Your Ocean Lab Instructor’s Welcome Message

 

  

 

Hello and Welcome to MiraCosta College’s OCEA101L Oceanography Tuesday Lab Course!  

My name is Ray Rector, your oceanography lab instructor.   Congratulations for enrolling in this oceanography laboratory course here at MiraCosta College – you picked a great ocean program!  

 

Here’s the general overview of our lab course this semester:

 

1) You – the ocean lab student - will be studying all the major topics of oceanography in this lab, including the scientific method, bathymetry and navigational maps, plate tectonics, seafloors, marine sediments, atmospheric and ocean circulation, waves, shorelines, marine life, and marine environmental concerns.  You will be participating in a 3-hour set of laboratory exercises each week, either in lab, or in the field.  You need to prepare for each lab meeting by completing a pre-laboratory activity prior to starting the lab.  You need to bring to lab your completed pre-lab worksheet and your laboratory worksheet (printed off the course website).  The pre-lab worksheets (and information needed to complete the prelab worksheet) are found on the instructor's website at www.seascisurf.com.  The regular lab worksheets are found in the MiraCosta Tuesday OCEA101L class website.  Other valuable information for the course, including course syllabus, schedule, lab PowerPoint lectures, safety and fieldtrip info, are also posted on instructor’s website.  You may also elect to go on voluntary weekend field trips to the beach for extra credit points. 

 

2) I – your lab instructor -  will be your lab activity guide and learning outcome assessor over the next 16 weeks.   As your instructor, I will do my best to present the laboratory material and lab activity directions to you, lead you through the interesting and thought-provoking laboratory exercises together, and help you to successfully complete all the course activities.  You can always reach me by email at oceanprof@seascisurf.com 

 

3) As mentioned above, there is a course website created by me for maximizing your learning outcomes in this lab.  This website is found at:   http://www.seascisurf.com       Once there, click on the MiraCosta Ocean 101L Tu Lab button to access our classroom web page.

    


 

Here you will find a plethora of useful information, including course syllabus, schedule, worksheets, lab safety rules, PowerPoints, test and fieldtrip info, and numerous resource links. 

 

4) There is no required oceanography laboratory manual to purchase.  However, you will need to print out hard-copies of both the pre-laboratory worksheet and in-laboratory worksheets each week off the Canvas course website.   I will further explain the laboratory  prelabs and in-lab activites during the first lab meeting.

 

5) There is a free electronic oceanography textbook made available through the college that closely supports the ocean topics that will be covered in this lab.  This E-textbook titled, “Oceanography 101”, is found at:

 

http://gotbooks.miracosta.edu/oceans/index.html

 

Oceanography 101 Banner

 

Please make the most of this very valuable learning resource.

 

6) The Course Syllabus - an Important Must-Read Document - is basically the official course contract between me (the instructor) and you (the student).  This is where all the course information and logistics are found. Things like enrollment, attendance, and grading policies, are all found in the syllabus.   The syllabus also includes the course Lab Schedule which is by far the most important document during the semester for keeping your studies on a timely track – things like lab meetings, tests, and fieldtrip dates are all there. The Lab Safety Rules, another very Important Must-Read Document, are also found in the course syllabus and also on the class website.  Please read this document.

 

7) Contacting me:  Don't be shy when it comes to communicating with me or your fellow students.  There are several means of communication: 1) during class, 2) email, 3) phone, and 4) fieldtrip meetings.  As a general rule, I can be quickly contacted by email through the “Mail” link, or via my personal email at oceanprof@seascisurf.com    (I check for messages at least once a day, typically several times).   Alternately, you can reach me by telephone at (760) 942-9201.  However, unless there is an urgent need to contact me, I prefer to be contacted via email.  

 

I think that you will enjoy this fun lab course this semester, and that you will learn a lot about our ocean. I hope that you make the most of it!  Look forward to meeting everyone in class.

 

Lanakai--6-7-2010

 

Aloha,

 

       Ray Rector