Core Course Review Documentation
Foundational Component Area: Life and Physical Sciences
Component Area Option? No
Proposed Course: Physical Geology (GEOS 1134)
Credit Hours:
4
Proposed by: Jonathan D. Price
Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Please document how the proposed course meets each of the following requirements. (You
may provide a written explanation or copy and paste the appropriate information from the
syllabus.)
Content:
Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural
phenomena using the scientific method.
Physical Geology covers the scientifically determined nature and processes of our planet,
focusing on the Earth’s interior and the forces that have shaped its exterior. Content is
provided through lectures, text and on-line readings, and laboratory exploration.
SKILLS: Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the
implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on human experiences.
Physical Geology students are introduced to…
 The nature of scientific investigation and modern methods of characterizing nature.
 The structure and processes of the solid earth, the transfer of matter and energy in the
planet, and the resulting interactions with the surface environment.
 The development of the planet and the processes that have shaped it over its history,
including plate tectonics, partial melting and magmatism, orogenesis (mountain
building), rifting, deformation, weathering and erosion, sedimentation, and hydrospheric
processes.
 Attributes of geologic resources and their general impact on and interactions with society:
energy, minerals, ground and surface water, soil.
 The local geologic environment, its nature and origins, and its relationship to the greater
North American continent.
And they are enabled to…
 Critically assess, evaluate, and analyze scientific data
 Effectively communicate scientific information
 Use elements of physics, chemistry, and biology to constrain the nature of the planet and
its history.
 Properly assess and characterize the basic materials of the solid earth.
Learning Activities:
Sample activities through which students will learn the skills and objectives for this course include
the following:
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Reading both the textbook and on-line documents
Listening to presented information
Short written laboratory assignments including applying scientific methods to earth
materials and processes (critical thinking and communication objectives)
Laboratory calculations on scientific measurements (empirical and quantitative objectives)
Laboratory evaluation of geohazards, resource distribution, resource contamination and
environmental hazards, the impact of Earth materials and processes on society (social
responsibility and critical thinking objectives)
Opportunities to attend related presentations on campus or in town related to topics in the
class; varies by semester but typically includes Speakers and Issues Series, Artist-Lecture
series, and Faculty Forum.
ASSESSMENT OF CORE OBJECTIVES: Assessments should be authentic, intentional and
direct. The following four Core Objectives must be addressed in each course approved to fulfill this
category requirement:
Each assignment and evaluation touches on the core objectives. I have selected and
attached one activity, a lab on surface water, that provides reasonable exposure to all. In
each case, the course will use an AACU rubric for assessing the core objective. The
proposed course is first-year (1000) level; all students who pass the course should meet
the milestone level 2 of each assessment rubric, with the exception of the teamwork, in
which passing students are anticipated to achieve or exceed level 1.
Critical Thinking Skills - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation
and synthesis of information
The course assesses critical thinking skills through evaluations (quizzes and examinations)
and laboratory exercises. Students manipulate and utilize presented information and data
in these evaluations to assess natural systems. The attached laboratory includes several
different data sets, including topographical information, stream geometry, and timing. The
students use these data to perform straightforward calculations and assessments on
stream evolution and its influence on topography. Students are then required to comment
on their methodology, and make comparisons to additional data.
The specific assessment of critical thinking skills is found in Activity 2 (p. 237 of attached
Core Objective Exercise Water Lab). Here students examine a single map that shows both
the 1936 and the 1992 position of the Rio Grande River northwest of Brownsville, Texas –
Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Students must assess the nature of stream meander migration
over time, through scale measurements on the map. It not only requires their
interpretation of stream processes (part B3, F), but also predict future developments (Part
C). In doing so, students explore the limitations of political policy (boundaries) in the face
of natural change (stream migration).
The students’ work will be assessed using the attached AACU Critical Thinking VALUE
Rubric (two rows of the rubric will be used: explanation of issues and conclusions and
related outcomes).
Communication Skills - to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas
through written, oral, and visual communication
Students develop communication skills through written answers to laboratory exercises
and interactions with instructors. The attached laboratory exercise on surface water
requires students to provide well-reasoned and well-written answers to inquiries on
stream processes, erosion, water resources, and flood hazards. In places, they are also
required to explain their evaluation processes.
Communication skills assessments are found in a number of the exercises from this lab. A
number of activities require brief answers in paragraph form. Specific questions include
Activity 2, part F (p. 237), where students explain the evolution of meandering streams;
Activity 3, parts B & C (p. 238), where students present factors of on the rate of escarpment
movement as it pertains to the Niagara River; and Activity 4, part B and D3 (p. 239) where
students are asked to draw conclusions and explain their reasoning based on the presented
information and the data on a topographic map.
The students’ work will be assessed using the attached AACU Written Communication
VALUE Rubric (two rows of the rubric will be used: content development and control of
syntax and mechanics).
Empirical and Quantitative Skills - to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or
observable facts resulting in informed conclusions
The students develop empirical analytical skills and quantitative skills through assigned
readings, an evaluation of the data presented in lecture, and laboratory activities. Both
readings and lecture slide sets frequently introduce the quantitative methods and the
observed data that underpin our current scientific understanding of the Earth. The
laboratory exercises provide opportunity for further application and ultimately assessment
of these skills in the students. The attached laboratory exercise on streams provides an
intensive assessment, requiring analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and graphical
manipulation of the data. This includes several activities centered on reading spatial data,
making ratio calculations, plotting Cartesian profiles, and explaining their findings.
Specifically, Activity 1, part A (p. 233) provides an example of quantitative skills
assessment. Students are expected to read data (elevations and distances from the contour
map) to complete calculations (change in distance and elevation to produce a topographical
gradient). With these data, the students then graphically present (as lines and fill on the
map) their interpretation of the watershed, a key feature explored in this lab. The final
question in part A further provides an example of contamination utilizing their
understanding of the watershed concept.
The students’ work will be assessed using the attached AACU Quantitative Literacy VALUE
Rubric (two rows of the rubric will be used: interpretation and calculation).
Teamwork - to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with
others to support a shared purpose or goal
Teamwork skills are developed through group work in laboratory. In this setting, students
work together in small groups to discuss the data and calculations, and answer questions.
The attached example lab provides numerous focal points for discussion. The potential
answers to objective questions are typically verified by group interaction; the more
subjective questions may be discussed by the class as a whole.
The attached lab on surface water has several exercises that require a degree of teamwork.
Students will work in groups in attacking several of the problems. Individual members
from each group will be polled for their group’s answers. This includes the geographical
and quantitative answers in Activity 2, parts A, B, and E (p. 237), as well as Activity 3, part
A (p. 238), and Activity 4, part C (p. 239).
The students’ work will be assessed using the attached AACU Teamwork VALUE Rubric
(two rows of the rubric will be used: Contributes to Team Meetings and Individual
Contributions Outside of Team Meetings).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Provide any additional information supporting course
inclusion in the core (optional).
PLEASE ATTACH THE FOLLOWING
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Syllabus
Assessment for Critical Thinking Skills
Assessment for Communication Skills
Assessment for Empirical & Quantitative Skills
Assessment for Teamwork