Syllabus for EAS-201-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Designed both for professionals working in the field and for students seeking a science elective, The Science of Natural Disasters focuses on developing a scientific understanding of the causes and mechanisms of common natural disasters. The perspective is global and historical while focusing on contemporary events and potential for catastrophe. The emphasis of the course is on earthquakes, volcanic activities, flooding, and severe storms and the consequent secondary disasters they can trigger. The course also addresses some of the social, economic, and political ramifications of these events.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

On successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

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REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

You will need the following textbook to do the work of the course. It is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Natural Disasters, 7th ed., by Patrick L. Abbott (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009; ISBN-13: 978-0-07-337669-1).

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COURSE STRUCTURE

The Science of Natural Disasters is a 3-credit online course, consisting of six (6) assignment modules.

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in eight (8) graded discussion forums (six module discussions and two ongoing, weekly forums), complete six (6) written assignments, and take two (2) examinations: a proctored midterm and an unproctored online final exam.

Assignment modules comprise learning objectives, a study assignment, an online discussion, and a written assignment. Each study assignment, in turn, includes a list of topics, a reading assignment, self-check review quizzes, Web resources, lecture notes, and an RSS feed for natural disaster news.

For the course's six assignment modules, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the course Calendar.)

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

The Science of Natural Disasters requires you to participate in eight (8) graded discussion forums (six module discussions and two ongoing, weekly forums). There is also an ungraded but required introduction forum in module 1. All class discussions take place on the class Discussion Board.

The two weekly forums—titled What Is a Natural Disaster? and Disasters Update Forum—enable you to address questions like, What constitutes a natural disaster? and What role does humankind play in creating and exacerbating natural disasters? on an ongoing basis throughout the course.

In the What Is a Disaster? forum, you post weekly updates to your definition of what constitutes a natural disaster based on the week's reading and your growing awareness of the field.

In the Disasters Update Forum, you report on one natural disaster (or potential disaster) in the news each week, providing a link to the story, if possible, and writing a brief summary of what is happening and why you think it is significant. You may report on a natural disaster in progress or update information about the impact, recovery, or mitigation plans of a recent event.

Communication and collaboration among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

You are required to complete six (6) written assignments, one for each of the six modules that make up the course. The assignments consist of short essay questions based on the assigned reading.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site, and read through the written assignment questions before you begin each module. Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Formulate responses in your own words (do not merely copy answers from your reading materials), citing text materials where appropriate and in an appropriate manner.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all material from modules 1–3 of the course. The exam consists of forty (40) multiple-choice questions and three (3) essay questions.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers all material from modules 4–6 of the course. Like the midterm, the final exam consists of forty (40) multiple-choice questions and three (3) essay questions.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you at the start of final exam week. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, exams, and projects are based on the following numerical grades:

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments and taking module tests, posting group activities, and scheduling and taking your examination. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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