Contact  Information

• Professor: Dr. G. Jay Lennartson
• Class Meetings: On-Line

• Office: UNCG, Graham Building, Room 116E
• Phone: 334-3913
• Email: gjlennar@uncg.edu
• WWW: http://www.uncg.edu/~gjlennar/geo103dist.html
• Blackboard Web Site: http://popper.uncg.edu:1080/index.html

Course Overview and Objectives

• GEO 103-81 is an on-line, distance course, and as such you will not meet with me in the typical classroom setting.  All course-related interactions with me will take place on-line.  (The only exceptions to this are two on-campus meetings: one for the course orientation to be held August 18th at 7:00 pm, in Graham 109, and the other for the final exam on Monday December 8 at 7:00 p.m., in Graham 116.

• In Introduction to Earth Science, you will learn about the physical environment of our home—"Earth".
• You will study the fundamental concepts of the four sciences that comprise Earth Science. These four sciences are geology, meteorology, oceanography, and astronomy.  Collectively, these sciences seek to understand the physical nature of Earth.
• You will learn that Earth—in form and structure—is a dynamic entity.
• With a basic knowledge of the Earth and the processes that have shaped it, you will have a greater appreciation for our home—Planet Earth.

Student Learning Outcomes

• After completion of GEO 103 students will be able to:

     · Describe how Earth’s major subsystems are interconnected

     · Describe the nature and makeup of Earth’s major inorganic subsystems

     · Explain and describe the key process that occur within Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere

     · Collect and analyze atmospheric, hydrologic, and atmospheric data

     · Articulate the nature and significance of important local and global environmental problems

Required Textbook & Supplementary Resources

• Required Textbook: "Earth Science" (10th Edition) (with GEODE CDROM), by Tarbuck and Lutgens

Grading

• Two on-line exams will be administered.  Each exam is worth 20% of your grade in the course.  (See the "schedule of topics" web page for the dates and times of the exams.)
• One on-campus final exam will be given on Monday 12/10 at 7:00 p.m. in Graham 116.  The final exam counts for 30% of your final grade in the course.
• In total, the three exams are worth 70% of your grade in GEO 103-81.
• Examinations will draw questions from the on-line lecture material, assigned exercises, your textbook, the ww2010 web site, and your GEODE CDROM.
• The remaining 30% of your course grade will come from a variety of types of weekly exercises.  The assignments will be posted on Mondays by Noon, and must be submitted by 11:00 p.m. the following Friday.  Assignments submitted after that time will not be accepted.

• On-Line Lecture material will be available from: http://www.uncg.edu/~gjlennar/geo103dist.html
• Linked lecture notes for a given week will be available for downloading by Friday at 11:59 p.m. of the prior week.
• It is critically important that all email sent to me contain the word (and only this word) distance  in the subject line, otherwise your email may not get read in a timely manner.
• As this is a distance course, the amount of email from students enrolled in the course is typically great, therefore, I will set aside Wednesday afternoons and evenings to respond to email sent by GEO 103-81 students.  This may be the only day that I will reply to your email, so please do not necessarily expect responses any earlier than Wednesday.
• You are required to frequently check your E-Mail and the announcements web page for important course-related announcements.
• You are required to be able to use some of the features -- such as the "Chat Room" and the "Discussion Board" -- of Blackboard course management software.

Miscellaneous Information

• Any student in this class who has a documented disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements and accommodations.
• Final grades, once posted, will not be changed under any circumstances (with the exception of clerical error).
• In all matters related to this course, it is expected that you will conduct yourself in an honorable fashion and exhibit the highest level of integrity.