Spring 2023 Introduction to Oceanography with Professor Sean

Welcome to ESFC 130 F: Introduction to Oceanography with Professor Sean (CRNs 20390, 20391, 20392)

Spring 2023

(Classes begin Monday, January 23, 2023)

Your instructor for this course is William Sean Chamberlin, PhD, aka PROFESSOR SEAN.

To contact me…

  • I can be emailed at exploreworldocean@gmail.com or through Canvas (see below).
  • You can leave a voicemail at (714) 992-7443. I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.
  • You can text me at (714) 459-2130, my Google Voice number.

FIRST THINGS FIRST…

College (and life) can be stressful. It’s important to remember to take care of yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos and confusion and lose sight of your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle and perspective, try to observe the following:

Most stress can be alleviated by talking to someone: a friend, a family member, your pet, or a professional. Successful people are ones who are not afraid to ask for help.

Please reach out to me or one of the resources on the Fullerton College Health Center website.

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

These course guidelines are what this course is all about. Reading them will help you do well in the course.

  • This course is conducted ASYNCHRONOUSLY. There are no orientations, class meetings, or campus exams.
  • Students are expected to INTERACT MEANINGFULLY with the instructor and other students on a regular basis.
  • ACCESSIBILITY is a top priority! If you encounter some part of the course that creates difficulties for you, please let me know asap. I’ll do my best to accommodate you. (See also section below on Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.)

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

  1. Provide a safe and inclusive classroom environment.
  2. Inspire curiosity and a love for learning.
  3. Create opportunities for hope and positive change.

I promise to do my best to follow these principles every day.

WHAT I EXPECT FROM YOU

  1. A desire to learn because education is important to your future and your happiness;
  2. The motivation to learn because learning takes effort;
  3. Respect towards your classmates and me because a world in which people respect each other is a kinder, safer, and more beautiful place to live and love.

I hope you will do your best to follow these principles.

WHY THIS COURSE MATTERS

Science courses help you gain the skills and confidence to learn unfamiliar and challenging information. They prepare you for situations when you might need to turn to science for help, such as:

  • preparing for natural disasters,
  • making health decisions,
  • evaluating nutrition claims
  • caring for a pet
  • caring for a parent or older relative
  • assessing the safety of household products
  • responding to emergencies during outdoor activities.

Science courses also sharpen your ability to distinguish between facts and fictions, knowledge and opinions, data and myth/folklore, actual events and fake events, experts and non-experts.

Above all, science courses prepare you to be a better and more mindful citizen of the planet, to know how to live a sustainable lifestyle that ensures the health and well-being of future generations and our planet.

I hope that you are here to enrich your mind and your life to the fullest extent possible.

COURSE SYNOPSIS

Introduction to Oceanography provides a survey of the physics, chemistry, geology, and biology of the ocean. A guiding concept is how the ocean works as a system and provides life-sustaining services to life on Earth, especially humans. Major topics include seafloor features, hydrothermal vents, seawater chemistry, ocean heating, the greenhouse effect, ocean circulation, winds, waves, tides, beaches, and ocean productivity. The important role of ocean technology is woven throughout. Because the course satisfies a Gen Ed physical science requirement, the emphasis is on the physics of the ocean. That means you are now a physics student. Post it on your Insta and watch the love flow.

TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE

I expect that everyone enrolled in this course has access to a computer and the Internet. You may complete work on a smartphone or tablet, but I suggest you have a backup plan. Some functions don’t work properly on mobile devices.

I also expect that you know how to use a word-processing program, and how to save or export a document as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf. (Even Pages for the Macs can export Word files.)

You’ll also need to come up to speed with Canvas, if you aren’t already familiar with it. If you don’t know Canvas, please be willing to learn. You’ll find lots of help on the internet, especially YouTube. Heck, you can even email a classmate to ask for help and make a new friend! And I am always happy to help.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

This is not a self-paced course. You’re expected to log at least 3-4 times every week and complete work.

Any student who fails to log into Canvas for more than two weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) may be dropped for non-participation, but…email me if you are going to miss class. Let me know what’s going on. I’ll work with you. 

DROP POLICY

It is your responsibility to drop the course regardless of the above attendance requirements. Do not rely on me (or any of your professors) to drop you. Failure to drop a course may result in a failing grade (F) for the semester.

STUDY REQUIREMENTS

Students should expect to spend 6-9 or more hours per week studying for a 16-week semester-long course. This time includes time you would normally spend in a classroom and the recommended study time for a 3-unit course.

You are urged to review the suggestions provided in the FC Course Catalog concerning workload and class load.

Consider reducing your work hours (if possible), limiting social media time, or improving your time-management strategies. You can find nuggets of valuable time if you focus on what’s important.

LATE WORK

One of the best habits you can develop in college is learning how to be on time and submit work on time. Having worked in the business world for several years, I can assure you that showing up on time and submitting work on time is expected. 

So I don’t accept late work. It just puts you further behind on other work. That adds even more stress.

For that reason, I let students drop a certain number of scores (see below). That way, if something comes up and you miss a deadline, you won’t be penalized. Just try to do better next time. (But know that there are a limited number of drops so if you keep missing deadlines your final grade is going to suffer.)

ACADEMIC HONESTY & COLLEGE POLICIES

A lot of face-to-face (F2) teachers think online courses encourage cheating. Prove them wrong.

If you are caught copying, plagiarizing, or cheating, you will receive a zero for that quiz, assignment, or exam. Repeated offenses have stronger penalties, including dismissal from the course.

I urge you to review the FC Catalog policy on Academic Honesty and other important policies and guidelines. Check them out. You may read them online at the Fullerton College website, https://www.fullcoll.edu/schedule/

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) STATEMENT

I’m seriously committed to providing educational accommodations for students with disabilities. I also recognize that not all students want to divulge their disability and that some students may be living with undiagnosed conditions. Given the stressful nature of the pandemic (among other things), I give all students twice the standard time for timed assessments, that is, quizzes and exams. So instead of 30-minute quizzes and 90-minute exams, everyone is given 60 minutes and 180 minutes, respectively, to complete them. If you still need more time to complete these assessments, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE STATEMENT

An earthquake or extreme weather event may happen at any moment. Take note of the safety features in and around where you complete your work. Note the posted evacuation routes. During strong earthquakes, it is recommended to duck, cover hold! Duck beneath a desk, cover your head with your hands, and hold on to your ass until the quaking stops. Running out of a building during an earthquake can be deadly. Listen to “The Rock” in San Andreas, the movie.

UNDECIDED ON A MAJOR?

I love encouraging students to check out a career in oceanography, meteorology, geology, or earth science. You may be amazed at the opportunities in these fields. Even if you’re pursuing non-scientific subjects, such as art, writing, communications, business, marketing, technology, computers, law, and just about any other subject, science needs you! All that’s required is a passion for science. Just email me and we’ll set up a time to chat.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • define terms and explain concepts of geological, physical, chemical, and biological oceanography
  • interpret and apply quantitative information, including maps, graphs, and tables of data
  • use the terms and concepts of oceanography to explain one aspect of human impacts on the world ocean.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

There is no textbook that you need to purchase for the course. You will be provided preview chapters of my upcoming textbook, Our World Ocean ESSENTIALS: Understanding the Most Complex Ecosystem on Earth.

Colorful creature-filled cover for Our World Ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

CANVAS LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

This course uses Canvas as a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide announcements, lecture notes, grades, and other materials and assessments related to the course. All students are expected to log in at least 2-3 times per week to adequately prepare and study for materials covered in class.

The easiest way to log in to is to go the direct route, http://fullcoll.instructure.com. Login using your MyGateway credentials (with no @sign in front of the Banner id.) You may also access Canvas through a link on MyGateway. Once logged in, go to the Fullerton tab, scroll down to the Canvas icon, and click on it for your Canvas dashboard.

Occasionally, you may experience problems with Canvas. Just be patient, contact me immediately, and I will work to solve your problem. Do your work often and early just in case.

If you’re having difficulty, or just want to know more about Canvas, you may also try try this website: https://guides.instructure.com/.

HOW TO SEND ME E-MAIL (SO THAT I GET BACK TO YOU LICKETY-SPLIT)

Email remains the most efficient and effective tool for modern communication between humans. Email is the preferred communications tool of businesspersons, scientists, artists and many other professionals. Developing good email skills and habits can boost and accelerate your career. So please follow these guidelines:

  • Please send all e-mail correspondence through Canvas or to exploreworldocean@gmail.com, a special gmail account just for students.
  • When you send me e-mails, please always type a SUBJECT for your e-mail (like “Help”, “a quick question”, question about exam”, “extra credit submission,” etc). E-mails with untitled subjects often end up in the spam folder.
  • Please always put your FULL NAME, COURSE, and CRN (First Last, Oceanography, CRN2039#) as the first line of all e-mails.
  • To develop good habits, start all emails with “Dear Professor.”
  • Please explain your question/problem/issue in full. The more information you provide, the faster I can answer/solve/resolve your issue.
  • To develop good habits, always sign your emails with your complete name as it appears in the official college records.
  • If you don’t hear back from me in 48 hours, please send your email again.
  • Please avoid sending email to my fullcoll address. I get a lot of junk at this address and it’s not always easy to spot important emails from students.

You may also correspond with me through the Announcements tool, the Discussion Board, the Assignments Tool, the Chat Room or online Conferencing Tool (Zoom).

VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS

I’m available most mornings. Hit me up and we’ll set up an appointment to meet on Zoom or Hangouts.

COURSE OVERVIEW

Ultimately, the goal of college is to prepare you for a successful life and a career beyond college.

In taking this course, you are being trained to master an unfamiliar knowledge set, to apply what you learn in new situations, to think about competing possibilities, and to articulate your rationale for choosing a particular way of thinking.

The most important skill you attain by going to college is learning how to learn.

Knowing how to study and analyze and break information into parts…knowing how to master concepts and develop an understanding of a topic…knowing how to interpret and apply quantitative information…knowing how to solve problems…are skills that you can use every day of your life.

Knowing how to learn is like knowing how to ride a bicycle or snowboard. Once you master it, you’ll know it for life.

I’ll talk a lot in this course about the kinds of study techniques and approaches that brain scientists tell us work best for learning.

Yep. There is a science to learning!

STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE

The course is organized into Sixteen Modules that include:

  • Reading assignments
  • Video viewing assignments
  • Occasional articles to read
  • Formative Assessments
    • Quizzes (on reading and videos)
    • Discussion assignments (question prompts and hands-on assignments)
  • Summative Assessments
    • Exams (on everything we cover)

QUIZZES HELP YOU MASTER TERMS AND CONCEPTS

You are required to complete 30 quizzes during the semester (two per week). Your top 15 scores will be counted towards your final grade.

Quizzes are a type of formative assessment. They “form” your learning. They are meant to help you master terms and concepts. With the new words you learn, you’ll be able to will impress people at family gatherings or parties with friends.

Quizzes also provide practice for simple quantitative problems to help you gain confidence in your math skills.

Quizzes may be be a mix of multiple choice, multiple answer, dropdown, fill in the blank, matching, calculations, and map/graph interpretations.

Quizzes may be taken an unlimited number of times during the weeks in which they are offered. Your highest quiz score will be counted. Note, however, that even if you score a high score on the first quiz, it’s worth your time to take the quiz several times. That way you will be better prepared for the exams that take their questions from the quizzes.

Quizzes are normally due on Mondays (with a few exceptions). A new set of quizzes comes online and an old set of quizzes goes offline every week. See Course Syllabus below for specific due dates.

Quizzes are worth 20 points each, a total of 300 points, or 30% of your final grade. Your lowest fifteen quiz scores will be dropped in the calculation of your final grade.

DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENTS DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING

You are required to complete 8 discussion assignments during the semester (one every two weeks). Your top 5 scores will be counted towards your final grade.

Discussion assignments form the core of the work in this course. It’s where you get to explore topics in depth and develop your ability to communicate science to others. Most importantly, it’s where you interact with classmates. Those interactions help you experience different viewpoints and perspectives. They give you a deeper appreciation for the diverse and inspiring humans with whom we live, work, and play. Understanding different viewpoints is the key to solving societal problems.

In most of the assignments, you’ll review articles or watch videos and consider a set of thought questions. Then you’ll write up your analysis and put your best critical thinking on display.

Discussion assignments include the following:

  • an original 1-2 page (400-word) post (worth 25 points)
  • two half page each (200 word minimum each) replies to classmates (worth 25 points)

Your original responses will be graded on effort, organization, attention to the prompts, and critical thinking.

Your replies will be graded for your level of engagement with other students and the helpfulness of your reply to improving the other student’s response.

You must meet the word minimums to receive credit. No partial credit will be awarded.

Discussion assignments are usually due on Mondays. See Course Syllabus below for specific due dates.

 Discussion assignments are worth 50 points each, a total of 250 points, or 25% of your final grade. Your lowest three scores will be dropped in the calculation of your final grade.

EXAMS TEST WHAT YOU KNOW AND UNDERSTAND

You are required to complete 8 exams during the semester (one every two weeks). Your top 6 scores will be counted towards your final grade.

Exams are a summative assessment of your success towards meeting the learning outcomes for a particular section of study (or the course).

Exams assess your ability to identify, define, and use vocabulary from lectures, textbook readings, in-class work, out-of-class work, YouTube lectures, or other study materials.

Exams assess your ability to draw and/or interpret maps, graphs, and tables and solve equations covered in lectures, textbook reading, in-class work, out-of-class work, YouTube lectures, or other assigned materials.

Exams assess your understanding of concepts and your ability to apply and communicate what you have learned.

Exams may be be a mix of multiple choice, multiple answer, dropdown, fill in the blank, matching, calculations, and map/graph interpretations. New exams may build on previous exams.

You may take exams up to three times in during the period in which they are available but you will not see your score or answers until after the due date.

Exams are usually due on Mondays. See Course Syllabus below for specific due dates.

Each exam is worth 75 points, a total of 450 points, or 45% of your final grade. Your lowest two exam scores will be dropped in the calculation of your final grade.

GRADING SUMMARY

Grading is based on a total of 1000 points.

Quizzes: 300 pts (30%)
Discussion: 250 pts (25%)
Exams: 450 pts (45%)

GRADING SCALE

A = 85%
B = 75%
C = 65%
D = 55%
F = <55%

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND DUE DATES

Module Chapter to Study Beginning Due Assignments
1 1/23/23 1/30/23 Discussion 1
Quizzes 1 & 2
2 1,2 1/30/23 2/6/23 Exam 1
(C1&2; M1&2)
Quizzes 3 & 4
3 3 2/6/23 2/13/23 Discussion 2
Quizzes 5 & 6
4 4 2/13/23 TUESDAY
2/21/23		 Exam 2
(C3&4; M3&4)
Quizzes 7 & 8
5 6 2/21/23 2/27/23 Discussion 3
Quizzes 9 & 10
6 7 2/27/23 3/6/23 Exam 3
(C6&7; M5&6)
Quizzes 11 & 12
7 10 3/6/23 3/13/23 Discussion 4
Quizzes 13 & 14
8 11 3/13/23 4/3/23 Exam 4
(C10&11; M7&8)
Quizzes 15 & 16
SPRING BREAK 3/20/23 3/26/23 Rest, Relax, Recuperate
9 12 3/27/23 4/10/23 Discussion 5
Quizzes 17 & 18
10 13 4/3/23 4/10/23 Exam 5
(C12&13; M9&10)
Quizzes 19 & 20
11 15 4/10/23 4/24/23 Discussion 6
Quizzes 21 & 22
12 17 4/17/23 4/24/23 Exam 6
(C15&17; M11&12)
Quizzes 23 & 24
13 19 4/24/23  5/8/23 Discussion 7
Quizzes 25 & 26
14 20 5/1/23 5/8/23 Quizzes 27 & 28
15 21 5/8/23 5/20/23 Discussion 8
Quiz 29
16 Chasing Coral (documentary) 5/15/23 SATURDAY
5/20/23		 Exam 7–8
Quiz 30
(C19,20,21,&22; M13,14,15,16)