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Instructor: Joan McKearnan                              Office: S108

Phone numbers:  Office: 763- 433-1232           Faculty support:  Robin, x1354

E-mail: joan.mckearnan@anokaramsey.edu

Website: webs.anokaramsey.edu/mckearnan

Office hours: TW 12-1pm  Th 2-3pm, F 9-11am (in S150) or by appointment

Lecture meeting time: TTh 8-9:15am

Required Textbook:  Withgott, J.H. and M. Laposata. 2014. Environment: the science behind the stories, 5^th ed.  Benjamin Cummings          Plus Mastering Environmental Science

Official communication: Your e-mail account registered on D2L is considered the official method of communication in this course.  You are responsible for any announcements I make within 24 hours of class time, so check it every day.

Desire to Learn: D2L will be used for recording grades, posting lecture notes and recorded lectures, and depositing homework assignments as required by specific assignments or for late work

General Course Purpose: Introduction to the basic characteristics and dynamics of ecosystems. The effects of the increasing and changing human demands on our environment are explored. Meets MnTC Goal 3 and 10.

Class activities:

      Material is presented in lecture and in group activities.  At the beginning of each chapter, there is a reading assignment and students are expected to come to class having done that assignment and completed the Mastering Environmental Science pre-lecture quiz associated with it.  There will be several group activities that will mostly be done in class but may require individual preparation outside of class time.   Cooperative work is essential to learning in this class and it is expected that each student come to class prepared to participate.  Students should expect to spend some time outside of the class in group activities.  Feel free to ask questions before, during or after lecture.

Grading:

      Lecture grade is based on four lecture exams given during the lecture period and a final exam given on Thursday, 14 May, 7:30-9:30am.   There will be several small group discussions or activities conducted during class time that will be turned in for credit. Each group activity varies in points, but member participation is key to group success.  Each student will be periodically surveyed on their group members’ participation.  They will be asked to indicate how much each person contributes to group activities, including coming to class prepared.  If a student is assessed by his/her group mates to be contributing more or less than 100%, his/her group grade will be multiplied by whatever percent his group perceives s/he participates.  Ex: Ted’s group indicates he only contributes 80% to the group and the group receives 80 points.  Ted will receive only 64 points for his group work.  Albert, on the other hand, works hard in the same group and his group rates him as contributing 120% to the group.  He will get 96 points for his group work.  The maximum amount of points, though, is 105 pts.

      There are 11 pre-lecture quizzes on Mastering Environmental Science (instructions for access are on the back page of the lab manual) that need to be taken before the lecture material is covered and may not be discussed in lecture, even though, it is testable material.  All but one quiz is worth 3 pts; the first one only 2 pts.  I have also put several review quizzes on Mastering Environmental Science that are not worth any points, but should be useful for studying.

      Students will also construct an electronic presentation on an environmental issue with or without a partner to be posted online near the end of April.  Finally, each student must participate in a 3-hr service project during the semester.  The project must be pre-approved and participation must be documented with a written summary of the project and your participation. Further information will be provided later on environmental issue & service projects.

The grading opportunities in lecture are:

Your final grade will be based on the sum of your lecture points and the letter grade will be determined by the following percentage criteria:

90-100% = A                   > 474 pts.                              60-69%   = D             316-368.5 pts.

80-89%   = B                    421.5-473.5 pts.                   < 60%     = F               <316 pts.

70-79%   = C                   369-421 pts.

            If a grade is borderline, e.g. 89.5%, the grade will be upgraded only if the student shows effort (judged by attendance, promptness and preparedness) and has at least one test in the higher grade range.  Any requests for Pass/Fail grade needs to be discussed in the first two weeks of class.

Please keep graded assignments until you see them recorded correctly in D2L.

Attendance and Absences:        “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”  Woody Allen

Attendance is expected in lecture.  You are responsible for all material presented in lecture, including announcements, if you are tardy.  Make-up exams will be given only if a valid excuse is provided.  Valid excuses include religious holiday, sickness, a court appearance, a death in the family, or direct participation in a school-sponsored activity.  I reserve the right to ask for documentation for the excuse.  You must contact me prior to your absence, if you want to make up the missed exam or assignment.  If you cannot reach me, leave a message with my voice mail or secretary, or send an e-mail. 

Make-up exams will be taken no later than one week after the original exam date.  Late lecture assignments will result in 10% decrease in the total points for every day that the assignment is late and will not be accepted more than five days after the assignment was due. Late assignments should be submitted in D2L’s dropbox or to my mailbox in H144.  An unexcused absence from a lecture exam will result in a zero grade. 

Academic Integrity - An exam or assignment conducted under dishonest behaviors, e.g., cheating, test misconduct, or plagiarism (whether intentional or accidental), will result in no credit for that exam or assignment and an automatic drop in one letter grade.  If you knowingly allow someone to copy an exam or non-group assignment you will receive no credit for the exam or assignment.  Exchange of information is allowed for group work, but all written material for credit should be in your own words or properly acknowledged.  Any subsequent act of academic dishonesty will automatically result in an “F” in the course.  All incidents of academic dishonesty are reported to the Deans of Students Services.

Accommodations - Any disability accommodations should be discussed with the Coordinator of Student with Disability Services (433-1350).  Religious accommodations should be discussed with the professor during the first week of the session.  Military accommodations should be discussed with me as soon as possible.

Classroom Civility – Students are expected to behave in a respectful manner in lecture, including but not limited to coming to class on time, not leaving early, turning off cell phones, not talking when professor or other people are addressing the entire class, not coming to class under the influence of alcohol or drugs, dressing respectfully, etc.

Environmental Science Lecture Schedule

Spring 2015

Schedule is tentative and any deviations will be announced in class.

Last Day to withdraw is 21 April 2015

ARCC home         Joan's home      Biology Department

© Joan McKearnan 2007

Send comments to: joan.mckearnan@anokaramsey.edu

Any views expressed on this page are strictly those of the page author or part of an educational activity and not those of Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

Last revised: Wednesday, 11 April 2007