Course  Work

Course work includes:

• Four exams,
• Four assignments, and
• Class Participation.

Exams  (4 @ 15 points each = 60% of Final Grade)

There will be four exams during the semester.  The exams will cover all assigned text readings, and all class lectures, handouts, assignments and class activities.  Each exam will contain short answer, multiple-choice, matching and/or essay type questions. Scantron answer sheets will be used in addition to answer sheets provided with the exam. 

All exams will be taken during the class period.  Exam #4 will be comprehensive; with up to 50% questions related to topics previously covered by the first three exams and Assignment #1 quiz.  Keep all of your notes from the entire semester and don’t clear you memory of material after each exam (build on what you have learned and make connections with new information!).

Exam Grading:   Exam grades will account for a total of 60% of the course final grade (each exam is worth 15% of final course grade).

  IMPORTANT:

• NO student will be allowed leave the classroom during an exam without submitting their completed exam.
• NO exams will be given early. 
• NO MAKE-UP EXAMS.  If an exam (Exams #1, #2, or #3 only) must be missed due to an EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCE that is entirely out of the control of the student, then the lowest grade earned on the remaining exams taken, excluding the Final Exam, LESS 10 POINTS will be counted in place of the missed exam grade.  This grade substitution for a missed exam will be allowed ONLY if there is a legitimate and documented excuse, and determination of the legitimacy of a given excuse is entirely at the discretion of the instructor.  Circumstances including, but not limited to, vacation, incarceration, work, or lack of transportation will NOT be considered legitimate excuses.  It will be the student’s responsibility to provide legitimate and sufficient documentation for any and all situations.  Note that this policy precludes more than one legitimately missed exam.  Timely communication the instructor is always important but especially imperative with respect to the subject of course exams.
• Exam #4 must be taken AND must be taken on the specified Exam #4 exam date (last day of classes).  An exam score of ZERO will result if these requirements are not met.

Assignment #1:  Course Introduction (5% of Final Grade)

Assignment #1 is designed to introduce the student to course requirements, procedures and introductory topics.  Assignment #1 consists of the following two components:

• Take Home Quiz, and
• In-Class Quiz.   

Take Home Quiz will be provided to students on the first day of class.  Students will complete this portion of Assignment #1 at home and it is due at the beginning of class on the scheduled due date.

In-Class Quiz will be given at the end of class on the scheduled date and will cover Chapter 1, and any other material covered in class. 

IMPORTANT: 

• NO MAKE UP In-Quiz:   This Quiz must be taken in class on the scheduled date.
• 10 points will be deducted from grades for all late work.  NO Take Home Quizzes will be accepted after the next class period following the due date

Assignment #2:  Group News Article Review (10% of Final Grade)

Students will individually locate and review news media articles on assigned environmental topics, share what they have learned with assigned team members, and collectively develop a final team document that summarizes information learned.  The objectives of this assignment are to encourage students to become both habitual and critical readers of science news, specifically topics related to environmental issues, and to interact with members of the class community.

Note:  All assignment work will be submitted using a pre-formatted Google Spreadsheet posted on the team’s Google Team Drive.

The group news article review project requirements will be detailed in an assignment document and will include:

1. Students will be assigned to teams of 4 to 6 members.  Teams will be posted on Blackboard.  Each team will be assigned to a different environmental science topic.
2. Each team member will locate one unique news article on the assigned topic and post the article information (title, source, date) on a pre-formatted Google Spreadsheet document (Team Spreadsheet) found on their Google Team Drive.  Posting the article information will ensure all articles selected by team members are unique.
3. Each team member will read their article, and prepare and post a review of the article on their Team Spreadsheet, in the format specified in the spreadsheet document.
4. Each member will read the articles and associated article reviews of each of their team members, and post a brief comment on the Team Spreadsheet, in the format specified in the spreadsheet document.
5. Members will jointly prepare a Group Project Summary and post this summary on the Team Spreadsheet, in the format specified in the spreadsheet document.  The Team Summary should include:
   • All member articles and reviews,
   • Summary of information learned in all articles,
   • Comparison and contrast information presented in different articles,
   • Note information learned that relates to course topics, and
   • Team opinion of assignment: lessons learned, educational value (or not), suggested revisions to assignment.

Deadline:   Wednesday, October 9 – Group Project Summary.  Note that deadlines for individual components of assignment precede the final Group Project Summary posting and are specified in the assignment document.

IMPORTANT:   

• NO late work accepted.

Assignment #3: Climate Change (11% of Final Grade) 

This assignment is designed to allow you to explore and collect information on arguably the most important global environmental issue that we currently face:  Global Climate Change.  The objective is to increase your understanding of the topic more deeply than what will be covered in class lecture and in the text.  Assignment #3 includes the viewing of assigned videos (independently and possibly in class), and review of UN climate change reports.  You will then answer a series of questions specific to the information of the topic.  The Assignment #3 document that identifies the videos, reports, and associated questions will be provided in the course’s Blackboard Assignment folder. 

IMPORTANT:

• 10 points will be deducted from the grades of all late work.  NO Assignment #4 work will be accepted after the next class period following the specified due date.
• Collaboration on this assignment (in terms of viewing and discussion) is encouraged.  However, individual work (in terms of answering the assignment questions) is required.  Any borrowing, lending, or other type of sharing of any student’s work is considered an act of plagiarism and will results in dramatic deductions in the grades for all involved parties.

Assignment #4:  Poster Session (12% of Final Grade)

This assignment involves research with a classmate on a local organization that provides information on and opportunities for involvement in environmental issues and awareness.   The objective is to not only educate yourselves, but to be an advocate for your organization and educate your classmates about your organization. You and your partner will present your findings in poster format to the class during a class poster session.   The Assignment #4 document which details poster session requirements, including due dates for four separate assignment components, will be provided in the course’s Blackboard Assignment folder. 

IMPORTANT:

• This is a collaborate effort requiring input from and cooperation of two students.  It is imperative that students fully understand this and agree to these conditions.  It is encouraged that each student considers who they would like to work with and discuss this assignment with potential candidates prior to the deadline for identifying partner and topics (#4.1). 
• All components of Assignment #4 (except the actual poster session) are due by midnight on the specified due date.
• 10 points will be deducted from the grades of all late work.  NO Assignment #4 work will be accepted after the next class period following the due date.
• You will earn a grade of ZERO on the presentation portion of the grade if notice of an irresolvable schedule conflict is not given at least 2 weeks prior to the poster session.  
• Regardless of circumstances, a minimum 50% penalty will be assessed if the poster is not presented, or a partner does not attend class, on the session date or if the poster is not presented beginning at the start of the poster session day.

Class Participation (2% of Final Grade)

Class Participation will be evaluated based on class attendance and timeliness.  Attendance will be taken at the beginning only of each class by sign-in sheet.  It is the sole responsibility of the student to sign-in at the beginning of each class period.