Course Syllabus
Introduction to Environmental Studies I
ESC 1110
4 Credit Hours
Course Information
Course Description:
Study of environmental problems at global, national, and local levels. Ecological principles, geophysical
processes, and human population dynamics; scientific approach applied to understanding environmental
concepts using hands-on field experiences.
In this course we will take a look at how the various components of the environment interact and the
effects of these interactions on humans. Activities will focus on personal interactions with the environment
through observational studies, surveys, and projects. This course will satisfy one General Education lab
science requirement.
This is not a self-paced course. All work must be completed within designated time frames. Due
Dates are firm!
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
A. Understand cultural, economic, and political historical precedents leading to modern
environmental problems and policies.
B. Understand and apply knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science to
environmental functions and problems.
C. Evaluate hazards, risks, and benefits faced by him or herself and society.
D. Understand the relationships within and between the biotic and abiotic components of
the biosphere.
E. Critically evaluate the impacts of human population growth, urbanization, and resource
use on the environment.
F. Make educated environmental decisions in their personal and public life.
Prerequisites and Co-requisites:
College Level in Math, English, Reading
Course Topics:
Course Topics (order of last 5 topics subject to change):
1. Introduction to Environmental Science
2. Matter, Energy, Resources, and Pollution
3. Human Populations, Hazards, and Risk
4. Earth Science
5. Weather and Climate
6. Ecology part 1: Basic Ecosystem Structure and Function
Course Syllabus
7. Ecology part 2: Biomes and Population Ecology
Specific Course Requirements:
Each module has a series of activities which give students first-hand experience with the topics
presented. The modules are presented either as Microsoft Excel workbooks or PowerPoint
presentations. Several of the activities involve taking measurements over a period of one week;
therefore it is important to start on time and work carefully. This will require a good working
knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint. Students must also have access to a digital imaging device
(camera, cell phone) capable of capturing images at least 1 megapixel resolution.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course: http://rodp.bkstr.com
Supplementary Materials:
None
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found
at http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm.
Specific hardware requirements for this course include a device capable of capturing digital images at
least 1 megapixel resolution. This can be a digital camera or a camera phone (if good quality). You must
be familiar with the operation of the device and how to download images to your computer. You must
read the information on Camera Setup in the "Important Things to Know and Do" section of the Course
Content.
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found
at http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/students/hardware_software.htm.
Specific software requirements for this course include Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. A free
alternative is OpenOffice.org, which will do everything you need. This is a 95 MB download available at
OpenOffice.org. You will also need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please see the separate page inside
the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other
communication information.
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a
statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Course Syllabus
Assessment and Grading
Testing / Grading Procedures:
Testing Procedures:
Module Quizzes: At the conclusion of each module is a 20-25 question timed quiz. Students should study
the materials carefully and be ready to take the quiz without the use of notes or a textbook. As these
quizzes are not proctored, students are on the Honor System with regard to the use of notes, text, etc.
Final Exam: The final exam will consist of a 100 question test. This exam will be proctored, which
means that the student will go to a prearranged place where a proctor will have the needed password.
Students must make arrangements for the time and place they will take the final; this should be done as
early in the semester as possible. Students must provide this information to the instructor.
Students must schedule their final in accordance with the RODP Proctoring Guidelines.
Under no circumstance will a password ever be given out to a student!
Grading Procedure:
Course Grade: The final course grade will be determined by the following criteria:
Discussions 700 points
Module Activities 750 points
Module Quizzes 350 points
Proctored Final Exam 200 points
Total 2000 points
A score of at least 140 points on the proctored final is required for other course work to be
included in your
final grade!
Discussions: Each module will have discussion topics. Students are expected to participate in each
module discussion by posting thoughts and opinions and responding to the comments of other students
and the instructor. Discussion evaluation will be based on the quantity and quality of postings. The
minimum expectation is one posting and two comments per topic. Students should be prepared to
contribute original questions and discussions to the discussion board, and respond to the ideas of several
students, in order to receive excellent marks for participation.
Module Activities: Each module has a series of activities which give students first-hand experience with
the topics presented. The modules are presented either as Microsoft Excel workbooks or PowerPoint
Presentations. Background materials are provided for each of the Activities. Several of the activities
involve taking measurements over a period of one week; therefore it is important to start on time and work
carefully. Students are expected to carefully follow all directions and produce well-formatted, complete,
and relevant reports.
Note: If a student is retaking this course, previous activities from a previous semester may not be used
in the current semester. All Activity files have a semester designation; students must use the current
semester's files. A student may use photographs from a previous semester, but the Activity itself must be
redone.
Grading Scale:
1800 to 2000: A
Course Syllabus
1600 to 1799: B
1400 to 1599: C
1300 to 1399: D
Less than 1300: F
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
Introduction to Environmental Science: PowerPoint presentation on personal environmental interactions,
and ecological footprint assessments.
Matter, Energy, Resources, and Pollution: PowerPoint presentation that includes a personal solid waste
inventory, trip to a local recycling facility, a survey of household electricity use, a survey of household
lighting, and a personal automobile fuel and environmental impact survey.
Weather and Climate: PowerPoint presentation consisting of local weather observations an analysis,
cloud formation activity and report, and climate diagram interpretation.
Earth Science: PowerPoint presentation utilizing map reading skills to identify their home from web-based
satellite imagery and topographic maps, use and features of topographic maps, geology of their state and
local region, recent earthquake activity, local examples of physical and chemical weathering, mass
wasting, erosion, rocks and rock types, and geographic statistics.
Human Populations, Hazards, and Risk: PowerPoint including a comparison of population change in their
lifetime, discussion of marriage and children, life expectancy, and population age structure.
Ecology part 1: Basic Ecosystem Structure and Function: PowerPoint presentation consisting of a
photographic demonstration of food chains, types of species, habitat comparisons, and forest ecosystem
structure.
Ecology part 2: Biomes and Population Ecology: PowerPoint presentation describing the temperate
deciduous forest biome.
Class Participation:
Student Success: An online course will require at least as much commitment of time and energy as a
regular course, with the added importance of self-motivation. The standard time recommendation for a
college course is two hours of outside work and study for every hour spent in class. Students taking this
course at Chattanooga State are in class for six hours per week (lecture and lab), which means another
12 hours per week in study and completing work. This seems like a lot of time, and it is. However, using
available time effectively can be more important than the actual number of hours spent.
Punctuality:
Students should monitor the course calendar and stay abreast of due dates and opening and closing
dates and times.
Course Ground Rules
Familiarity with the Course: Become familiar with eLearn and the layout of the course. Click on
everything to see what is available and how it works. Know your way around!
Course Syllabus
1. Log in often, at least once per day; more often if possible. If there aren’t notification icons for the
course in eLearn, go to the homepage and check for announcements there.
2. Check the Calendar, Discussion Board, and e-mail frequently. Respond to discussion board
postings!
3.
Address technical problems immediately so that they do not interfere with the successful
completion of the course.
4.
Address course content issues immediately by contacting your instructor. Ask questions when
they arise; that is what eLearn e-mail is for!
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
**eLearn Email is a Critical Component in Your Success in this Class!!**
eLearn email is the only email system students should use when communicating with the instructor. All
course communication must be done within eLearn. The only exception to this is if eLearn is down - if
eLearn is offline, then use your instructor's alternate email for emergency communication until eLearn is
restored. Email sent to your instructor outside of the eLearn system will be read, but any response will be
via the eLearn email system.
Please familiarize yourself with eLearn email! There are two ways to access your email: the first is by
clicking the word "Email" at the top-left of your screen; the second is to click the 'envelope icon' that
appears at the top right of your screen indicating you have new mail. Note: It is a very good habit to get
into to click the word 'Email' whenever you log on to see if you have anything new - this should be
automatic whenever you log on.
Students should follow these guidelines when using eLearn e-mail:
Always include an appropriate subject line.
• Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful
in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
• Use standard fonts.
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Do not send large attachments without permission.
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Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided
unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
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Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussion Groups:
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Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a
discussant.
Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be
respectful of others ideas.
Course Syllabus
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Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your
remarks.
Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
More information is available in this link to discussion guidelines.
Chat:
Chat is seldom used in RODP. If for some reason it is opened:
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Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
Web Resources:
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Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
Library
The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links
to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries,
encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete
online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.
Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is representing someone else's intellectual property as your own. You put yourself at risk of
plagiarizing when you fail to adequately cite the original source material from which you took words and
ideas.
Students With Disabilities
Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations
if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting
disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's
eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the
student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow
the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.
Syllabus Changes
The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are
necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes
Course Syllabus
both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the
course bulletin board.
Technical Support
Telephone Support:
AskRODP Help Desk (toll free number 1-866-550-7637) or go to the AskRODP website
at: http://help.rodp.org/
If you are having problems:
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logging into your course
timing out of your course
"technical" related issues for D2L (it takes a long time to click around my course)
using your course web site tools
If you contact Technical Support by phone please be at your computer and be prepared to provide the
following information: (If you do not know the information below please call 1-866-550-7637)
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Your username
Your password
The URL, (address, "http://...") you are unable to access
Your instructor's name (Ex.: Dr. Charles Cooper)
Your course number, section and name (EX: EDU 1120 Introduction to Teaching)
Are you using a PC or MAC
Your operating system (Windows 98, NT, 2000, Vista, etc.)
Browser type and version (EX: Internet Explorer 7)