Geography 121 – Weather and Climate – Online
Spring 2016
Instructor:
Laura Carnahan
Office: Sage 4453
Email: carnahal@uwosh.edu
Phone: (920) 424 – 4103
Office Hours: Wednesday 10am – 12pm; Thursday 9am – 110am; Thursday 3pm – 4pm; or by
appointment
Required texts:
1. Exploring Physical Geography – paperback by Reynolds (ISBN: 9780078095160)
2. Physical Geography I – Weather and Climate Lab Manual – UWO (ISBN: 9788440059192)
*These two books are available through University Books and More (at UWO).
Prerequisite: Math 104! (There will be a significant amount of math required in the lab assignments.)
Class schedule: Fully Online
(NOTE: significant time will be required for completion of on-line assignments.)
Liberal Arts Education:
By enrolling at UW Oshkosh, you have signed up for a liberal arts education. This type of education is
designed to provide you with the opportunity to discover the world around you through different
viewpoints. This course is intended to provide you with a basic understanding of the components and
processes that create weather and climate on the earth. Most of you will not go on to be meteorologists or
climatologists, but an understanding of these principals will allow you to make better sense of the world
around you. This course is another piece of the puzzle that is the world we inhabit. Each area that you
study such as art, history, psychology, math, biology, etc. provides you with another part of the earth’s
human or physical landscape. The strength of the liberal arts approach is that it gives you the opportunity
to see how all the pieces, although seemingly unrelated, fit together. Hopefully you will be able to think
about the weather and climate information we learn about in this class, and consider how it affects the
other subject areas you are studying.
Course Description and Expectations:
The objective of this course is to introduce you to the processes which take place in our atmosphere. You
will gain a solid basic understanding of the background and characteristics of the processes which
determine the daily weather situation as well as the long term climates on our planet. This knowledge is
fundamental to the understanding of numerous phenomena, which you are confronted with on a daily
basis, as well as during your further studies and careers. You will, for example, find out, why it is so cold
in Wisconsin in winter, how a tornado or hurricane works, why the wind blows from a certain direction,
why we sometimes get polluted air in the city, why some clouds lead to precipitation and others not, etc.
You will increase your knowledge of the physical and natural world, and develop valuable skills
including critical thinking, quantitative literacy, technical literacy, objective evaluation of theories and
assumptions, and problem solving. These are the Essential Learning Outcomes for this course.
This course will consist of on-line instruction via the online “Desire2Learn” (D2L) system. This will
include class material presentation through recorded lectures. Students will be expected to submit
assignments electronically, take on-line timed exams, and respond on-line as required, having read the
assigned material and prepared to actively participate. Active participation on-line also includes reading
other student entries and instructor responses. Except in cases of emergency, or unless prior arrangements
are made with the instructor, assignments and exams are due as indicated on the schedule; late
assignments will not be accepted. With prior instructor consent, or in cases of emergency, late
assignments/exams or make-ups may be permitted. Depending on the circumstances, a grade reduction
MAY result. Please see instructor if you have questions. I recommend that you log onto D2L at least 3
times a week during this class to ensure you are staying current with the material.
Communication:
I often will send emails regarding this class. I will also be using D2L heavily. Check your email regularly,
and check the D2L site regularly. If you have questions feel free to contact me. There are a number of
different ways to contact me - stop by my office, call, e-mail, etc. I try my best to be approachable. You
can expect a response to your emails from me within 24 hours, and I will try to have grades posted within
2 days after the due deadline. Just as a side note: Every semester there always appear to be a few students
who just seem to ‘give up’. Please ask me for help if you need it. I don’t want to see anyone left behind in
this class. Don’t wait until it is too late. Keep in mind the drop deadlines. I want this class to be a source
of learning and enjoyment, not stress.
Center for Academic Resources (CAR):
The Center for Academic Resources (CAR) provides free tutoring for students in most undergraduate
classes on campus, including this one! CAR is located in the Student Success Center, Suite 102. Check
the Tutoring List page on CAR’s website (www.uwosh.edu/car) for a list of tutors. To schedule a tutoring
session, simply email the tutor, let him/her know what class you are seeking assistance in, and schedule a
time to meet. Tutoring takes place in SSC 102. As far as I know, online tutoring can also be arranged
through CAR. (You will need a Skype account to participate in online tutoring.) The Center for
Academic Resources also provides support to students through Supplemental Instruction and the Peer
Educator program. Visit their website for more information.
Special Accommodations:
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with disabilities. Please contact Disability
Services (424-3100 (voice) or 424-1319 (TTY)) or visit their web site at
http://www.uwosh.edu/dean/disabilities.htm for the University’s accommodation request form and
documentation requirements. Information related to an individual’s accommodation request will be kept
confidential.
Academic Integrity:
The Wisconsin Administrative Code states: “Students are responsible for the honest completion and
representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others academic
endeavors.” (§ UWS 14.01) Plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct are serious offenses
with severe penalties. See the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Student Discipline Code for definitions
of academic misconduct and details about procedures, sanctions, and other relevant information.
Grades:
Your final grade is based on the following components:
•
Four lecture exams @ 75 points each: 300 points towards total course grade
•
Ten labs @ 10 points each: 100 points
•
Ten quizzes @ 5 points each: 50 points altogether
The total course grade will be assigned according to the following system (based on 450 total course
points):
A >= 93%
B+ >= 88%
C+ >= 78%
D+ >= 68%
F < 60%
A- >= 90%
B >= 83%
C >= 73%
D >= 63%
B- >= 80%
C- >= 70%
D- >= 60%
Guidelines, requirements and grading for lab assignments
After completing lab 1 on your own, you will have the opportunity to decide whether you would like to
continue doing labs on your own, or you would like to come to class to work on labs. Lab class will meet
on Tuesday nights from 6pm – 9pm (no later than 9pm…most nights probably less than 3 hours will be
needed) starting on Feb. 9. It is not required that you come to in-person lab sessions. If you feel
comfortable learning on your own, then in-person lab sessions won’t be necessary for you. However, if
you choose the in-person option, it is expected that you will show up regularly (weekly) to get some
instruction on lab and work with partners on completing labs. (Note: The lab meetings will be on Feb. 9,
Feb. 16, Feb. 23, Mar. 1, and Mar. 8.)
Regardless of whether you come to campus to work on labs or not, all students will need to electronically
submit the lab assignments. So, you need to either have a scanner (or have access to a scanner) and know
how to turn a grayscale or color scanned image into one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, or PDF. I
will also allow 'pictures' of the pages with a digital camera or other 'alternate' method (i.e. a smartphone
camera), but only if it is readable on my end. Putting the images on slides in a powerpoint presentation or
Word document, and then turning in the powerpoint (or document) is an excellent way to submit labs. I
will be very clear on what pages need to be scanned for each assignment. You will be submitting these
assignments to the 'Dropbox', in the D2L menu near the top of the page. There will also be strict deadlines
on submitting these assignments; after the deadline, D2L will not allow you to submit the assignment.
Grading:
The lab assignments, worth 10 points each, will be graded based on what percentage of questions you
have answered, and what percentage of questions you have answered correctly. A score of 10 will be
awarded for a lab assignment submitted on time, with all assigned questions answered and most or all of
them correct. A score of 0 will be assigned for a missing lab assignment or a lab assignment where very
few of the assigned questions are answered correctly.
Guidelines for Quizzes
There will be two to three quizzes per unit that are to be accessed via the D2L website. The quizzes can
be found by logging on to D2L and going to the "Other Tools" dropdown menu. There, under the
"Quizzes" tab, you will find both quizzes and tests (and practice tests). Quizzes are open to take any time
up until their due date. All quizzes are due no later than 11pm on the day before the unit test. (For
example, quizzes 1 and 2 cover material found on exam #1, so quizzes 1 and 2 will be due by 11pm on
Wednesday, Feb. 10) I encourage students to take the quizzes as they progress through the lectures, so
there is less to do the night before the test. Each quiz will have 10 questions on it, and each quiz will
count as five points toward your final grade. The quizzes are intended to give you some indication as to
whether you are ready for the test or not, which is why it is to your benefit to take the quizzes early.
E-portfolio Assignment and Reflection:
As a component of the USP (University Studies Program) each of you has an e-portfolio that will track
your educational growth at UW Oshkosh. Each USP Quest or Explore course has a key assignment and at
least 1 reflection question that should be placed in your e-portfolio. At the end of your USP courses you
will use the e-portfolio documents to monitor your educational progress, compare ideas across courses,
and complete a core assignment in your Connect course. Think of the e-portfolio as a diary of your
learning and growth during your USP courses. And just like a personal diary it will be private (at least to
me). In this course we are Exploring Nature, specifically the climate system. A key learning outcome of
this course is to better understand the processes that control local and global climate. Knowledge of
climate is a foundation for understanding ecosystems and critical for understanding what the environment
of the next century will be like.
Your key assignment to be uploaded to your e-portfolio is Lab 5a Global Circulations from the second
unit in this class.
Your reflection question, which should be submitted into your e-portfolio by March 19th is:
“How has your understanding of climate changed?”
I suggest that you put effort into your reflection answer. You will need it in a few semesters.
List of Due Dates:
These are the dates all of the assignments that are due. Labs and quizzes will be due by 11:00pm
(10:59:59pm) the night of the date listed. Tests will also need to be completed by 11:00pm (10:59:59pm)
the night of the date listed. I will try to send out email reminders the day something is due, but, I'm
human, and may not always remember on time. I would suggest printing out a schedule of some sort
(doesn't have to be this one) and keeping it in a handy spot!
Feb. 1 - Class Starts
Feb. 8 - Lab 1a Due
Feb. 9 - Meet to work on Labs 2 and 3 – Sage 4408 – 6pm-9pm (optional)
Feb. 10 - Quiz #1 and Quiz #2 Due
Feb. 11 - Test #1
Feb. 15 - Labs 2 and 3 Due
Feb. 16 - Meet to work on Labs 5a and 4 – Sage 4408 – 6pm-9pm (optional)
Feb. 22 - Labs 5a and 4 Due
Feb. 23 - Meet to work on Lab 5 – Sage 4408 – 6pm-9pm (optional)
Feb. 23 - Quiz #3, Quiz #4 and Quiz #5 Due
Feb. 24 - Test #2
Feb. 29 - Lab 5 Due
Mar. 1 - Meet to work on Labs 6 and 7 – Sage 4408 – 6pm-9pm (optional)
Mar. 7 - Labs 6 and 7 Due
Mar. 8 - Meet to work on Labs 8 and 10 – Sage 4408 – 6pm-9pm (optional)
Mar. 8 - Quiz #6 and Quiz #7 Due
Mar. 9 - Test #3
Mar. 14 - Labs 8 and 10 Due
Mar. 17 - Quiz #8, Quiz #9 and Quiz #10 Due
Mar. 18 - Test #4
Mar. 18 - Class Ends
Specific Page Numbers for the course:
Student Learning Objectives:
Certain learning objectives are key to successful completion of each section of this course. They are as
follows:
Module
1
2
3
4
Pages
Objective
8-9, 16-17, 28, Meteorology background: Understand solar radiation and how influential it is
34-37, 39-41, on our weather; be able to connect the tilt, rotation and position of the earth to
44-59, 61-71
the seasons, solar angles, radiation received, and global temperatures.
Supporting Activities
Labs 1a, 2, and 3
Quizzes 1 and 2
Exam #1
74-103,
182-185,
195-207,
42-43,
103-117,
126-129
Main processes governing our weather: be able to explain atmospheric
pressure, and the role water plays in our atmosphere; identify exactly how
pressures at the surface connect to pressures at upper levels, and how pressure
differences cause winds; be able to reconstruct global pressure and wind
patterns; understand the impacts of El Niño, La Niña and the NAO on weather in
the United States and around the world.
Labs 5a and 4
Quizzes 3, 4, and 5
Exam #2
118-125,
142-151
Current weather: be able to calculate temperatures of air parcels, and explain
how the temperature of a parcel of air compared to its environment will
determine the stability of the atmosphere; be able to identify the various types
of clouds, and all of the different air masses; relate various types of clouds and
precipitation to fronts associated with mid-latitude cyclones and explain how
the weather changes within a typical cyclone.
Labs 5, 6, and 7
Quizzes 6 and 7
Exam #3
Severe weather: understand the processes that govern thunderstorm
development and sustanance; know how, when and why a tornado or a
hurricane forms, and what it takes to keep these major weather events going.
Long-term weather: understand the various climates across the globe, be able
to identify each one and explain why that location has that climate; relate past
climate change with what could happen in the future.
Labs 8 and 10
Quizzes 8, 9, and 10
Exam #4
154-165,
168-171,
176-177
212-229,
234-241