GEOLOGY G130

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM SOLVING

Course Description:

This course provides experience in addressing some of the kinds of problems that arise in studies of the environment. Particular emphasis is given to developing skills in making quantitative estimates and in interpreting graphical information.

In this course, you will develop skills that will make you more comfortable in recognizing problems that can be solved (the meaning of "solved" will become clear) and in making sense of the quantitative information that we are flooded with in the media. Environmental problems are used as sources of material for the quantitative analyses because they are both important and interesting.

This course is offered by a science department in the hope of providing skills and confidence to students who are hesitant to take courses in science because of a fear of having to deal with mathematics. But keep in mind that this is not a course in Mathematics. Neither is it a course in Critical Thinking or in Psychology. It is a course in scientific problem solving. You will be exposed to some strategies for dealing with quantitative analysis that are simple and that are applicable to a wide variety of situations. But the main goal is to give you confidence in your ability to deal with quantitative subjects.

When you become proficient at dealing with the material provided in this course, you will be able to recognize similar situations from articles presented in the media, and you will know how to evaluate them. A separate goal is to convince you that these topics are sufficiently interesting that you will undertake more course work in them. But you need the confidence before the interest will flourish.

Instructor:

Dr. Pascal de Caprariis
Department of Geology
Indiana University-Purdue University
723 W. Michigan St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Telephone: 317-274-7484
Fax: 317-274-7966
Email: pdecaprr@iupui.edu

 

Prerequisites:

There are no academic prerequisites for this course. However, students must have access to the Internet and to a Web Browser, such as Netscape. In addition, students must be able to send and receive email. Access to a Fax machine is not essential but could be useful from time to time (local supermarkets often offer Fax services).

Text:

There is no required text for this course. Text materials will be provided on this Homepage as needed.

Course Content

The subjects covered in this course are shown, in outline form, in the Syllabus. If you wish to see an extended discussion of the two major themes of the course, you should go to the Introduction. When you are ready to begin work, go to the section called Course Contents.

Course Goals and Objectives:

At the end of this course, students will have:

Click here to see a more complete discussion of the Educational Objectives of the course.

Structure of the Course:

New material will be added to this Homepage every three weeks. Click here to see the Schedule for the Fall, 1997 semester. Each unit will consist of text, problems based on the text (worked out), and an assignment. Completed assignments are to be transmitted primarily by email. Students will receive a graded response as soon as possible after the assignment is submitted. The final examination will be administered in the same manner.

Although Distance Education courses provide educational options to students who cannot attend classes on a campus, a disadvantage of these courses is that students are not able to interact with others in the class very easily. Such interactions are a valuable part of the learning experience, so in an attempt to provide some form of interaction between students, a Listserv has been created for those registered in the course. It will provide a way to send messages to other students, or to the entire class. If you have a question, you can ask others in the class for their opinion. You can also respond to inquiries from other students.

Assessment of Performance:

Evaluation in this course will be based on three things: grades on the assignments, grade on the final examination, and participation on the listserv discussions.

Assignments: Assignments and their due dates will be posted on this WebSite for each of the four sections of the course. These assignments will be transmitted to the instructor either by e-mail by noon on the designated date, or by U.S. mail (in which case it must be postmarked on the designated date). Grades on these assignments will constitute 80% of the course grade.

Participation in the Listserv Discussions: The listserv is provided so students can discuss with each other the contents of the course, as students in traditional courses taught on a campus do. Interactions are felt to be an important in a course such as this one where there is no face-to-face contact. To stress that importance, your participation in the on-going conversations will be noted and you will receive as much as 20% of the total grade, depending on your use of this option. The amount will depend partly on the frequency of your participation and partly on your ability to contribute to the collective learning effort.

Why is this Course Being Taught on the Internet?

Analyzing problems is a skill that takes time to develop. The relatively fast pace of a course taught in a traditional class setting is inhibiting to some students. If they do not "see" the point as quickly as others in the class, they become discouraged and their self-esteem drops. I cannot keep track of the number of times that students have told me that they did not expect to do well in a course because they were not a "science person." In the belief that anyone should be able to do well in an introductory science course if the course is taught in a way that matches the student's learning style, this course is structured in such a way that you will have ample time to think about the subjects covered.

In addition, the ability to interact with other students and with me via e-mail eliminates the problem of setting up appointments at specific times. You won't have to worry if other students will show up for a study session on time (or at all). You can interact in what is called an "asynchronous" manner; you send a message to the Listserv and at your convenience check to see who has responded and in what way. The 800 telephone number provides another cost-effective way for you to contact me during the "telephone office hours" that are posted in the Course Packet that was sent to you. In short, the course is designed in such a way that you can work at your own pace and can get feedback when you need it.

If you have any questions about this course, send an email message to the instructor,
Dr. Pascal de Caprariis.

pdecaprr@iupui.edu

Please feel free to communicate: