prior to the first day of that module. The first day of the module consists of an Individual Readiness Assurance Test (I-RAT) and Team Readiness Assurance Test (T-RAT) based on the reading. These tests will be short and multiple-choice. Length varies with each module from 5-15 questions. The same test will be completed individually and as a team. Pre-readings are designed to provide you with the base knowledge to understand each topic. Class activities will then focus on conceptual understanding and application of the content through discussion and teamwork. All teamwork will be completed in class except in cases where the teams may opt to meet outside of class. Additionally student performance is assessed by two in-class exams and a final exam.
The lab (which comprises 25% of the overall course grade) provides a smaller class-size environment, and it is intended to examine issues that are related to the lecture topic at hand, and to provide an opportunity for you to engage in “hands-on” investigations that will give you experience in applying concepts discussed in class. In some cases these labs are field based, and for those times students should dress appropriately for walking about in the field.
Recent course Syllabus and Schedule: